Marion Caunter on the Business of Beauty

Marion Caunter takes the next step as a beauty mogul with the launch of her first beauty brand, Mare

Nary a hair out of place, Marion Caunter walks breezily into the photo studio dressed in a sleek black ensemble. Our photographer Imran wastes no time in capturing her long lustrous locks in all their loveliness.

Although famous for her crowning glory, the owner of Hairplay salon has only just launched her first hair product under her new beauty label called Mare, an abbreviated version of her name.

"I've been wanting to do something in hair for a while now," she declares. "Everyone had been telling me to do it as it seemed like a natural progression from the hair salon. And it hit me this morning that Hairplay will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year."

She explains that it took her a long while to start her own label because of her perfectionist nature. "I'm the type that when I set my mind to do something, I go all out. It's never half-measure with me."

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When MCO happened and travel took a pause, Caunter began to notice that her hair was falling out. "I don't know if it was the stress of being stuck at home or the anxiety of Covid, but I started seeing my hair dropping out. I was wondering why I was losing so much hair and I knew I needed to do something about it."

She started working on shampoos before realising that the issue could be internal. "I realised I was probably lacking some essential nutrients."

Above Photo: Imran Sulaiman

That set the course for her to develop hair vitamins with the help of beauty entrepreneur Puteri Zarith. The result is More is More Hair Vitamins botanical beverage formulated with multivitamins, plant extracts like aloe vera and saw palmetto, as well as biotin, the latter an essential ingredient to promote, healthier, thicker hair. Flavoured with peach and berry, Caunter now swears by it.

"It works for me and my team," she says. "I'm in my 40s now and at this age, it's not so much about expecting miracles but about maintenance. That's the message here." More is More Hair Vitamins is available online as well as at Hairplay.

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Above Caunter with a sachet of More is More Hair Vitamins (Photo: Courtesy of MARE)

This is your first product under Mare. Can we expect more?

Marion Caunter: My whole concept is to start from within before hopefully coming up with other types of product. I don't want to get into it yet because it's got to be right. But definitely there are things in the works.

How do you keep up with the trends?

It's insane especially in the whole fashion influencing world. My kids (two girls and a boy) are teaching me how to do TikTok, telling me what's cool, what's cringey. Half the time I'm embarrassing them with what I do. They would tell me to learn this dance and half an hour later I'm still on step one but they would have mastered the whole dance!

So how do I keep up? I don't know. Do I keep up? I try. But I think ultimately you have to go back to what is you, what feels organic to you.

Do you feel the heat from younger competition?

I don't because I'm not competing with them. I mean, how can I? I see these younger girls and they are amazing. There are a lot of stars out there but very few who have the right package. These girls and boys work hard and they are professionals; they show up and they deliver.

Who are the ones that you admire?

I really like Daiyan Trisha and Jane Chuck who is amazing and has broken into the international market. And I love Chriselle Lim from the US. I met her in Paris recently and we've been in touch. She's entrepreneurial, she's a hard-worker. She's a single mom of two but she never brings her personal issue into the work space. You can see how hard she works, the amount of travel she does—do you know how exhausting these trips are? And she's so nice.

Above Photo: Imran Sulaiman

Do you enjoy being an entrepreneur?

Yes and no. Yes when you're able to produce results. Or when you're able to provide opportunities for your team members. That's the best feeling in the world. For instance, some of the team members at Hairplay have been with us for 10 years. To me, that is an accomplishment. I have an amazing team around me.

But being your own boss is also the most stressful thing ever.

You mentioned earlier in the studio that you didn't expect your life to turn out this way. Take us back a little, how did it happen?

You mean, how did I end up going to couture week sitting at the Schiaparelli show in Paris? I'm still pinching myself! I was asked the one outfit that I'd love to wear but hadn't worn at last year's Tatler Ball and I replied, "Schiaparelli, please!". I never thought I'd be at the show a few months later.

Have you always loved fashion?

If you asked my mom and my siblings, they would tell you that I was the fashion girl at home. I would wear high heels and walk around because I liked the sound of clicking heels. My family knew but the level that I'm doing now surprises even myself. It excites me to meet the people behind the fashion like David Roseberry (creative director of Schiaparelli). You get to have very human conversations with them but it's still very surreal.

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What do you miss about your entertainment hosting days?

I miss being on camera, I really enjoyed that. It was fun for me and there's nothing better than having fun when you work.

Would you ever think about doing a show about your journey at fashion weeks?

Fashion and hosting together? Why not? Never say never to any opportunities.

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Topics

Marion Caunter Hair vitamins MARE Beautiy Mogul

Tatler Asia

Asia's Most Influential: Marion Caunter on launching Mare, her first beauty brand