our brand story
About Us
Spa & Salon Solutions
Karen Ellithorne has extensive experience and knowledge of the health and skincare industry, which stem from her initial involvement as therapist and lecturer, and continues with her ongoing commitment to uplifting education by organizing industry-specific conventions and writing articles for professional magazines.
She has been highly successful in the import and distribution of a variety of brands in South Africa. In 2001, she launched her own brand into the South African market – Milk Solutions, which has grown into a fully comprehensive range of professional, results-driven hand and foot care treatments.
Our Brands
Milk Solutions
Milk Solutions was first introduced to South African spas and salons in 2001 as a line of four core professional pedicure products. Designed and developed locally, with the goal of providing beauty business owners with international quality at more affordable prices, commitment to this initial intent has been central to the brand’s success and remains at the heart of the Milk Solutions proposition.
Our Story
Where we started?
Spa and Salon Solutions was established in 1996 with a focus on the import, manufacture and distribution of premium professional products, machinery and equipment into the South African beauty and medical aesthetic markets.
Just over twenty years later, the company is a well-established and respected specialist supplier, locally and fast gaining a reputation in the spa and salon sector abroad – largely due to the development and growth of the range of hand, foot and body care products and professional equipment, Milk Solutions.
Milk Solutions
Milk Solutions was first introduced to South African spas and salons in 2001 as a line of four core professional pedicure products. Designed and developed locally, with the goal of providing beauty business owners with international quality at more affordable prices, commitment to this initial intent has been central to the brand’s success and remains at the heart of the Milk Solutions proposition.
Today, Milk Solutions has grown into one of the most comprehensive ranges of results-driven in-salon and at-home hand, foot and body treatments available on the South African market. Milk Solutions consists of a portfolio of paraben-free products, presented in four ranges – Milk and Honey, Garden, Fruit, Charcoal and Professional – deliver real improvement and visible results.
Combining the highest-quality traditional and non-traditional ingredients, scientific technology and nature’s chemistry, each highly-specialised product works hand in hand with the rest, enabling practitioners to customise treatments and personalise product mixes to actively address the variety of skin conditions and nail concerns that women of different ages, ethnicities and lifestyles experience in today’s urban, “working girl” environment. This holistic offering benefits beauty business owners as much as it does their clients, particularly when it comes to consistency, convenience and cost of their services.
Milk Solutions packaging has a professional look and feel to align with international beauty trends and to give the brand better shelf impact as the growth strategy continues to actively target the consumer retail segment. Focus has also been on infiltrating key African markets including Namibia, Zambia , Nigeria and Kenya as well as Europe. All products have completed a rigorous EU certification process.
Ownership
Spa and Salon Solutions is 100% owned by Karen Ellithorne, a qualified aesthetician who has been actively involved in the South African health and skincare industry since 1992. Working first as a therapist and then as a lecturer, Karen is well-known for her industry-leading knowledge and expertise in not only the mani-pedi sector but in the rapidly growing medical aesthetics market as well. Karen is also regularly called on to provide editorial content for key industry publications including Professional Beauty.
