From Stroller Fitness to Beauty Industry Disruptor
Nancy Vincent Parr - Onaji Cosmetics
Christchurch
Nancy Vincent Parr has never been one to settle for the status quo. After years in corporate roles and multiple business ventures, she’s now three years into building Onaji Cosmetics — a makeup brand challenging an industry addicted to plastic packaging and formulations.
Her path to becoming a beauty entrepreneur wasn’t linear. Nancy has run a postnatal fitness business, worked in real estate operations, and most recently served as a national sales manager for a skincare manufacturer. But it was her own health concerns that sparked the idea for Onaji.
The problem that started it all
Nancy’s journey into beauty wasn’t planned — it was personal.
“I had major hormone disruption and started looking at everything in my lifestyle that could be affecting it,” she explains. A daily makeup wearer in corporate environments, she began questioning what was going on her skin.
What she uncovered was alarming: the word “clean” in cosmetics was largely meaningless, and 8 out of 10 personal care products contained some form of plastic. “These are ingredients that don’t biodegrade, can carry endocrine disruptors, and are never tested for long-term health impact,” she says. “And yet, they’re everywhere — including in products marketed as clean.”
She realised there was a serious gap in the market: no one was creating high-performance makeup that was both plastic and palm-free in formulation, packaged more sustainably, and that was also fun.
Taking the leap
Starting Onaji required more than a mindset shift — it meant real financial risk. Nancy and her husband sold their house to fund the venture.
“Some people think it’s probably a bit mad,” she reflects. “But which is worse — you’ve got an opportunity and take it, or you never try and always wonder what could’ve been?”
The road has been far more complex than expected. Colour cosmetics require deep technical expertise and precision manufacturing. “You can’t make high-performance mascaras or lip products in your kitchen,” she notes. “Everything has to go through multiple stability and PET tests — and if anything fails, it’s back to square one.”
Building a support network
Nancy credits her mentor, Dr Diane Jones from Startup Aotearoa, for being instrumental in navigating the complexities of a product business helping her build the resilience required.
“She’s the opposite of me — calm, measured, detail-oriented. We balance each other well, I’m more go-go-go!”.
Product-based startups face a unique set of challenges. “Not many people are in product businesses — and it’s a different level of risk. You’re putting serious cash into a product before you’ve made a single sale.”
Nancy also leans on the wider founder community, where regular connection with other entrepreneurs helps keep her grounded and strategic.
Strategic networking at Electrify Aotearoa
At Electrify Aotearoa, Nancy arrived with a short list of founders she wanted to meet — including Millie from Eat Kinder and Sophie Cooper from Anihana.
A single conversation there completely made her carefully consider her strategy for the US market. “It was that lightbulb moment. Just being around other women doing it, especially in product-based businesses, was exactly what I needed.”
But it was a one-on-one chat with a Christchurch founder further ahead in their journey that had the biggest impact. “They were talking about retail expansion into Australia, and I just thought — this is the gold.”
World-first innovation
Nancy’s obsession with detail has led to what she believes is a world-first packaging innovation, though she’s keeping the specifics under wraps until launch.
“It took me nine months to negotiate my minimum order quantities down from 50,000 to something I could actually afford. What I wanted didn’t exist when I started. I’ve had to fight for every part of this.”
For Nancy, novelty isn’t the point — defensibility is.
“If someone copies me, great. That means I did what I set out to do: shift the industry.”
The complexity of colour cosmetics
Unlike skincare, which can often be made at home, colour cosmetics require specialised processes and equipment.
“I could make a moisturiser in my Thermomix,” Nancy laughs. “You take oils, water, emulsifiers, and you’re good. But mascara? Lip serum? Brow formulas? Colour cosmetics? Very different.”
Products that separate, shift colour, or break down under light or heat can’t go to market — and reformulation takes months. Manufacturers also tend to avoid small runs, making early-stage scale incredibly difficult. This painstaking process has added to Onaji’s multi-year development timeline.
“There are a lot of businesses in New Zealand that aren’t really formulating — they’re just resellers,” Nancy says. “But I’m not basing my whole brand on packaging. I’m creating something that doesn’t currently exist: colour cosmetics that are plastic-free, vegan, and palm oil-free.”
The challenges don’t stop at formulation. Finding manufacturers willing to work with smaller quantities has been just as hard. “You really need to know what you are talking about to be taken seriously”.
Building for scale and for loyalty
Nancy’s first big goal post launch is to look for a major retail partner — who is aligned with Onaji’s values and target customer. Her top priority post-launch: building deep community loyalty and learning about her customers and what they really want”.
“I don’t just say I care about the customer — I am the customer,” she says. “Everything I’m building is for people like me — conscious, curious, and fed up with greenwashed beauty.”
With four products already in the pipeline and a clearly defined new product development cycle, Nancy is building for scale from day one. Her ambitions span Australasia and the US, where the colour cosmetics beauty market is more mature.
Nancy’s journey shows that entrepreneurship often comes from lived experience, cross-industry knowledge, and a refusal to accept “how things are done.” Her determination, risk appetite, and attention to detail are shaping a brand that’s not only sustainable — but built to last.
To learn more about Onaji Cosmetics, or connect with Nancy via LinkedIn.
Thank you to the Ministry for Women for supporting Nancy's Journey.
Miranda Wells - HARK
Taranaki
In the hills of rural Taranaki, Miranda Wells is redefining conservation with HARK—an AI‑powered acoustic monitoring system that listens to the bush 24/7. Unlike traditional recorders that require weeks of manual analysis, HARK devices can run for up to 10 years on solar power, identifying bird calls, detecting pests, and even tracking microclimates in real time. From protecting kiwi at home to potential anti‑poaching uses abroad, HARK is poised to change how the world protects its wildlife.
If you’re looking to embark on your own startup journey, check out these programmes to see if they are right for you:
Startup Aotearoa - free one-to-one coaching for early-stage founders.
Founder Catalyst - a nine-month founder capability building programme.