From university start-up to global success, we chart the rise and rise of ‘freezeframe’ founder and owner Sonia Amoroso.
Sonia Amoroso is one of Australia’s most dynamic beauty entrepreneurs and skincare innovators. With a pedigree of breakthrough beauty and wellness products, she has made it her mission to help women overcome the most common beauty challenges with effective science-backed solutions.
Amoroso is perhaps best known as the mastermind behind freezeframe, one of Australia’s best-selling clinical skincare brands, which she launched in 2009, but her journey started long before freezeframe.
Sonia has been developing breakthrough beauty products for more than 20 years and has been responsible for some of the best-selling skincare products in Australian history.
Amoroso’s first startup was while she was studying at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she was studying for a BA in communications, majoring in journalism and advertising. It was during this time, with the help of a cosmetic chemist, that she successfully developed her own range of skincare products, and in the process introduced two health and beauty brands into the Australian market – Naturopathica (including the popular FatBlaster weight-loss supplement) and Skin Doctors Cosmeceuticals. By the time her uni days were done, it was becoming clear that Amoroso knew how to tap into the mindest of women and find solutions.
Following the sale of Naturopathica and Skin Doctors Cosmeceuticals in 2006, she founded Self Care Corporation. Seeing a gap in the market for clinical-grade soluctions to everyday beauty problems, Amoroso introduced freezeframe in 2009, with their breakthrough ‘instant freeze and lift’ product, INHIBOX. It was the first instant ‘Botox alternative’ skincare on the market and was a huge success, with women lined up outside the doors of Myer to purchase one.
Driven by innovation and a focus on addressing common beauty concerns rather than skincare regimens, the freezeframe brand added to its portfolio of products and quickly gained prominence, becoming Australia’s top-selling brand in its category. Their hero product, REVITALEYES, achieved an impressive feat by securing the number- one spot in the eye cream category for four consecutive years.
Freezeframe’s latest game-changer is the 48-hour Wrinkle Freeze Ice Roller Mask, with Sonia Kruger as the ambassador for the new product. The anti-ageing ice mask, which launched in early 2024, combines innovative peptide technology with a built-in ice roller for dramatically smoother-looking skin in 30 minutes that lasts up to 48 hours.
The brand’s global success is further underscored by its popularity in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK, along with remarkable growth in Australia.
‘Amoroso’s mission is to help women lead confident lives by solving the most common beauty problems.’
Amoroso’s mission is to help women lead confident lives by solving the most common beauty problems. She says one of the most memorable comments from her customers was from a woman who had undergone chemotherapy and had lost all of her eyelashes. She started using Lash Prescription which helped her regain her lashes and also her confidence.
Amoroso has a slew of awards and accolades under her belt – including the EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Woman of the Year Award and Sydney Graduate School of Management MBA Scholarship. Not content with being the queen of beauty innovations, in 2020 she was the executive producer on the film Penguin Bloom, starring Noami Watts.
Looking ahead, the future continues to shine bright for Amoroso, with ongoing product developments and a steadfast focus on remaining at the forefront of skincare innovation.
Freezeframe products are sold online as well as in Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and Terry White Chemmart. CBM
