Behind the Brand: Sparklewhite

There’s something about summer that just makes you smile that little bit extra. All that sun. Those long days that draw out into balmy nights. The thrusting away of winter layers to be replaced by jandals, shorts and t-shirts. Yes, summer sure gives us a lot to smile about. Of course, sometimes we might wish those teeth of ours were a little shinier too… which is why we were so excited to discover Sparklewhite, and even happier to get them on board with our Best of Summer beauty box.

Sparklewhite make getting a sunnier smile easier with their amazing at-home tooth whitening kits, which are painless, safe and don’t involve any of those fiddly molds, or result in whitened gums. So of course we had to ask Sparklewhite’s owner, Charmaine McFarlane, if she’d mind if we delved into her teeth-sparkling world and, lucky for us, she agreed!

Thanks for chatting with us, Charmaine. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your background?  How long have you been in the beauty industry?

I've had a varied background from working in the airline business, to health and beauty, and the last 10 yrs in the cosmetic teeth whitening industry.

How did the idea to launch Sparklewhite come about?

Upon returning back to NZ after owning a Day Spa in Australia with in-chair teeth whitening as one of the services, we noticed there was no Cosmetic Teeth Whitening in the market here. We then launched NZs first teeth whitening service nationwide and grew into a nationwide business from Whangarei to Invercargill. Then from here grew the Home whitening kits as an alternative for whitening that could be used where ever you wanted ie at home, holiday, work or car.

What is the philosophy behind Sparklewhite?  What does it stand for?

Delivering a quality product at an affordable price. Being renowned for being the largest and most trusted teeth whitening business in NZ. We are NZ Owned & Operated, so you can be assured of safe quality products that really do work and service to a very high standard.

What products does Sparklewhite offer? Whitening Pens, LED lights, Whitening Gel Syringes, Gift Vouchers, Oral Finger Brushes, Home Hygiene Kits and In-Chair Teeth Whitening Treatments.

What is it about these products that set them apart from other home teeth whitening regimes? THEY ACTUALLY WORK! You pay for what you get don’t you. We adhere to the all the NZ health & safety regulations set out in 2013. We have a contact centre for questions or help. Purchases are sent out within 24hrs of ordering. We have a number of options for selling our home whitening kits whether for gel pen refills, gel syringes for molds or gift wrapping for Xmas gifts.

If you could give one piece of advice to people about how to maintain beautiful teeth, what would it be?

Well of course it would be to visit one of our nationwide branches and have an in chair treatment as it’s a stronger and quicker treatment or buy home whitening pens to keep whitening on a regular basis. But seriously the easiest tip is to rinse with water as often as you can, just like your tea or coffee cup stains, so do your teeth. Even smoking, curries fruit juices & veges stain your teeth. These stains don't stay on the tooth surface for long, but absorb into your tooth pores making it impossible for brushing to remove. That is why whitening products sold over the counter don’t work because they are not strong enough or on the teeth for long enough to make a noticeable difference. Maintenance treatments either by regular use of their ktis or visiting a local Sparklewhite clinic for a more quicker result especially for a special occasion.

What is the best thing about working for such a wonderful beauty brand?

I invented the brand so of course it’s a wonderful beauty brand..lol. First impressions really do count, so by working with such a wonderful brand we are helping improve not so confident smiles to huge confidential smiles making them look & feel happy and a million dollars.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who would like to do what you’ve done?

We didn’t know how this idea of Cosmetic Teeth Whitening was going to go in NZ compared to the Gold Coast but we had to give it a go…and look the rest is history. Initially just selling teeth whitening equipment, we quickly grew into 15 licensed operators for in-chair teeth whitening & onselling products nationwide. We became one of the founding members of the NZ Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Assoc. to protect the NZ public from untrained teeth whitening companies. We won a court case against the NZDA & Dental Council to continue in NZ offering the public reduced prices in Cosmetic Teeth Whitening and are the first country in the world to be Government recognised by the Ministry of Health and to continue in our industry.

So fight for what you believe in & have a passion for. Its not to be recognised personally, but for the NZ public to be able to enjoy the benefits of what we have made history in for future generations.

What’s been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Learning about myself & how strong I have become after surviving the CHC earthquake whilst in a basement salon doing teeth whitening. When you have lost many friends you were only filming with the day before, lost your business, and continue with life long injuries from it,  you really do only get to know what you are capable of and what direction you are heading to from a disaster like this.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced?

Starting up business again after a disaster with injuries, converting a spare room at home into a clinic quickly and oping that being a luxury service and product won't take long to become popular again. After so much loss in the city luxury items were the first off the wish list. But before long people needed something to make themselves feel better, or give them a pick me up from all the doom & gloom and before we knew we were back in business again. So really everything else seems easy in comparison now.

What does a normal day for you consist of?

From 9am-3pm I have my work hat on at the computer, phones, advertising marketing, bookings, looking after our licensees around NZ.  After 3pm I turn into a taxi driver for my daughters sport, singing and dancing lessons, but thank goodness for Bluetooth I can still take calls driving, then it’s the usual mum tea time and afterwards stuff into the evenings…lol. Then its back to a bit of book work in the evenings…24/7 really…lol

How do you relax?

Leaving the country where there are no phones or computers to be contacted lol… but normally we try getting away to the lakes for a bit of fishing, jet skiing, quality family time, a good book and fantastic wine!

Can you give us a hint about what is next for Sparklewhite?

Anyone want to buy this wonderful business? Yes, we do have, but it's not ready to be launched yet….so watch this space it will be very sparkly news!!!. We were the first to introduce mobile cosmetic teeth whitening into NZ as well as bring in the Euro non sensitive non peroxide gel too, so always looking at quality products to bring to the NZ market.

It truly was a pleasure chatting with Charmaine. Sparklewhite is an amazing companty, and it was so interesting to see how they started it up, and the things they've had to deal with and overcome. What an inspiration! If you’d like to find out more about Sparklewhite, be sure to visit their website!