In her seminal work The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf argued that the beauty industry creates unrealistic standards to control women, undermining their self-worth and distracting them from real issues like workplace equality and reproductive rights.
Imagine then, deciding to subvert that very industry, all while still working within it.
It sounds like an almost impossible task. And yet, skincare founder and educator Davey Rooney of Boring Without You has managed to do just that.
The brand was born out of what Rooney describes as one of the most difficult periods of his life: “I would have panic attacks on the tram on my way to work,” he told Mediaweek. “I was thrown into the most anxious, depressive state I’ve ever been in.”
That experience shaped both his outlook and his business. “It’s only in hindsight that I can see how my skin really took the brunt of that, dryness, dehydration, sensitivity to products that used to be totally fine,” he said.
“From day one, donating to mental health charities has been a massive foundation for the brand, because your skin and your mind are deeply connected.”
Skincare founder and educator Davey Rooney of Boring Without You.
A skincare brand built on empathy
Rooney’s brand was created around one central belief, that skincare isn’t just about what you put on your face. “It’s about caring for your skin,” he said. “And how you do that is different for everyone.”
He’s quick to point out the science too. “Stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep all impact your skin. There’s so much evidence to support that,” he said. “I used to think it was the other way around, that your skin impacts your mental health. But actually, your mental health impacts your skin. It’s a cycle; everything is interconnected. How you feel changes how you look.”
That philosophy, gentle and grounded, has become the brand’s differentiator in an industry that often prizes perfection over presence.
A recent study by the University of Manchester looking at the evolution of the beauty industry found that what many of us think of as “personal choice”, things like skincare, makeup, and even hair removal, actually has deep corporate roots.
It traced how brands, from Gillette convincing women in the early 1900s that body hair was “unfeminine,” to post-war cosmetics giants marketing beauty products as “everyday essentials,” helped create today’s idea of what looking after yourself should mean.
The research argued that these weren’t just clever ads – they built an entire culture that ties femininity to maintenance and confidence to consumption.
Flipping the script on beauty marketing
This year, Boring Without You launched its first full-scale brand campaign for World Mental Health Day (10 October), titled “We Don’t Make Beauty. You Do.” The campaign sought to challenge traditional notions of beauty marketing and to bring awareness to how mental health affects physical wellbeing.
Rather than selling a product, the campaign sold perspective. In Bondi, a digital billboard invited people to “stand here.” When they did, the screen switched to a live feed of their face with the message: “Beauty is staring you in the face.” For each person who participated, $10 was donated to mental health charities.
Meanwhile, influencers were sent empty PR boxes, a move that caught many off guard. Inside was a mirror engraved with the phrase “We don’t make beauty. You do.”
Rooney said the decision to send an empty mailer was deliberate. “Most brands would send product, but we wanted to say something different,” he explained. “When people opened the box, they saw a mirror and the message about stress, anxiety, and negative self-talk. It reminded them that they are the secret ingredient, because how you feel impacts how you look.”
The results were striking. “Creators with thousands, even millions of followers, were crying on camera, saying it was the most thoughtful PR box they’d ever received,” Rooney said. “I think it’s because people felt seen when they opened it. They felt understood.”
From brainstorm to billboard in three weeks
Remarkably, the entire campaign was conceived and executed in just three weeks. “We led this internally with a team of three,” Rooney said. “We came up with the idea, built the activation, and executed it all in-house.”
They partnered with Sunday Agency to help with PR and creative direction. “They helped refine the angle and make sure the campaign got the amplification it deserved,” Rooney said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved”
A changing industry
The campaign lands at a time when the global beauty industry is booming, but its consumers are changing. According to Attest, the sector was worth AU $992 billion in 2024, and it’s expected to grow by 3.33% annually through to 2028.
But glossy perfection isn’t selling like it used to. Taboola’s research shows 85% of Gen Z value authenticity when choosing a brand, and 71% have made a beauty purchase because of TikTok, a platform known for raw, unfiltered storytelling.
Rooney sees this shift as an opportunity. “If you only talk about product, it’ll only take you so far,” he said. “You have to connect with people. You have to stand for something. You have to make them feel something.”
He added that investing in brand, not just marketing, is what helps companies stand out. “We want to invest more in brand,” he said. “That’s how companies will differentiate themselves in such a saturated market.”
Turning values into action
For Rooney, though, it’s not enough to talk about mental health, it has to translate into action. “People want to buy from brands that share their values,” he said. “But it can’t just be talk; it has to be action.”
To that end, Boring Without You has so far donated $50,000 to four Australian mental health charities. “It’s not just about saying the right things,” Rooney said. “It’s about making a real difference.”
Redefining beauty through meaning
Rooney’s philosophy has resonated with customers, too. At the Bondi activation, he was approached by people who thanked him for what the brand stands for. “They said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing,’” he recalled. “Hearing that really reinforces it.”
Seeing those reactions in person has strengthened his resolve. “It solidifies you as a real brand, not just something that exists online,” he said. “That kind of positive reinforcement from the public is so powerful.”
In a $600 billion industry built on airbrushes and aspiration, Boring Without You is selling something much rarer, perspective, empathy, and a reminder that how you feel matters just as much as how you look.