For Actress and Entrepreneur Maddison Brown, Authenticity is the Key to Success
The multi-hyphenate shares how she's diversified her interests outside of Hollywood and into beauty with her skincare brand
For Australian star Maddison Brown, who you may know for playing Kirby Anders in CW’s hit show Dynasty, acting was on the cards. “It has always been a passion of mine,” she says. “I started working professionally as an actor when I was five years old and loved it. I think it has always been a good outlet to tap into my creativity.”
Now, the 26-year-old has decided to channel her inventiveness into other forms of expression. Together with her sister, Allyson Popovic, Brown founded the Sydney-born brand, Outside Beauty & Skincare, providing consumers with environmentally-conscious SPF products that are formulated using native botanicals like Kakadu plum, cocoa butter and raspberry seed oil — all to protect the skin against the harsh Australian sun. Considering her love and dependency on SPF products growing up and living in Australia (she wears the brand’s SPF50+ Mineral Primer every day without fail), it certainly makes sense that she started her brand.
“There were so many different reasons but two main ones stick out as the driving force,” Brown says when asked what inspired her to create the brand initially. “Firstly, as a consumer, I didn’t feel represented by many of the mainstream sunscreen brands that dominate the beauty and skincare landscape in Australia.”
“I have always been a minimalist at heart. When I’m looking at clothes and skincare, I love it when things feel classic and effortless, and there was a gap in the market for that in SPF. Secondly, I wanted to diversify my interests outside of Hollywood. It’s been a big part of my life for so long, and I never really gave myself the chance to explore what other passions I have until starting this brand.”
Since entering this new chapter of her life, Brown has tackled the challenge of leading two roles as a business owner and an actress head-on. “Running your own business and having a career in an industry like Hollywood is equally demanding,” she says. “I wouldn’t say they’ve ever clashed but I definitely feel like I eat, sleep and breathe either the brand or my career constantly. There’s never one that isn’t on my mind, and I find it hard to switch off at times, but they’re also both things I enjoy and feel passionately about so it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.”
The one thing Brown took away from her experience helming two career titles is the importance of being genuine. “It sounds cliché but I think staying true to yourself and expressing your authenticity to people, whether as an actor or as a brand, always gets you to the right place,” she explains. “People connect with authenticity, and connection is everything. Connection makes you invested in a performance, or a brand, or a product.”
In the same vein, Brown’s beauty routine complements her staying-true-to-yourself mentality. “Beauty starts from within and I really believe that. When you’re happy and well-rested, you can see it in your skin,” she adds. “Less is more. My routine is fairly simple but consistent. I always cleanse, treat and moisturise each morning and night. I use an LED mask daily. I don’t wear too much makeup on my days off. And I like to let my skin breathe.”
This year, the actress and business owner wishes to find more balance in her life. “The last two years have been intense yet rewarding. I hope that there’s more room for rest and relaxation in 2024.” As for her brand, expect to see more launches coming up. “2024 will be a really exciting year for us,” she teases. “We are currently developing several new products that we plan on launching later in the year, and we also have some really exciting brand collaborations in the pipeline.”
