The Collagen Queen’s Comeback: Libby Boxall’s Next Act
BY SOPHIE CHUNG
An inside look at Libby Boxall’s evolution as a beauty entrepreneur.
1 DEC - 2025
Libby Boxall turns an idea into an empire — again.
If you’ve ever stirred collagen in your morning coffee, you’ve felt Libby Boxall’s influence long before knowing her name. She’s the entrepreneur who took a fairly niche supplement and turned it into a global phenomenon.
From leaving high school at 17, to building Dose & Co at her kitchen table, to selling it after a whirlwind six-year ascent involving global distribution and a Kardashian co-sign, her story reads like a modern entrepreneurial myth - except every twist is real.
And now, with Milou, Libby’s next chapter is a continuation of her thesis: that wellbeing should be both powerful and accessible, and that great skin is as much a feeling as it is a formula.
Today, we go back to where it all began - the health struggles that shaped her, the kitchen-table chaos, the exit, the evolution, and why she still believes the greatest luxury of all is confidence you can’t fake.
You're most famous for starting and selling Dose & Co which has become a global brand. Let’s start at the beginning - what's your origin story?
I grew up in Auckland and left school at 17, it just wasn’t for me - and then moved to Melbourne to study fashion. I started dealing with health issues in my teens, including skin concerns, which sparked my fascination with nutrition and naturopathy. That led me back to New Zealand to study formally, completing degrees in both fields and working in a clinic, which was incredibly rewarding and taught me how connected our internal and external wellbeing truly is.
After experiencing extreme postpartum hair loss following the birth of my daughter, I created Dose & Co: premium, effective, and accessible collagen supplements. That same desire to help people feel confident led to Milou, now one. Essential skincare made with New Zealand botanicals and expert chemists, designed to make caring for your skin effortless and joyful.
Is there a pivotal moment in your life that has brought you here today?
If I had to pinpoint it, it wasn’t a single moment but a thread running through my life: my own health struggles and the lessons they taught me. My teens were a deeply challenging time, I left home early, didn’t finish high school, and moved abroad at 17. On top of that, I was dealing with a number of health issues, which ultimately set me on my path into nutrition and naturopathy.
Both Dose & Co and Milou grew from these deeply personal experiences. I wanted to create products that could genuinely help people on their health and wellness journey - supplements and skincare that are effective, premium, and accessible. My goal has always been to make people feel cared for and confident in their own skin. Looking back, those struggles weren’t setbacks, they were the foundation for everything I’ve built and the way I approach business and life today.
Those early months taught me to wear many hats, trust my instincts, and problem-solve constantly. The experience was intense, but it was also profoundly formative. It showed me what’s possible when you combine vision, persistence, and the willingness to take risks.
What were the early days of building the Dose & Co business really like behind the scenes?
The early days were chaotic, exciting, and completely unexpected. I literally created the brand from my kitchen table, doing everything myself, formulation, packaging, customer service, marketing, and honestly, I didn’t expect anyone to buy it. On launch day, I was happy if I sold just one order, so it was a total shock when the products sold out in the first week.
From there, things escalated quickly. Within the first year, Khloé Kardashian came on board as an owner, and the brand launched into mass retail, including Target, Sam’s Club, Countdown, and Coles. It was crazy how fast Dose & Co grew. Those early months taught me to wear many hats, trust my instincts, and problem-solve constantly. The experience was intense, but it was also profoundly formative. It showed me what’s possible when you combine vision, persistence, and the willingness to take risks.
What did you learn about yourself through building and scaling a business?
I learned that resilience is everything. Building a business from scratch tests you in ways you can’t really prepare for. You have to learn to trust your instincts, make decisions quickly, and keep moving forward even when you have no idea what the outcome will be. I also learned that I’m more adaptable than I thought, you have to be when you wear every hat at once.
How did it feel to sell something you created from scratch?
It was surreal, honestly. Dose & Co started as an idea in my living room, so to see it evolve into a global brand was incredibly fulfilling. But selling something so personal was emotional too, it’s like saying goodbye to a part of yourself. Still, it felt like the right moment to hand it over and make space for new ideas to grow.
What was the biggest factor in your decision to sell Dose & Co?
We had Dose & Co for almost six years, and during that time the business grew far beyond what I could have imagined. For me, it felt like the right moment to step back and let the brand continue to grow with new ownership, while I focused on creating something new. It was about timing, growth, and making space for the next chapter.
Did you always want to start a skincare brand or was this a eureka moment post-exit? How did Milou come about?
My interest in skin health began long before Milou. As a naturopath, I spent years working with women in-clinic who were navigating complex skin concerns. Those conversations gave me a deep understanding of how our internal and external worlds are connected. How nutrition, stress, and lifestyle all play a role in how our skin behaves.
Dose & Co was centered on beauty from the inside out, so in many ways, Milou felt like a natural evolution, a way to support the other side of that equation. Where Dose & Co focused on what we put into our bodies, Milou is about what we apply to our skin, creating formulas that help people feel genuinely confident and comfortable in their own skin.
New Zealand has access to some of the most extraordinary native botanicals in the world, and showcasing those ingredients was something I felt strongly about. Every product is formulated and made here in New Zealand, in collaboration with one of the country’s leading cosmetic chemists.
We wanted Milou to strike the balance between accessibility and excellence - products with uncompromising formulations and ingredients, offered at a considered price point. Sustainability was also a priority from day one, just as it was with Dose & Co. Ultimately, Milou brings together everything I’ve learned so far.
What does a typical day in your life look like for you now?
A typical day always starts with getting my kids ready for school, the morning chaos has become part of my routine. I try to carve out some time for movement after that, usually Pilates or a walk to clear my head before diving into work. My workdays vary, but they’re usually a mix of product development, copywriting, planning new launches, reviewing creative, and speaking to my amazing co-founder, Bailee who lives in New Zealand.
My daughter gets home in the early afternoon, so I pause work to be present with my kids, then pick things back up again in the evening once they’re asleep, especially since I often work across the New Zealand time zone. Every day looks a little different, but that’s part of what I love about it. My husband travels often for work, so balancing motherhood, running a business, and managing the house solo at times can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.
Entrepreneurship can look glamorous from the outside — what’s one truth you wish more people knew?
That it’s rarely glamorous. Entrepreneurship is full of uncertainty and constant decision-making. You’re often navigating challenges behind the scenes that no one sees. It’s incredibly rewarding, but it’s also isolating at times. The highs are high, but the lows can be humbling. What keeps you going is belief, in your vision, your product, and the reason you started.
What is the advice you would give for anyone trying to scale their SME business?
Don’t rush scale, build foundations first. It’s easy to focus on growth metrics, but the foundation, your product, brand purpose, and customer experience is what sustains you long term. Invest in the right people early and protect your vision.
Looking back, what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self when you were just starting out?
Failure isn’t something to avoid; it’s where the most valuable lessons happen. Every setback forces you to adapt, think differently, and ultimately grow stronger. I’ve learned far more from things not going to plan than from the moments that did. And I’d also remind myself that rest and resilience go hand in hand, you can’t sustain growth if you’re constantly running on empty.
If you were to start over again, what would it be?
I wouldn’t change a thing, but I do miss seeing clients in-clinic. Helping people with their health in a hands-on way is incredibly rewarding, and I hope to return to that alongside Milou.
Do you have any regrets? what would you have done differently knowing the things you know now.
I wouldn’t change the journey, every challenge taught me something. If I could do one thing differently, it would be choosing people whose values aligned with mine from the start, especially a commitment to creating and helping others.
Best advice you've received?
People are often too scared to try something new because they fear failure. The truth is that the biggest growth and opportunities come from taking risks and stepping into the unknown.
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