Australia’s Largest Rationale Skincare Clinic Opens in Armadale

The founder of Australian skincare brand Rationale, Richard Parker, isn’t shy about his aggressive expansion strategy. He told Broadsheet back in 2018 he wanted to open 20 of Rationale’s beauty clinics across the country by 2020, and he’s very close to achieving that target. The doors to Rationale’s 14th Australian outpost ¬(and the fifth in Melbourne) opened on High Street in Armadale a couple of months ago. The space spans 185 square metres across two storeys – it’s the largest Rationale store yet.

The company’s mantra is “great skin surpasses DNA”. It creates products that combine a scientific approach with Australian botanicals.
The Essential Six – six daily products including serums, a moisturiser and a cleanser designed to work as a unified system – has garnered legions of fans (or what Parker refers to as “luminaries”) along the company’s 26-year journey, including Sydney blogger Nadia Fairfax, La Porte founder Hayley Bonham and
Australian celebrity make-up artist Filomena Natoli, who all say the program has helped give them luminous skin and the confidence to go make-up free.

In Armadale, the ground floor is reserved for the products, which are displayed on LED-lit angular counters in a laboratory-like space. There’s a consultation room out the back and three clinical, all-white treatment rooms upstairs, which offer 10 different facials that target a range of concerns. The EpiNova Photosonic Facial costs $290 and combines gentle pressure-point massage (it’s worth visiting for this alone) with a series of tailored Rationale product applications and LED therapy to reduce pigmentation and signs of UV damage, and help improve skin texture and the appearance of fine lines.

Before you start on the Rationale road though, an initial skin consultation is recommended. During this session your skin is analysed, photographed and scanned using UV imaging, and products are prescribed to suit your individual needs.

While the prices sit at the pointy end of the luxury skincare market (the whole Essential Six set will set you back $952), you can start on one or two products and gradually build up to the full set.

The brand has also just introduced a limited-edition Essential Six Travel Kit so your ritual can be taken with you wherever you go.

Rationale Armadale
1015 High Street, Armadale
03 9822 4974

Hours:
Mon & Tue 9am– 5pm
Wed & Thu 9am–8pm
Fri & Sat 9am–5pm
Sun 10am–4pm

rationale.com