Tasmanian venture Three Warriors has been named as Australia’s Small Business Exporter of the Year at the 62nd Australian Export Awards.
Corbin Halliday, Three Warriors’ founder, received the award at Parliament House in Canberra last night. The gong recognises 11 years of dedication to a business that was born out of a passion for the beauty industry and a life-changing diagnosis that changed the way he looked at that industry.
“I worked as a professional hairdresser and spent years deeply immersed in all things hair and beauty. I’ve always had a genuine love for fake tan, not just as a product, but as a confidence-boosting ritual,” Corbin explains. “My passion for beauty took on new meaning in my mid-20s when I experienced a serious health challenge. It shifted the way I looked at ingredients and low-tox living, and it opened my eyes to how few clean, ethical tanning options existed. That moment became the catalyst for creating Three Warriors – a brand that brings together my long-standing love of bronzed, glowing skin with a commitment to health, clean formulations, and sustainability.”
A deeply personal journey
The business’s name is deeply personal to Corbin: his father passed away in a boating accident when he was 10 years old. His mother described Corbin, his brother and his sister as her “three warriors”. This was in recognition of the strength and resilience the siblings displayed in the aftermath of such a tragedy.
“Naming the company Three Warriors is a tribute to my dad and to the spirit of overcoming – a reminder of where I come from and the values we’ve built the brand upon,” he says.
In the face of his own health challenges, Corbin was very aware of how many everyday products contain unnecessary toxins, fillers, and synthetics. His mission with Three Warriors was to prove that tanning products could deliver professional-quality results without compromising your health or your skin.
“Gaining organic certification is our way of ensuring we meet the highest possible standards not just clean, but truly safe, traceable, and responsibly sourced,” Corbin says. “It means every ingredient has been independently verified, every formulation is held accountable, and consumers don’t just have to ‘trust’ us; they can see the proof.
Nothing more, nothing less
Transparency about the ingredients in his products is just as important to Corbin. “People deserve to know exactly what they’re putting on their bodies,” he says. “We proudly list every ingredient, why it’s there, and where it comes from. For me, transparency builds trust.”
As a self-funded brand, Corbin’s approach has always been slow, steady, and deeply intentional – focusing initially on truly infiltrating the Australian market, building relationships and representing the Hobart community.
Having achieved this goal, the business set it sights on expansion. Four years ago, Three Warriors went across the Tasman and gained a foothold in New Zealand. Soon afterwards, the brand was introduced into Ireland and Scotland, with the venture’s Chief Marketing Officer, Meagan Pate, in the vanguard.
A commitment to expansion
“This year, I relocated to London for seven months to embed myself and the brand in the market,” Meagan says. “I wanted to understand cultural nuances and get closer to our retailers, partners and customers.
“We really believe in immersing ourselves where our product lives,” she adds. “Today, Three Warriors is available in Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, England, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, with several new regions in active discussion.”
The export award is a reward for this overseas push, which has seen the brand being stocked on the shelves of legendary department store Harrods in the UK, helping drive a reported 35 per cent lift in global sales.
