Meet Roxxie Myers - The chemist behind Serotoninkc

Almost 20 years of formulation experience. Hundreds of products developed. One very simple goal: make life better for dogs and the people who love them.

Roxxie Myers is the founder, formulator and driving force behind Serotoninkc.

With an Honours degree in Chemistry and a career in formulation dating back to 2007, Roxxie has spent almost two decades developing products across a surprisingly broad range of industries.

From formulating contact lenses to laundry products, with a special passion for sensitive baby products, her career has always revolved around one thing:

understanding how ingredients work together to create a product that actually performs.

But eventually, Roxxie wanted to use that knowledge to create something she genuinely cared about.

Something she could use herself.

Something for her sensitive dogs.

And that’s where Serotoninkc began.

It started with two very sensitive dogs

Karl and Charlie weren’t the easiest dogs to formulate for.

Karl had extremely sensitive skin and would become itchy when exposed to many of the medicated or “natural” dog shampoos available.

Charlie had seasonal alopecia and grass allergies, which could leave his paws particularly itchy and sore after walks.

Roxxie couldn’t find a product she felt comfortable using on them.

So she formulated one.

The original Serotoninkc shampoo was never intended to become a business. It was simply something Roxxie wanted for her own dogs.

That changed when a friend asked to try it on their dog.

The formula worked beautifully for Karl and Charlie - but it wasn’t right for their Poodle.

And that was an important discovery.

Rather than believing one formula should work for every dog, Roxxie went back to the laboratory.

She started looking at what made a Poodle’s coat different.

The result was a completely different approach: a formula designed around the needs of the curly Poodle coat, with a focus on nourishment and making brushing easier.

And because the coat needed help beyond shampoo and conditioner, Roxxie developed a detangling spray too.

Today, groomers affectionately call it “magic spray.”

And the breed specific philosophy behind Serotoninkc was born.

Why we don’t believe in one shampoo for every dog

Dogs aren’t all the same.

Their skin and coats aren’t the same.

So why should their shampoo be?

When Roxxie develops a new Serotoninkc formula, she doesn’t start with a generic shampoo and simply change the fragrance or label.

She starts with the dog.

 

Things such as:

Coat type
Curly, rough, drop, silky, straight, woolly, single or double coated.

Coat length
Short coats have very different requirements from long, flowing coats.

Shedding behaviour
Some dogs shed lightly. Others can leave a second dog behind after brushing.

Lifestyle
A highly active dog that spends hours outdoors has different needs from a couch-loving companion.

Breed specific features
White coats, facial folds, sensitive skin, dense double coats and other characteristics can all influence formulation.

 

Then comes the chemistry.

Different surfactants can be selected depending on whether a formula needs to rinse quickly, penetrate a dense double coat or work effectively through a single-coated or drop coat.

Different conditioning ingredients can be used for different coat textures.

And different blends of oils can be selected to help with different shedding patterns and coat requirements.

Breed specific isn’t a marketing label.

For us, it starts in the formulation laboratory.

The ingredients have a job to do

Roxxie’s philosophy is simple:

Don’t choose an ingredient because it sounds good. Choose it because it has a purpose.

Organic aloe vera became one of the foundations of Serotoninkc after Roxxie experienced its benefits on her own dogs’ sensitive skin.

That’s why aloe vera isn’t simply a token ingredient buried towards the bottom of our ingredient list. It’s the primary base of our shampoo formulas.

The same thinking applies to ingredients such as glycerin, vitamin E, provitamin B5 and hydrolysed wheat protein.

Each has a reason for being there.

And there’s an equally important list of ingredients we choose not to use.

Serotoninkc deliberately avoids ingredients such as PEGs, silicones and artificial fragrances where they don’t serve a genuine purpose in the formula.

We’re interested in what the formula does, not how impressive an ingredient list looks.

Thoughtful care starts with the skin

A dog’s skin can’t tell us when something doesn’t feel right.

That’s why Roxxie believes we have a responsibility to be particularly thoughtful about what we put onto it.

Human skin is naturally more acidic, with a typical pH around 5.5. Dogs have a different skin environment, which is why simply adapting a human shampoo isn’t an appropriate approach to canine skin and coat care.

Serotoninkc formulas are developed with canine skin and coat needs in mind, rather than taking a human formulation and putting a dog on the label.

And “gentle” doesn’t mean a bottle filled with water.

Our formulas are concentrated because Roxxie wants them to perform.

In fact, customers regularly tell us that a bottle has lasted them a year or more because they need so little product per wash.

Effective and gentle aren’t opposites.

Good formulation should achieve both.

Every formula starts in the laboratory

Roxxie still personally formulates Serotoninkc products.

That’s important to her.

Because if her name is behind a formula, she wants to know every ingredient that went into it, why it was chosen and exactly how the finished product performs.

We don’t simply buy bulk formulas and put them into bottles.

We formulate and manufacture our products ourselves in Melbourne.

Every new formula goes through the appropriate safety and performance testing, including stability, microbiological and preservative testing.

And when Roxxie changes a formula - even a small change - the stability testing process starts again.

It can make product development slower.

But that’s okay.

We’d rather take the time to get it right.

We also don’t test our products on animals.

Once a formula has passed the necessary safety testing, our team is often more than happy to become the test subjects themselves.

Although this can produce rather ridiculous amounts of foam when a high-foaming dog shampoo meets a human shower.

Almost 20 years of formulation experience

Before Serotoninkc, Roxxie spent many years working in a large manufacturing businesses in England and Australia, spending many years as a formulation chemist and progressing through roles including Technical Compliance Manager, Operations Manager, General Manager and ultimately CEO.

Her work covered products found throughout household aisles - from cleaning and laundry products to baby care - as well as industrial formulations.

She has significant technical experience within formulation development and manufacturing operations.

Those experiences gave Roxxie something that has become fundamental to Serotoninkc:

an understanding of the entire journey from formulation to finished product.

Today, that means Serotoninkc is more than a brand.

It’s a family manufacturing business.

Our products are made in Melbourne by a team who genuinely care about what they’re making.

And you’ll still find Roxxie walking around the factory, talking to the team, checking products and getting involved in the details.

No suits required.

She still prefers her lab coat.

We listen to groomers

Science tells us what ingredients can do.

But professional groomers know what happens when those formulas meet hundreds of real dogs.

That’s why groomers have played such an important role in the development of Serotoninkc.

We’ve worked with professional groomers throughout the development of our breed ranges, asking them whether the products were genuinely good enough for the dogs they work with every day.

Their feedback has helped us refine and improve our formulas.

We’re not too proud to keep learning.

In fact, it’s one of the things we love most about what we do.

And we really, really love dogs

This might sound obvious for a dog care company.

But it’s important to us.

We love hearing that someone’s Poodle is suddenly easier to brush.

That a French Bulldog’s skin looks healthier.

That a dog with sensitive skin has finally found something their owner feels comfortable using.

We read the reviews.

We talk about the dogs.

We share the photos around the office.

And we’re genuinely thrilled every time someone tells us that something we formulated has made their life a little easier.

Because Serotoninkc wasn’t created because Roxxie saw a gap in the dog shampoo market.

It started because she wanted something better for her dogs.

That motivation hasn’t changed.

Dog shampoo should do more than clean a dirty dog

Roxxie believes dog shampoo should make the dog feel great, look fabulous and make life easier for their owner.

It might mean helping a Poodle become easier to brush.

Helping release the coat of a heavy shedder.

Caring for a sensitive-skinned dog.

Helping a white coat look naturally bright.

Or simply making bath time faster, easier and less stressful.

For us, dog shampoo is premium skin and coat care.

Not just something you use when your dog rolls in something disgusting.

Although, let’s be honest…

They’ll probably do that five minutes after their bath.

Formulated by a chemist. Made by our family. Created for dogs.

Almost two decades of formulation experience goes into every Serotoninkc product.

But the philosophy remains surprisingly simple.

Understand the science.
Listen to the people who use it.
Know the dog you’re formulating for.
Choose every ingredient for a reason.
And never compromise on something you wouldn’t use on your own dog.

That’s Serotoninkc.

And that’s Roxxie’s promise behind every bottle.

Want to learn more about your dog’s skin and coat?

Explore the Serotoninkc Coat Care Academy for practical, science-led guides to grooming, coat types, sensitive skin, shedding and breed-specific care.