Hayley Barnes

Bridging Naturopathic Medicine + Aesthetics.

Hayley is not just adding to Skin Education, she is reinventing how the Skin and Beauty industry treats acne, long term.

“The Skin and Beauty Industry has been treating acne from the outside in. I built the Skincare Academy to change that.”

Our Founder
& Acne Naturopath/Educator

I never set out to build an International Educational Academy, I set out to clear my own acne.

I struggled with cystic acne myself for over ten years, trying every product, facial, pharmaceutical medication, expensive skin supplement and machine led treatment on the market. Some ‘treatments’ worked for a month but nothing worked longer and the vicious cycle continued, taking a toll on my gastrointestinal health, immune system, nervous system and overall confidence. The longer this went on, the more I began to suspect the answer was not my skin at all.

The suspicion became an obsession and the obsession became two Clinical Science degrees. Somewhere in the middle of studying Naturopathic Medicine, I found what I had been looking for and it was not in a skincare range, treatment room but in the science of what was happening inside my body.

I graduated, I cleared my skin and opened Australia’s first online Naturopathic Acne Clinic in 2018 and spent years treating the ‘root cause’ of women’s acne Internationally. I had never been so passionate about supporting women to understand that acne is a sign. A sign that the body is communicating, not malfunctioning.

Naturopathy has always been a: science and art.

I never set out to build an International Educational Academy, I set out to clear my own acne.

I struggled with cystic acne myself for over ten years, trying every product, facial, pharmaceutical medication, expensive skin supplement and machine led treatment on the market. Some ‘treatments’ worked for a month but nothing worked longer and the vicious cycle continued, taking a toll on my gastrointestinal health, immune system, nervous system and overall confidence. The longer this went on, the more I began to suspect the answer was not my skin at all.

The suspicion became an obsession and the obsession became two Clinical Science degrees. Somewhere in the middle of studying Naturopathic Medicine, I found what I had been looking for and it was not in a skincare range, treatment room but in the science of what was happening inside my body.

That is what Naturopathic acne treatment delivers and why I have never been interested in anything else.

The more I worked with acne clients, the more I kept hearing from the Skin Therapists sitting across from them. Qualified, passionate, experienced professionals who knew acne went deeper than the surface but had no clinical education or framework to back that up.

So in 2021, I built it.

The Skincare Academy exists because the Skin and Beauty industry deserved better. Every acne client who had ever sat in a treatment room and been handed another product or medication, when what they actually needed was someone who understood why their acne was there in the first place.

That is what I teach. And that is what changes everything.

AWARD WINNING
EDUCATOR

Hayley is the first Acne Naturopath and Educator to be presented with the prestigious ABIA Educator of the Year Award for the Skin and Beauty industry in Australia and New Zealand. The award recognises Hayley's innovation and dedication to raising the standard of acne education in the industry.

"This award is more than a personal achievement. It is a sign from the Skin and Beauty industry recognising the absolute importance and urgency when it comes to updating acne education standards. Understanding that acne is mainly driven internally and the need to address the root causes of acne on an industry level is apparent."

This award recognises the highest standard of education in the industry: evidence-based, Naturopathic focused, body system specific. Education Skin Professionals had never been given access until they studied with the Skincare Academy. Our signature course Advanced Acne to g l o w® (Level 1) teaches students the importance of critical thinking, clinical evaluation, evidence based practice and holistic acne treatment within the Skin Professionals scope of practice. Students do not leave with another protocol to repeat on every acne client. They are able to identify what is driving their clients acne and treat it individually, with confidence, to the highest professional standard available in the industry.

This is the philosophy behind the Skincare Academy: root cause over guesswork. It is what closes the sixty-year education gap in this industry and what builds Skin Professionals whose acne clients achieve clear skin and thriving health, long term. The Skincare Academy is the very first platform where Naturopathy meets Aesthetics exclusively for Skin Professionals.

Why This Matters Now

Acne is one of the most common concerns presenting in skin clinics and rates have never been higher. Global prevalence has climbed steadily since 1990, and adult acne alone is up 66%. Acne is no longer a teenage condition and the training has not caught up.

Dermatology's own research points to diet, stress, obesity and pollution as acne drivers of that rise. Not one of these drivers is treatable from a treatment bed. That is why Naturopathic acne education needs to be shared, not gatekept.

Where Naturopathic Medicine meets Aesthetics

INTERNAL. SCIENCE LED. RESULTS DRIVEN.

THE EDUCATIONAL UPGRADE THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN WAITING FOR.

Hayley is redefining what's possible when skin professionals understand the body's internal drivers of acne. Hayley’s mission: to turn every Skin Therapist into confident Skincare Academy Acne Specialists™. Hayley’s work bridges the gap between skin education and holistic health, equipping professionals with the clinical knowledge, systems, and tools to transform client outcomes and scale their businesses.

Most skin therapists cannot complete a four-year Naturopathy degree. But they refuse to settle for surface-level, retail-driven, device-led education either. The Skincare Academy bridges that gap.

“Acne affects more than 184 million people aged 10–24 globally[1] , is the 8th most prevalent disease worldwide[2]. Acne doesn’t stop at adolescence with 50% of women in their 20s, 35% in their 30s and 26% in their 40s continuing to experience acne, making it one of the most misunderstood chronic skin conditions[3].”

References

Reference 1

Global, regional and national burdens of acne vulgaris in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years from 1990 to 2021: A trend analysis.
Chen, H., Zhang, T. C., Yin, X. L., Man, J. Y., Yang, X. R., & Lu, M. (2025).

British Journal of Dermatology, 192(2), 228–237.
Read study / article (opens in a new tab)
Reference 2

The global burden of skin disease in 2010: An analysis of the prevalence and impact of skin conditions.
Hay, R. J., Johns, N. E., Williams, H. C., Bolliger, I. W., Dellavalle, R. P., Margolis, D. J., Marks, R., Naldi, L., Weinstock, M. A., Wulf, S. K., Michaud, C., Murray, C. J. L., & Naghavi, M. (2014).

Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 134(6), 1527–1534.
Read study / article (opens in a new tab)
Reference 3

Adult acne versus adolescent acne: A retrospective study of 1,167 patients.
Khunger, N., & Kumar, C. (2012).

Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 78(3), 335–341.
Read study / article (opens in a new tab)

Thank you for being part of the revolution, together we are raising the standard of acne treatment internationally.

Leading International Acne Educator | Naturopath | Founder of the Skincare Academy
B. Clin. Sci. (Nat.Stud./Comp.Med.) | B. Hth. Sci. (Naturopathy)