RITUAL FACE SERUM
$48, SHEMANA, shemana.com.au
Bottled straight out of Byron Bay (in small batches, so it’s sustainable), this clever all-natural blend of camellia, almond and jojoba oils is beloved by celebrity facialist Jocelyn Petroni. The ingredients have been surrounded by crystals and activated by the energy of the sun and the moon to help create a souped-up combo of antioxidants that calms and repairs a weary complexion. Squeeze a little into your moisturiser or base in the mornings, or drench skin straight from the dropper in the evenings. Expect smoothed, soothed skin with a plumper-than-a-baby’s-bum finish.
FACIAL POLISH IN ROSE DU JARDIN
$32, FRENCH GIRL, mecca.com.au
The advantage of dry-formula anything is that it lasts longer than liquid. This delicate facial buffer is packed with organic ingredients that the skin loves, such as rosehip, rose petals, clay and myrrh. And the brand is vegan, GMO-free and doesn’t use synthetic preservatives. A portion of sales of its bestselling Rose Lip Polish supports charity, too.
LANOLIPS 101 OINTMENT
Multi-Balm Coconutter, $14.95, LANO, mecca.com.au
The same cult natural and locally made formula, now with a dash of uber-nourishing coconut oil and coconut milk, and the scent of tropical holidays. It’s like when you thought fries couldn’t get any better, but then you tried fries with parmesan and truffle shavings.
NONI GLOW BODY BALM
$44.95, KORA ORGANICS, koraorganics.com
The no-mess stick of this do-it-all salve means you can hydrate limbs while you’re multi-tasking at your desk as easily as you can in your bathroom. It’s also high in coconut oil, so you get a sweet sheen, too. It comes with the antioxidant-rich noni extract and without sulphates, silicones, formaldehyde and synthetic scents or colours.
MAKEUP REMOVER PADS
$27 for three, FACE HALO, facehalo.com
Pursuing your own personal war on waste? This clever local invention – the KeepCup of your beauty regimen – is like having a never-ending bottle of cleanser. The makeup remover pads only use water – no fancy formulas – and there’s no rough rubbing and zero landfill.
MULTI-NUTRIENT FACIAL OIL
$27.99, SKIN BY ECOSTORE, priceline.com.au
This moisturising and soothing serum costs about the same as a cinema ticket and is packed with useful, potent ingredients hailing from the brand’s native New Zealand. Some of the ingredients are even by-products from other industries – like a marine extract from seaweed that grows on mussel farms, grapeseed extract left over from winemaking and blackcurrant oil left behind after the juice is made – so it’s turning trash into treasure. The brand also uses natural fragrances and is cruelty free. If you’re yet to appreciate the true skin-changing magic of a face oil, this is an easy way to dip in the toe.
BRILLIANT SKIN PURIFYING PINK
Clay Mask, $69.90, SAND & SKY, sandandsky.com
The millennial-pink face mask you probably spied on your Instagram feed last year sold out in multiple countries only a couple of months after launching, and it was a hit for a reason: it works. The Australian twins who created Bellabox, Sarah and Emily Hamilton, started Sand & Sky with just this one product: a fast-acting detox skin treatment that uses clay from South and Western Australia (and no nasties) to produce glowing skin and tightened pores.
STAR INGREDIENT: VITAMIN C
“VITAMIN C IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE INGREDIENTS IN SKINCARE FOR ANTIOXIDANT BENEFITS AND PROTECTION FROM THE ENVIRONMENT, AND IT ADDS AN IMMEDIATE GLOW TO THE SKIN,” SAYS THE FOUNDER OF HER EPONYMOUSLY NAMED LINE KAT BURKI. “THE SKIN EATS IT UP AND WELCOMES IT TO ASSIST IN CELLULAR HEALTH AND RENEWAL. IT’S VITAL FOR EVERYDAY SKINCARE NEEDS.”
COCONUT OIL FORMULA WITH VITAMIN E CLEANSING BALM
$11.99, PALMER’S, palmersaustralia.com
The balm texture makes removing even Kardashian-grade base a cinch. Plus, it leaves skin nourished instead of stripped, and skips out on any of the pesky parabens and phthalates.
DAILY LIGHT MOISTURISER
$32.95, THE JOJOBA COMPANY, priceline.com.au
All-natural moisture without a single scrap of stickiness. It’s perfect under makeup if you’re prone to shine, plus the aloe vera chills out redness – excellent if you’re on the sensitive side. This family-owned brand grows all of its own jojoba locally and everything is free of harsh chemicals. The company is working towards being completely natural by the end of the year.
HYDRATING SHAMPOO BAR WITH ALOE VERA
$25, CHRISTOPHE ROBIN, sephora.com.au
Super hairstylist Christophe Robin has struggled to keep up with global demand for this simple shampoo bar (which requires minimal packaging and minimal space in your shower caddy). It’s entirely natural, and can take some time getting the hang of, but when it clicks, you won’t look back. The cleanse is gentle, hair stays hydrated and will inexplicably feel like there is more of it there. Don’t tell your man if you want it to last.
CARVI & JARDIN DE FIGUIER
$96 for 100ml, 100 BON, mecca.com.au
This all-natural French fragrance house sells giant 200ml refills, so you can restock your bottle without having to toss it. The bottles, caps and packaging are all recyclable, the ingredients are sustainably sourced and even the alcohol is organic. It’s green and it’s really good.
ORGANIC COCONUT OIL & KAFFIR LIME BODY SCRUB
$24, BEACH ROAD NATURALS, beachroadnaturals.com
This local hero makes products that are based on entirely natural coconut oil. The latest is this sea salt skin smoother, which buffs skin with both the chunky granules and the zingy lime. If it doesn’t make you feel like you’re sipping on an umbrella-decked cocktail on a sun lounger in the sand, then we owe you a drink.
BIOACTIVE BODY ELIXIR
$150, MUKTI ORGANICS, muktiorganics.com
This rich, power-packed blend of organic oils nourishes the skin so well, you can still feel the silkifying effects hours after you’ve slathered it on. It’s not cheap, but it will last you eons – one small squeeze goes a really long way. Not only will your skin smell like you’ve spent far too long inside a fancy spa, if you’re keen to know exactly what you’re putting on your skin, the organic brand has an exhaustive ingredients list on its website, too.
BOMBSHELL GRADUAL TANNING BAR
$44.95, ETHIQUE, nourishedlife.com.au
It’s bottle-less tanner – no problematic plastic packaging, just a very lovely shade of bronze that you stroke on straight out of the shower. Yes, it’s fake tan, in a bar. If there were a Nobel Prize for beauty products, this is where our vote would be headed. The innovative Kiwi brand is also climate-neutral, cruelty-free, sustainably produced and of the little packaging there is, it’s completely compostable. The brand is working towards being zero waste, too.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS RUNNER-UP RIBBONS GO TO THESE NATURAL STAND-OUTS
HYDRATE SUPERFOOD TREATMENT
$51.95, PUREOLOGY, pureology.com.au
Entirely vegan and entirely indulgent on dried-out strands to bring back bounce.
PAPAYA RENEW CREAM
$20.99, PURE PAPAYA CARE, purepapayacare.com
It works on stretch marks and scars without the usual petroleum or mineral oils.
SOOTHING OIL WASH
$22, VATEA, vatea.com.au
Skin that gets particularly parched after a long, hot summer will love this unique way to lather without dehydrating.
Photography: Sevak Bebakhani