Discover the Australian beauty brands bringing their A-game to the table and why you’ll want in
We don’t say this lightly but Australia is owning it in sustainable, ethical and natural beauty. The first country that springs to mind when you picture a land of health and wellness, it’s a nation blessed with outdoor lifestyles and glowy complexions. Of course the 365-day-a-year drip feed of vitamin D helps, but there’s a burgeoning amount of beauty brands aiding and abetting that feel-good flush – which, sound the claxons, means that we can indulge too.
OK so Aesop and Jurlique might have been around for ions but Dr Roebuck’s , Sand&Sky, Frank Body and Cinch have only appeared here in the last 12 months; Miranda Kerr’s Kora Organics has just landed in Space NK and new natural Australian brand, Beached is on its way in May.
Why A-Beauty?
Feeding our appetite for transparency and a growing awareness of what we’re putting on our skin, indigenous ingredients, eco-friendly packaging and production methods and a vegan stamp of approval means that A-beauty is catapulting up our beauty rider, leaving the high tech K-beauty and J-beauty in it’s wake. With WGSN reporting that the global vegan cosmetics market will be worth $20.8bn by 2025 and The NPD Group revealing that the natural beauty segment grew 10% last year, this is just the beginning.
It’s not just superficial stats either and all that sunshine doesn’t just work as a mood booster, it means that Australia is full of hard-working active botanicals that can save our skin from everyday strife. Rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals that can cause everything from fine lines to congestion to pigmentation, Kakadu Plum, Caviar Lime and Quandong should be your go-to ingredients. Scan the labels and they should be easier to spot too as most of these Aussie homegrown brands follow a less-is-more approach so you can feel confident about exactly what you’re putting on your skin.
As well as paring back what’s in the products, the bar for sustainability is paramount in Oz where all that time spent in the surf only highlights the enormity of plastic pollution . Which would explain why these brands commit to no water wastage schemes and carbon neutral production lines and favour biodegradable packaging and reusable jars. This is less millennial pink; more vegetable ink. Although saying that we’ve struggled to find a product that we wouldn’t want to show off on our Insta stories or our bathroom shelves.
Read on to discover our top ten Aussie finds and we’re sure you’ll agree…
Dr Roebuck's
Super chic, down-to-earth and laid-back, we jumped on this range as soon as it arrived here last summer. The Down Under Collagen Boosting Eye Treatment, £35 , is a curveball. Despite using coconut oil which you think might be too rich for around the eyes, the fatty acids hydrate and calm swelling so you look bright eyes and bushy tailed. Win.
Aesop
One of the first brands to get us hooked on Australian beauty, we’d be lost without Aesop’s hand and body products. That said, their new Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk, £25 will be adored by those with dry and sensitive skin. A mix of soothing lavender and grape seed oil, the non-foaming formula glides across skin like silk, no tugging or leaving skin feeling parched.
Cinch
This brand is all about quick fixes and cheats but done the authentic, Aussie way. The Face It 5-in-1 Cleansing Water & Glow, £16 , removes makeup, tightens pores, gets skin glowing thanks to that Kakadu Plum extract and keeps hydration levels high. With no rinsing required, it ticks off the waterless trend too.
Bali Body
Someone buys a product from this brand every 45 seconds, every day of the year. While we’re not ones to jump on the bandwagon, the BB Cream SPF15, £25.95 is really rather good. With just a hint of tint, if you’ve got good skin you’ll be able to go foundation free. Or if prefer more coverage, use as a primer.
Kora Organics
You know who always has good glow? Miranda Kerr . Yes she has Australian blood running through her veins but she’s put her knowledge to good use with this organic and vegan range that’s taken TEN years to reach us. But here it is and top of our list is the Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion, £43 that leaves skin looking healthy, nourished and ready for sun-downers (weather permitting).
A’kin
A’kin have been producing safe, effective and authentic Aussie products for 15 years and the newest addition is the Oil Control Intensive Sebum Controller, £18 . Containing Australian Tea Tree to control bacteria on the skin and prevent it escalating into spots, if it can stop shine and congestion in top temperatures, oily complexions won’t be caught out in Blighty.
Sand&Sky
Another Australian brand, another amazing stat. This brand’s Porerefining Mask, £39.90 sold 60,000 jars in eight weeks after it launched. Now cult, each time they reveal a new product it amasses a gigantic wait list. Using native pink clay, Australian macadamia seed and Finger Lime, it detoxifies and smooths skin in ten minutes flat.
Nude by Nature
Skincare-infused makeup with impressive pigments? Sign us up. Ticking off Quandong and Kakadu Plum, these vitamin C heavy formulas might pack a punch ingredients-wise but they feel super light on the skin. Our current crush is the Sheer Glow Colour Balm, £18 that imparts a pretty tint on the lips and leaves them feeling cushiony soft.
Frank Body
Melbourne gave us the flat white and now they’ve brought us Frank Body who scoop up any excess coffee grounds and transform them into divine body scrubs (among other things). Blended with nourishing oils like coconut and jojoba, slather on the Coconut Coffee Scrub, £7.95 and even if the weather forecast says otherwise, you’ll want to get your silky smooth limbs out.
INIKA Organic
It’s a toughie to make mascara vegan because beeswax is such a stellar binding agent but Australian makeup moguls, INIKA Organic have cracked it. Using Carnauba Wax and Vitamin E to brush those black pigments into place and keep them there, the Curvy Lash Vegan Mascara, £25 is expected to be a sell-out.