Mt Buller's Breathtaker on High Spa Retreat has chosen Organic Nation skincare.

Winter is tough on skin, above the snowline skin is exposed to one of the harshest and most drying environments you can find.

We are excited to announce that when Mt Buller's Breathtaker on High Spa Retreat were looking for a new skincare range for the 2016 ski season they chose Organic Nation.

Organic Nation, pure performance skincare, is made in Australia from the purest certified organic ingredients boosted by powerful science in the form of peptides and bio-marine actives.

Breathtaker's spa manager and therapists are trained on Organic Nation's products, and Organic Nation's unique massage therapy, developed from the ancient practice of Balinese 'palming'.

Kayla, Breathtaker's Spa Manager, said:

'I saw a difference as soon as I put it on the absolute night cream and the aroma was fabulous'

'Hydration is one of the main concerns in the snow . Teaming up the hydration rescue gel, supernatural8 serum and hydration day cream will be a great combination for the ski bunnies'

If you're heading to Mt Buller this winter make sure you visit Breathtaker on High Spa Retreat, and experience Organic Nation, pure performance skincare.

When the bottom line breaks trust...

If they do it with Baby food how do you know if you can trust your skincare?

The Age Newspaper in Melbourne reported on June 21st 2016, that the ACCC had taken to task a multi national manufacturer for marketing a baby product advertising 99% fruit and veg when is contained 60 % sugar.

The brand in question is the well-known and trusted baby food maker, 'Heinz', a brand that for decades and has had the trust of mothers with children.

It would seem multi nationals place shareholder returns higher then their integrity with customers. Breaking the trust of mothers looking for healthy food is unforgivable - no one can justify 60% sugar in a baby food product.

If this is the behavior of a brand of baby food with ingredients for young children, what might be the attitude of multi national skincare companies?

We have been involved in the organic skincare market for over 30 years. During that time we have come across many instances where the product is simply misleading the consumer about its effectiveness based on the levels of real botanicals and organic content.

Consumers typically seek boutique brands because they are authentic, primarily because they are better than a mass-market brand.

Many consumers are not aware that large multi nationals have purchased often boutique brands. The multi nationals try capturing the market and passing the brand off as independent, while saving costs by reducing the active ingredients to produce an inferior product. In many cases it negates the brand's benefit and point of difference.

So how can you decide if the product is worth trying, or will do what it promises?

Our suggestion is to always find out who or what is behind a brand.  See if what they are doing is driven by a genuine passion. If it is driven by passion it is more likely to be authentic, and more likely to do what is promised. This was our experience in creating organic skincare brand Jurlique with Jurgen Klien, when we launched Aveda with Horst Rechenbücher in Australia, and developing Uspa, an organic certified skincare brand we produced and sold in 12 countries around the world. 

We’re always suspicious when we go to the background or Philosophy of a brand and don’t see the names of the individuals behind the product. Why wouldn’t they want to put their name to the product? We couldn’t imagine putting years of work and passion into developing something and not putting our name to that work. It’s what makes it authentic.

Organic Nation believes that to build trust you need to have transparency. We list the Certified Organic ingredients and their exact percentage content for every product. We also know the source of the ingredients so that we can ensure their integrity, and we stringently manage the manufacturing process to make sure that what we present is the true product.

At Organic Nation we believe if we lead with passion, the rest will follow.

George Jilly

Founder, Organic Nation

The majority of skin care products contain water…but why?

The short answer is simply because it always has and it is economical.

More than 90% of all skin care products use more water in their formulations than anything else. Of course we need water to live, however in our skincare it doesn’t provide a clear benefit to the skin.

The vast majority of skincare products are water-based, with the first ingredient listed as water, aqua, purified water, or H2O, combined with other ingredients to make individual products such as moisturisers, exfoliants and cleansers. In an effort to provide pure performance skin care we have chosen to use Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel as the base in the majority of our products not water. Why? Aloe has a clear function.

Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that was known by the Eygptians as the ‘plant of immortality’.

Scientists have discovered over 150 nutritional ingredients in Aloe Vera. There seems to be no single magic ingredient. They all work together in a synergistic way to create healing and health giving benefits. Nature has an uncanny way of harmoniously working together!

The addition of Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel allows our products to develop a beautifully smooth luxurious feel as it is applied. The aloe also provides calming, hydrating and balancing benefits that water just cannot do when applied topically to the skin. We love water, but we love Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel in our skin care.

Microbeads are plastic microspheres that are widely used in the cosmetics industry as exfoliating agents. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be made of other petrochemical plastics. Environmentalists and scientists have discovered large quantities of microbeads in Australian waterways, which often end up in unsuspecting marine life. Microbeads do not disintergrate. If more attention is paid to what ends up in our water then we can ensure healthier ecosystems that support the communities around us.

Australian scientists have found 60-100 particles of plastic micro debris in 100 millilitres of sediment – among the highest levels recorded in the world. Researches on the Great Barrier Reef have found that corals commonly found there will eat micro-plastic pollution. “Corals are non selective feeders and the researches have found that they consume micro plastics when present in seawater” says Dr Mia Hoogenboom, a chief investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.

Microbeads were a human invention that were simply not needed. They were designed to take the place of the easily accessible alternatives like apricot and walnut shells, jojoba beans and pumice. It was believed that these new and exciting “microbeads” were smoother and better for your skin… in actual fact they just meant you had to use them more often which meant you had to buy them more often. Natural alternatives provide fabulous exfoliation, can be used less often on the skin and most importantly do not harm our environment. A much more sustainable alternative.

Australia must now follow the lead of the US and outlaw the use of microbeads in all cosmetics. Organic Nation supports the ban of micro beads

Our facial exfoliating product, black rice scrub with ginseng and gingko, uses finely ground black rice and pumice. Natural charcoal powder acts as a detoxifier as well as mild exfoliant. A wonderfully invigorating exfoliant that does not end up in our coral or your sushi!

Balance. It is easy to say sometimes harder to put into practice.

We strive for balance in our daily lives, balance in our skin and balance in our bodies.

Without balance everything simply feels a little off kilter.

Being sustainable within our business is also about being in balance. Balance reflects meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. This is very much akin to the philosophies shared by many indigenous cultures throughout the world. These cultures work so closely with the earth, they know how to respect the environment, but more importantly why our earth must be protected.

At Organic Nation we aspire to reconnect to where our ingredients come from. There should not be a mystery surrounding what goes into our skincare. Our Mantra needs to support transparency and authenticity. I personally do not want to moisturise my skin and not know what has occurred to the people along the chain events to deliver me my ingredients. We cannot grow as a global community if we do not support those around us along the way. I want my children to be inspired by what we do and take the governing principles into their own lives. I want them to see first hand how to support the earth and those inhabiting it. Our personal goal is to co-exist with the planet, to look beyond ourselves so we can see within. Organic nation has the same philosophy.

As we harness the wonders of nature and science for our products we have an obligation to ensure we are protecting the very earth that provides these incredible ingredients.