Anyone who follows me personally on Instagram (@michelle.reeve) may have watched my Christmas holiday DIY attempt at “Renovation Rescue”. It’s been over ten years since we moved into Waterlily Headquarters, our Brisbane office and manufacturing laboratory, and it was clearly more than time to make-over some of the key spaces that the frenetic pace of the last decade had not been quite so kind to. This might be a good time to mention that I’m not the least bit handy, so when someone says “let’s just pop in a new floor”… well let’s just say that’s not quite how it unfolded. Apologies, I digress…
In the clean-up I came across something which surprised, delighted and quietly horrified me all at the same time. In an unassuming file under a pile of diaries from a decade past, I found the original business plan I had done for Waterlily… nearly 20 years ago! It feels naïve and understated now. Clearly written with the wide-eyed optimism of someone who had never been in business, but endearing none the less. The journey since then has been something I could never have contemplated much less dreamed of; all from the simplicity of a single passionate idea.
Australian made is something us Aussies are proud of. We love to support products that have been nurtured into creation with care and intention. When I set out to create Waterlily this is exactly what I had at the heart of my vision. But the benefits of being made in Australia are so much more.
“When I set out to create Waterlily this is what I had at the heart of my vision.”
Australian Skincare for Australian Skin
It’s a jungle out there when it comes to the sheer volume of beauty brands in the market place. And while there are many international brands creating some great product, the benefit of investing in an Australian brand is that we understand the extreme climatic conditions in this sunburnt land and formulate to meet those needs. Simply Australian product formulated for Australian skin. French skincare is great, if you have French skin. Potent antioxidants, rich omega serums and humectant botanicals combat the intensity of sun damage, dryness, wind and cold to create a solution to effectively nourish, strengthen and age proof Australian skin types. Not to mention our internationally recognised iconic passion for clean and green botanicals!
Freshly Batched Each Month
This is something that was important before the brand even launched and has remained the foundation of our production strategy. In the same way we want our food fresh, we want to know the journey from paddock to plate with our skincare ingredients. We want our skin to receive the benefits of nutritious from fresh bio-available ingredients. At Waterlily each product and ritual is manufactured fresh each month. Considering we have well over 120 products, it’s a labour of love, but nonetheless an unwavering principle of the brand. Waterlily advocates love hearing how the products are nurtured into creation in small hand crafted batches. Overseas commercial brands can be warehoused for years before they go to market; so very different to receiving a product that has just been thoughtfully created within the last couple of weeks.
“Each Waterlily product and ritual is lovingly hand crafted fresh each month at our Botanical Laboratory in Brisbane”
Traditional Artisan Hand Crafting
Clinical essential oils and botanical actives are very needy ingredients; the divas of skincare! They are highly volatile and break down when exposed to heat, air and light much the same way fresh fruit and vegetables do. Not that we mind a bit of ‘high maintenance’ but it does mean that to protect the integrity of the product, we manufacture by hand in small artisan crafted batches the same way Aromatherapists have been creating emulsions, creams and elixirs for centuries. A curated double blending method ensures that the pure essential oils, antioxidants, anti-ageing vitamins and volatile actives have never been exposed to heat and retain their aromatic and therapeutic benefits.
“We manufacture by hand in small artisan crafted batches the same way Aromatherapists have been creating emulsions, creams and elixirs for centuries.”
Investing in our Community
Sit down and take a moment to really consider all the lives an Australian brand touches. Not just the team you employ which becomes a family, or even their families. Not just the spas and salons that you partner with and their team of therapists, and their families. Not even just the people who are caring for their skin using the brand and the impact it’s having on their lives, health and confidence. Or the ingredient suppliers working with farmers and their communities. But the whole economy underpinning what it takes to build a brand including infrastructure, packaging insurance, e-commerce, education, travel, training, communications, electricity, warehouses, couriers and airlines that make it possible to do business. These aren’t companies, these are people with heart and soul in the game.
We are proud as an Australian brand to build partnerships and share the values that impact the lives of so many people within our botanical community.
“Since our grassroots beginning these are the skin-saving heroes that have stood the test of time!”
WATERLILY Milk Cleanser
An intense cleansing ritual enriched with anti-ageing botanicals to cleanse and repair. Jojoba infused with rose geranium and palmarosa balance the skins natural oils while purifying extracts of pineapple, lemon and green tea effectively remove makeup and grime leaving skin luminous, hydrated and reconditioned.
Apricot Kernel Oil, Calendula Flower, Chamomile Flower, Green Tea Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Lemon Peel Essential Oil, Palmarosa Essential Oil, Pineapple Enzymes, Rose Geranium Essential Oil, Rose Hydrosol, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E – Natural Tocopherol
WATERLILY Omega Crème
A buttery blend of cold pressed omega seed oils rich in active enzymes and essential fatty acids to repair and protect skin from sensitivity dryness and redness. The ultimate comfort crème fortified with regenerating extracts of calendula, peach, chamomile and rose to combat fine lines, dehydration and sun damage leaving the skin replenished, radiant and dewy soft.
Aloe Vera, Blackcurrant Seed Oil, Calendula Flower, Camellia Seed Oil, Chamomile Flower, French Lavender Essential Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Lavender Hydrosol, Moroccan Rose Hydrosol, Peach Extract, Rose Absolute Essential Oil, Rose Geranium Essential Oil, Rosehip Seed, Vitamin E, White Tea Extract
WATERLILY Smoothing Crème
Polished walnut whipped into a kiwi fruit crème smooths the complexion to instantly refine, tone and brighten. A purifying blend of pink grapefruit, green tea and lemon peel detoxifies and decongests to equalise oil, while jojoba seed, apricot kernel and vitamin E replenishes to boost hydration.
Apricot Kernel Oil, Calendula Flower, French Lavender Essential Oil, Grapefruit Peel Essential Oil, Green Tea Extract, Kiwi Fruit Enzymes, Lemon Peel Essential Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E – Natural Tocopherol, Walnut Polished ShellWhite French Clay