The inaugural Spa & Wellness Awards were created to recognize and honour the people and businesses who have made outstanding contributions to the spa, health, beauty, and wellness travel industry.
The awards, founded by industry visionary Kris Abbey, Founder & CEO of Spa and Wellness, focus on recognizing those who set the bar high in their respective fields, with an emphasis on quality, sustainability, innovation, and originality.
One of the winners at the awards was Waterlily Australasia, who received the award for Best Spa Skincare Range. Waterlily is a professional Australian spa collection known for their sensory spa journeys created from pure botanical extracts and aromatic essential oils. We spoke to Formulator & Founder, Michelle Reeve, to learn more about the innovative touch points that set the brand apart.
“Each product is carefully imagined, formulated, and hand-crafted in their Botanical Laboratory in Brisbane”
According to Michelle, Waterlily’s artisanal brand pillars, infused with green science, have remained consistent for nearly twenty years. The brand’s ethos is centred around the concept of “slow skincare” and “eating beauty,” where each product is carefully imagined, formulated, and hand-crafted in their Botanical Laboratory in Brisbane. The brand takes inspiration from the wholefood movement, where health is at the heart of each unique formulation.
“The brand takes inspiration from the wholefood movement, where health is at the heart of each unique formulation”
One of the unique features of Waterlily’s products is that they are hand-crafted fresh each month. This means that as a spa partner, you can expect to receive products that were made within the last week. This artisanal approach, which honours their naturopathic foundations, continues to be at the centre of product creation, even as the brand has grown to partner with over 150 salons and spas in Australia and New Zealand.
“This artisanal approach, which honours their naturopathic foundations, continues to be at the centre of product creation”
Waterlily’s formulations are concentrated infusions of nutrient-rich plant-based actives, sourced from unique supplier partnerships. The brand uses food-grade ingredients such as nutraceutical encapsulated delivery systems, freeze-dried fruits and vegetables concentrates, and mineral-rich sea water concentrate, to create formulations that are rich in emulsions of super foods, fruits, exotic berries, antioxidant-rich vegetables, hydrosols, essential oils, mineral-rich clays, cold-pressed plant oils, and clinical concentrations of clean and green cosmeceuticals.
“Formulations that are rich in emulsions of super foods, fruits, exotic berries, antioxidant-rich vegetables, hydrosols, essential oils”
The hand-crafted approach also amplifies the intensity of aroma, opulent textures, and ease of transdermal infusion, delivering benefits that promote the quality of ingredients. The botanical freshness translates into beautiful aromatic rituals of self-care.
Waterlily’s formulations also include advanced green cosmeceuticals, which are intense botanical blends of nutrient-rich ingredients. The formulations include powerful antioxidants, encapsulated vitamins, super-nutrients, and cutting-edge cosmeceutical actives, which have been synergized to combat inflammation, oxidative stress, and photo damage. All of which are precursors to premature aging and disease.
“Cosmeceutical actives have been synergized to combat inflammation, oxidative stress and photo damage”
The brand works with nutraceutical and TGA certified companies, who conduct clinical trials to establish the maximum effective dosage for the delivery of cosmeceutical actives. The result is a collection of effective skin correctives that are pure, based on green science, and deliver high performance ingredients.