Antipodes celebrates 20 years with New Hyaluronic Serum – its biggest launch yet.
“When you lift the lid, you’re escaping to nature in New Zealand.” This is how Antipodes founder Elizabeth Barbalich describes her heritage, premium skincare brand, which this year celebrates 20 years as one of New Zealand’s most celebrated, female-founded skincare companies.
Elizabeth is a pioneer in the scientific, green beauty space both in New Zealand and globally, pushing the boundaries of formulation and testing to ensure customers around the world reap the full benefits of natural and organic botanical ingredients, many of which are sustainably sourced right here in Aotearoa.
Two decades ago, with a science degree and a Master of Business to her name, Elizabeth became fascinated by the potential of the plant power on her doorstep, researching New Zealand-native plant compounds and bioactives including mānuka honey, kawakawa, mamaku black fern, harakeke flax, tōtara, pōhutukawa and kōwhai, all of which thrive in isolation in our little part of the world.
“Things grow here in abundance – they grow healthy and strong. And having four seasons in one day means our plants are incredibly resilient,” says Elizabeth. “That’s why plants like the mānuka tree are so sought after, and mānuka honey and oil too, because the trees are subjected to everything you can imagine being thrown at them.
“Our isolation is a winning factor,” she adds. “We’re surrounded by water. We’re completely isolated. When you come into New Zealand from overseas the key thing is to protect our flora and fauna and that’s really pretty special. It sets us apart.”
What sets Antipodes apart from many other natural skincare brands is a reliance on gold standard, third party in vitro testing to scientifically validate its products, a commitment which was made 18 years ago and means the brand is able to stand behind its claims, 100 percent. Proudly vegan, with more than 30 percent of the product range being certified organic, today, Antipodes is New Zealand’s leading natural skincare brand and is sold in more than 40 markets worldwide.
“Twenty years ago, the natural skincare environment in New Zealand was very robust, but it wasn’t sophisticated,” explains Elizabeth. “We were the first out of the gate for in vitro testing, which was a key genesis point for me. It’s nice to have good, healthy products to use on your skin, but you need unique products, and third-party testing means we can compete with synthetic brands.”
Texture is an extremely important element to the user experience of Antipodes, which Elizabeth explains is a difficult part of the formulation process for natural skincare: “The texture has to be world class, better than a synthetic product.”
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Advertise with NZME.The latest innovation from Antipodes, Maya Hyaluronic 72-Hour Hydration Serum, is set to be the brand’s biggest launch yet, with competition coming at it from every angle thanks to the virality of hyaluronic acid in the skincare space. But Elizabeth believes the texture of this moisture-booster, along with its use of clinically proven botanicals, gives it an edge over its synthetic competitors.
“I felt we could do better than the gel style texture which is typical for synthetic brands,” she says, of the milky, silky serum which draws upon plant-based hyaluronic acid and marine compounds to bring a burst of moisture to dehydrated skin. “We’re doing a natural, organic version of a hyaluronic acid serum with a texture that we think is much more luxurious.”
The cruelty-free plant hyaluronic acid is ideal for anyone experiencing dehydrated skin heading into winter, but as an intensely hydrating natural humectant, all skin types will benefit from adding this serum to their daily routine. In in vitro testing over a four-week period, 93 percent of participants noted their skin felt instantly hydrated and 91 percent commented that their skin felt soft and refreshed, with the serum increasing deep skin hydration for up to 72 hours.
The serum joins the line-up of four other products in the skin-hydration range, including a water gel, skin-plumping serum, toner and eye gel, all of which are water-rich formulations designed to rapidly increase moisture levels both instantly and long-term.
Antipodes Maya Hyaluronic Serum was 12 months in the making, but you can be sure that Elizabeth has more product developments in the pipeline, two of which are set to launch later in the year. With most products taking 18 months to two years to go from a spark of an idea to sitting on shelves, Elizabeth always seeks to ensure what comes out of Antipodes can stand strong in a saturated market and also satisfy a need in the brand’s discerning customer base. Above all, the products have to work and they must provide a sensorial experience, she says.
“A lot of women are just so busy, they’ve only got five minutes to themselves, literally. It’s really important that that’s a bit of ‘me time’ and the products they’re using feel good and smell good on the skin.”
