7 Australian Natural & Botanical Skincare Brands Worth Knowing

There are so many skincare brands to choose from.

Walk into a beauty store or search online and you can quickly end up with hundreds of choices.

So which Australian skincare brands are actually worth looking at?

I make skincare myself, so I probably look at skincare a little differently from most people. I love simple formulas, beautiful plant oils, useful active ingredients and products that feel lovely on the skin. I think the most important thing in skincare is the ingredient list.

I also don't believe that expensive automatically means better.

So, if I wasn't making my own skincare, these are some of the Australian brands I would be interested in trying.

This isn't a ranking from best to worst. And I haven't personally tested every product from every brand on this list.

It's simply a list of seven Australian brands I think are worth knowing about and what makes each one different.

1. Aesop

Aesop is probably one of Australia's most famous skincare brands.

I have always been drawn to it and remember buying a sample pack as a teenager that cost over $100! 

The simple brown bottles, beautiful essential oil combos and botanical feel make Aesop very easy to recognise.

One thing worth knowing is that Aesop doesn't actually call itself a "natural" or "organic" skincare brand.

It uses plenty of plant-based ingredients, but it also uses scientifically made ingredients when they have a useful job to do.

I actually like that honesty.

Aesop also puts a lot of work into testing its ingredients and formulas for safety, stability and how well they work.

Worth looking at if: You love botanical skincare, beautiful packaging and a more luxurious skincare experience.

Price: $$$

2. Mukti Organics

Mukti is one I would definitely look at if I wasn't making skincare myself.

It's an Australian-made, certified organic skincare brand that combines natural ingredients with modern skincare actives.

You'll find Australian native botanicals alongside ingredients such as peptides, vitamins and hyaluronic acid.

Mukti has been around since 2000, and the products are made in Australia.

It sits at the more expensive end of this list. Some of its serums are well over $100.

But if certified organic ingredients are particularly important to you, this is a brand worth knowing about.

Worth looking at if: You want certified organic skincare, beautiful formulations  but still like modern active ingredients.

Price: $$$$

3. Black Chicken Remedies

Black Chicken Remedies has been around for years 

The brand has a very natural, earthy feel and focuses heavily on plant oils and botanical ingredients.

It's the sort of brand I would look at if I wanted to keep my beauty routine fairly simple and natural.

Worth looking at if: You love natural beauty products, oils and botanical ingredients.

Price: $$–$$$

4. Vanessa Megan

Vanessa Megan is another Australian natural skincare brand that really appeals to me.

The brand makes cleansers, moisturisers, serums, oils and other skincare products using natural and organic ingredients.

Its products are Australian made, and some products are certified organic.

This is another more premium option. For example, its face creams and serums are around the $70 mark, while some oils cost more.

I particularly like that you can shop according to your skin concern, including dry, sensitive, oily and ageing skin.

Worth looking at if: You want luxurious natural skincare and don't mind spending a little more.

Price: $$$

5. Edible Beauty

The name gives you a pretty good clue about this brand.

Edible Beauty was created by Australian naturopath Anna Mitsios and has a strong focus on plant-based ingredients.

The range uses botanicals alongside modern skincare ingredients, and Australian native plants feature heavily.

You'll find ingredients such as Kakadu plum, jojoba, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and bakuchiol across the range.

The brand is also vegan and cruelty free.

Worth looking at if: You like plant-based skincare but still want ingredients that target things such as hydration and ageing.

Price: $$$

6. The Jojoba Company

The Jojoba Company is another Australian brand worth knowing about, particularly if you love facial oils.

As the name suggests, jojoba is a big part of what they do.

Jojoba is technically a liquid wax rather than an oil, and it has become a very popular skincare ingredient because it feels lovely on the skin.

The company uses Australian-grown Wadi-Wadi jojoba and has built much of its skincare range around it.

If you're overwhelmed by huge ingredient lists and complicated routines, this is an interesting brand to explore.

Worth looking at if: You love facial oils, simple skincare and Australian-grown ingredients.

Price: $$–$$$

7. Flowerdale Valley

Of course, I have to include my own boutique skincare company.

Flowerdale Valley is very different in size from a brand like Aesop.

Our skincare is handmade in small batches in country Victoria.

I started Flowerdale Valley when I lived on an old cherry farm where we had lots of hives and experimenting with beeswax. That eventually led me to create Bee Balm, which is still our best-selling product.

Since then, I have studied cosmetic science and developed a much bigger range, including moisturisers, cleansing balms, facial oils and hyaluronic acid serums.

We use mostly natural and plant-based ingredients, and I try to keep our skincare straightforward and reasonably priced.

Some of our products also use ingredients from our own little corner of Australia, including the beeswax and honey used in our Bee Balms.

We're not a giant beauty company.

And that's actually the point.

Worth looking at if: You want Australian-made, small-batch skincare without luxury skincare prices.

Price: $$

So, which Australian skincare brand is best?

There isn't one.

And I think that's important.

The best skincare brand is the one that suits your skin, your budget and what matters to you.

If certified organic skincare is your number-one priority, you might love Mukti.

If you want a beautiful luxury experience, you might be drawn to Aesop or Vanessa Megan.

If you love jojoba, The Jojoba Company is an obvious place to look.

If you love botanical skincare, Black Chicken Remedies or Edible Beauty might catch your eye.

And if you want simple, small-batch Australian skincare at a more moderate price, that's exactly where Flowerdale Valley fits.

Most importantly, don't choose skincare just because somebody tells you it's the "best."

Turn the bottle around.

Read the ingredients.

Look at the price.

Think about what your skin actually needs.

Because the best skincare isn't necessarily the most expensive, the most famous or the prettiest.

It's the skincare that works for you.