Drawing from incredible native ingredients, there's a wealth of beauty and wellness brands on the market created by First Nations owners, with plenty directing profits back to communities.
If you're in the market for new shower products, something to spice up your makeup routine, or a gift for an expectant mum, here's 10 of the best First Nations-owned beauty and wellness brands to add to your cart.
Yaye
Created by Warumungu and Luritja woman Melissa Cole, ’s products are infused with ethically sourced like emu bush and silky lemon grass, and include body wash, butter and scrub, bath crystals, and bubble bath. Yaye also supports Yiprinya School, a two-way bilingual and bicultural school that teaches Indigenous Language and Culture in conjunction with the Australian curriculum.
Start with: ($29.99)
Flyy Bod
’s products are packed with native extracts and botanicals like lilly pilly and Kakadu plum, not to mention the pink packaging absolutely pops. Owner Elissa Leighton, a proud Minjungbal woman, shares authentic Aboriginal stories with the packaging of the travel-friendly Flyy Bod products, which include body wash, lotion and butter (which are all available fragrance-free, too).
Start with: ($14.99)
Native Secrets
Beauty products and fragrances with a side of proactive land management, is owned by Bidjara Bidjara/Kara Kara man Phil Thompson and his wife Cherie. Based on Wiradjuri Country near Dubbo, Native Secrets extracts essential oils from wild-harvested native plants like white cypress, Kakadu plum and lemon myrtle and formulates products including essential oils, body and hair products and (soon) candles.
Start with: ($17.90)
Bush Medijina
Founded with the goals of supporting Warningakalina women, sharing their culture with others, and preserving their traditions and knowledge, offers products combining local bush produce with natural and sustainable ingredients in their range of body, face and hair products. The business is operated from shipping containers in Angurugu (on a remote island in the Northern Territory) and draws from dumburumba, mamarra and mawilyaburna trees, angarrakaka fruits, and wurruwarduwarda grass.
Start with: ($14)
Nood Australia
A majority Aboriginal-owned company, has a huge commitment to sustainability and telling the stories of Australian botanicals from an Aboriginal perspective. As well as personal care products that smell SO good (like the native Australian body lotion with Kakadu plum extract, eucalyptus oil and lemon myrtle extract), Nood also does home cleaning products—and everything’s available in sustainable refill bags.
Start with: ($15)
Bush Balm
This social enterprise run by Purple House, an innovative Indigenous-owned and -operated health service based in Alice Springs, provides employment opportunities for dialysis patients and their families and no-cost bush medicine for patients. incorporates a variety of native ingredients including irmangka irmangka, arrethe and native lemongrass, and does beautifully packaged bundles that are perfect for gifting.
Start with: ($35)
Yuku-na Glow
’s eyeshadow palettes (with names like Dreamtime, Desert Country, Broome and Daintree Rainforest) boast some serious pigment. Owner Kimberley Mann, a Barkindji woman, set out to fill gaps within the beauty industry and ensure First Nations representation by sharing beauty products inspired by Indigenous culture. 10% of sales are donated back to Indigenous-owned organisations, and you can opt to pay a palette forward, so your feel-good glow will really come from within.
Start with: ($50)
Earth Jinda
Drawing from Aboriginal maternal knowledge and practices, aims to support women’s mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing during their maternity journey. The cruelty-free, ethically sourced products, created by Gumbaynggirr woman Jame Telfer, include a nourishing bath soak and belly oil. A percentage of all profits go directly to local Aboriginal families, mentoring and community programs, and Happy Boxes—providing remote First Nations women with toiletries.
Start with: ($35)
Kitikiti
These hand-blended, eco-conscious and aromatherapy-informed products are created by Walmajarri woman Brodie George. All of ’s products are named and labelled in Walmajarri language, and include body and face products and makeup like the Mantu natural deodorant, Yungku body scrub and Jarrja face mist.
Start with: ($28.95)
Dilkara
, which translates as rainbow, aims to unite the spectrum of skin tones within Australia’s First Nations people with products packed with vegan, organic, native ingredients sourced from Indigenous communities. Owned by Kamilaroi woman Julie Okely, Dilkara’s range includes masks, creams, lotions and serums for the skin and hair-type specific shampoos and treatments.
Start with: ($32.95)
Check out our guide to 12 First Nations films to watch on Netflix here.
Image credit: Yaye