Story

When I started my journey to natural beauty, I had no idea I would end up here – creating natural and effective skincare for all women to enjoy.

I used to spend far too long in the skincare section of the supermarket searching for something to help me with my skin problems. I’m very conscious of what I put on my skin so it needed to be natural. You almost need a chemistry degree to understand the long list of ingredients on some products! How could I trust a product that I did not understand?

I began doing my research and soon found that even beauty and skincare ranges that loosely call themselves ‘natural’ are packed full of questionable ingredients. Even fragrance, something that is so personal, and inherent to most skincare and beauty products, is often highly-sensitising, causing allergic reactions, redness or swelling. In the past I have switched from one skincare brand to another without any long term results. I was ruining my skin’s pH level by using so many different products. The problem worsened after my pregnancy. The skin issues I’d suffered all my life increased. I always had problematic skin. It was oily, very hormonal and I suffered from persistent breakout. After my pregnancy, for some reason or due to hormonal change, my skin issues grew threefold. It had become unbearable and I was desperate to find a solution.

I was losing hope until my mum suggested I try the homemade approach - ditching off-the-shelf chemical-based products for 100% natural food-based ingredients. It turns out the answer to all my problems was creating a skincare with my own hands, in my own kitchen using fresh quality ingredients.

I read lot of articles and forums on the internet and I researched the ingredients that provided the most nutrients and vitamins for the skin. Based on these, the moisturisers and scrubs I developed at home contained the bare minimum of raw food ingredients, but in much higher concentrations, which meant they were more effective in providing nourishment for a healthier skin. And perhaps more importantly, I trusted the ingredients and knew what I was putting on my skin was safe. I learned early on that for healthy skin, I needed to treat my skincare the same way I treated my food – made from fresh, quality, edible ingredients and using only ingredients that my skin needs and nothing else.

Once I started using my own freshly made skincare, I couldn’t bear the thought of going back to off-the-shelf cookie-cutter formulations. Within a month, my skin had calmed down and for the first time I felt confident and happy in my skin. It was quite literally astounding. The results I saw on my skin inspired me to create Okana.

I set out to develop a 100% natural, raw, fresh, quality food-based skincare range because there simply wasn’t a product this good anywhere on the market. The most important aspect of the Okana range is the quality of our ingredients. Just like the food we eat, the health of our skin is also dependant on the ingredients we put on it. The better the quality, the more nutrients our skin receives.

My focus on fewer food-based ingredients in higher concentrations delivers ‘kitchen-inspired’ skincare solutions that are safe, gorgeous and effective.

I am proud to say that Okana is New Zealand-owned and operated. My labels are easy to read, and the ingredients are easy to understand.

Okana is real food made beautiful.