Antipodes® is a Scientifically Validated Organic Beauty™ brand pioneering a new niche in skincare globally: certified organic and premium natural products with skin performance proven by science.
Its visionary New Zealand founder and director, Elizabeth Barbalich, has built her skincare and makeup company on a cutting-edge combination of the highest quality ingredients from New Zealand’s nature and raw super-fruit extracts. The products combine science and innovation to produce high-tech certified organic and premium formulations.
As a result, Antipodes is a trailblazer in natural skincare with scientific validation to prove its performance. Her clean, certified vegetarian skincare delivers outstanding results for helping support production of collagen, elastin and antioxidant activity.
It has found favour with women of all ages right around the world. Antipodes is sold in 13 countries to its many passionate devotees including international celebrities. Their products continue to win multiple beauty and health industry awards for performance.
How it all began….
To launch the green beauty brand a decade ago, Elizabeth drew heavily on her background in science. The youngest child of a preacher father and a teacher mother, she grew up in a small town amidst the stretching plains of Canterbury in New Zealand’s South Island.
Before later embarking on an MBA from the University of Auckland, she undertook a science degree in biology from the University of Canterbury. After graduating, she won a highly competitive position with a United States Surgical Corporation.
The specialist company pioneered the technology for laparoscopic surgery. Trained in New York on the equipment’s use, she had sole responsibility for the Antipodean territory of Australia and New Zealand where she trained surgeons and registrars in the use of their groundbreaking instrumentation for keyhole surgery.
She was twice the company’s top salesperson globally for a new product launch. During her eight years working with the international medical technology company she learned that innovation is key.
She’s taken this trailblazing approach to her own company, for instance with the use of revolutionary antioxidant Vinanza® Grape – a cutting-edge and sustainable product which is cleverly extracted from award-winning Marlborough sauvignon blanc grapes.
Important lessons..
She says, “Working for years in operating theatres alongside surgeons, I also learnt a very rigorous approach, which is probably in my nature anyway. There is no room for error in surgery.”
This trait characterised the years of preparation and research she undertook in the lead-up to Antipodes’ launch. In a bid to fully understand how skincare works and skin creams are constructed she weighed and mixed countless trial formulations at home which she experimented with on her own dry and sensitive skin.
“Daily work for me at Antipodes® now, even ten years after launch, is still a drive for continuous improvement in every area of the business. For example, a trial product can take up to 18 months of Research & Development. Sometimes, the scientific investigations fail to show the kind of skin-enhancing performance we’re after – we simply park these. We are unrelenting in delivering you the highest performance skincare we can possibly produce, and we never compromise on quality.”
Family…
Raising a family saw Elizabeth develop a passion for a natural lifestyle. “My husband Zoran developed a real interest in natural health, and cared for the whole family’s health with healthy food, raw juices and supplements. Even with three kids under four years old I felt the best I ever had. The interest broadened to natural cleaning products for a non-toxic household, and eventually skincare”.
She trawled the world’s natural skincare offerings to find a product hydrating enough for her own dry skin type. Failing, the New Zealander decided to make her own.
“I couldn’t find any natural skincare that performed as well, or felt as good on my skin, as the conventional brands I was using. I saw a need in the market for a cool avant garde, niche brand that elevated natural skincare to the next level”.
The Products….
Producing certified organic skincare is important to Antipodes for two reasons:
You. We believe that organic skincare ingredients grown without chemical pesticides and fertilisers retain their highest possible bioactivity. In their most pure state they are the highest-performing and healthiest ingredients for your skin.
Earth. We favour using raw plant ingredients cultivated sustainably in organic orchards and fields, because production without chemical contamination is kindest to the Earth.
Antipodes believe in beauty without the use of:
- Genetically modified or engineered (GM or GE) ingredients
- Synthetic fillers or silicon derived ingredients
- Artificial colours or artificial fragrances
- Sodium Lauryl Sulphates
- Mineral oils
- PetrochemicalsAnimal ingredients (except honey and beeswax from living bees)
- Parabens; ethyl-, methyl-, propyl-, butyl-.
- Products are not tested on animals
The company is proud to be approved by the UK Vegetarian Society. Products are never, ever tested on animals, and there is no cross-contamination during the production process. No animal by-products are used except honey, which is accepted and eaten by vegetarians because honeybees must make honey to live.
Antipodes products are certified organic by AsureQuality Ltd, the leading provider of food safety in the southern hemisphere. It upholds the strictest international organic standards.
Antipodes packaging features fully recyclable bottles and aluminium tubes, and 100% biodegradable card from sustainable forests.
The products I’ve tried have given me outstanding results. Some of my favourites are Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser, Apostle Skin Brightening and Tone Correcting Serum and Saviour Skin Balm.
You can shop Antipodes here
