After a particularly challenging year, we could all use some botanically aromatic me-time to ease us into the lightness of being summer usually delivers.

Whether you’re after a Christmas gift that’s good for your loved one and the planet or you’re assembling a personal self-care repository. In partnership with Click for Vic, an initiative that encourages people to support Victorian businesses, we’ve gathered together some of Victoria’s best purveyors of natural skincare that deliver to your door. You’ll feel glamorous and you’ll be supporting local businesses, to boot.

The Spa Beechworth
While squeezing in a three-hour drive to Beechworth for a heavenly wattleseed scrub and tension-relieving massage might not be on the cards pre-Christmas (though, that does sound like a nice idea), it doesn’t mean you can’t bring the spirit-lifting aromatic qualities of Beechworth’s The Spa to you.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

This eco-certified, carbon-positive day spa makes its own natural products from ethically sourced, sustainable ingredients, which are used during treatments and can now be delivered to your home. The Spa offers different oil blends to suit different moods and needs, like Well (ylang-ylang, sandalwood and geranium to relax and destress) and Balance (Peru balsam, fragonia and litsea to, well, do what it says on the label). There are moisturisers, scrubs and hair masks in the signature scents too, plus an array of bath salts, candles and organic vegan skincare from likeminded Australian brands.

Botanic Alps Apothecary, Bright
From the idyllic Drôme region in France’s south-east – which is all stunning mountains, gurgling rivers and lavender fields – aromatherapy practitioner Mariane Riffart can these days be found bottling nature at her apothecary in Bright. Riffart makes botanical skincare that’s eco-friendly and cruelty-free, and draws inspiration from the flora of her adopted home in the Australian Alps.

The magnolia and rose regenerating cream fuses Australian native rose and fragonia essential oils to balance and hydrate unquenchable skin, while the Glow facial serum is made with immortelle, which traditionally grows on the French island of Corsica. Surprise someone special with a botanical face mask kit, which pairs a green or pink clay mask with a locally crafted pottery dish by Little Cottage Creative. Browse the full selection of lip balms, creams and toners online.

The Botanical Store, Northcote
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can now create a locally made custom skincare range from the comfort of your couch. This Northcote skin-food sanctum on bustling High Street makes most of its cleansers, toners, creams, shampoo bars and hair oils in-store, and what it doesn’t make, it sources from local producers. Simply select a product online, choose your preferred scent blend, and it’s posted to you.

The scents sway from Grounding (black spruce and cedarwood) and Nourish (rosewood and neroli) to the can’t-decide all-bases-covered Harmony (juniper, geranium, lemon, lavender, chamomile and frankincense). Each scent offers both aromatherapeutic and skin-nourishing qualities so you can tailor to your needs. Ingredients are certified organic and the products come in refillable glass vessels or are packaging-free. The Botanical Store also donates 1 per cent of its revenue to the Merri Creek Environment Fund.

Olieve and Olie, Mornington Peninsula
One wonderful thing about stealing away to the Mornington Peninsula is when the beachside accomm had Olieve and Olie products in the bathroom ready to make a post-swim shower a steamy wild lemon myrtle-scented paradise. Luckily, we can now bring those peninsula vibes to us.

Since 2000, Olieve and Olie products have been handmade on the Mornington Peninsula using an olive-oil base and remedying perfumes such as lavender and rose geranium, or peppermint, spearmint and tea tree. There are hand and body washes, moisturisers, scrubs, a soap on a rope and lemon-scented gum hand sanitiser in the line-up. The brand works with local farmers and producers to source sustainably grown ingredients, and there’s a smattering of plastic- and packaging-free options for the zero-waste champions among us.

Saint Francis Place, Fitzroy
Shopping at this Fitzroy hub is a little like your skin gets to go travelling, only minus the dehydrating plane flights. Saint Francis Place prides itself on being an untraditional beauty and skincare store, aggregating organic, biodynamic, wild-harvested and made-with-care brands from around the world.

Stepping inside the clean lines of this stylish store off Smith Street prepares you well for settling in for a home spa day. Perhaps secure your hair with a claw clip from French brand Winden before using Namari Skin’s organic vegan cleansing cream, which is handmade in Switzerland. Chase with the rose geranium hydrosol from Fat of the Land Apothecary made in New York’s Hudson Valley before adding an extra dose of hydration using the all-in-one face oil (slash face cleanser, conditioner, body oil, beard oil, cuticle oil and natural insect repellent) from Everyday Oil out of North Carolina. If you’re loving the 2020 hermit life, finish with a little slumber elixir – fire up the incense, cleanse your hands with an oiive oil soap ball made in Hawthorn by Est, from fresh goats milk and honey, and make yourself a cup of tea. Alternatively, add a little of Stockholm-based Manasi 7’s rouge pigment and you’re prepped for the festive season.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Visit Victoria. Support Victorian
producers by buying online through Click for
Vic and hitting the road to visit in person.