The story behind Skinnies and its new body and acne bars

Next year, New Zealand brand Skinnies will celebrate ten years in the eco-conscious beauty industry, providing customers around the world with gorgeous skincare options.

Skinnies co-founder Martha van Arts says that “being a sustainably-minded business has been important to us from the outset. We’ve focused this on our zero water philosophy which means you use less and we’re not wasting water.”

And the sustainable solutions Skinnies has developed over the years has been impressive, including evolving its sunscreen packaging to 100% recyclable packaging made from sugar cane.

There’s been challenges along the way – fortunately, Skinnies enjoy product development and are continuously exploring, researching and testing. Its products push boundaries in design and formulations, so luckily, Skinnies’ production partners understand its vision for quality and the desired result.

“Making more environmentally friendly based decisions often has a greater upfront cost or sourcing challenges, but in the long term it pays off with a greener aspect and taking greater responsibility of what we produce”, says van Arts.

Excitingly, Skinnies has just released its new range of body and acne bars, made from natural ingredients. van Arts notes the growing demand for and a resurgence in soap bars as the modern consumer becomes more aware of packaging wastage from plastic and water diluted formulations.

The bars are cleverly designed in a four-piece format, allowing customers to snap off and use what they need while storing the rest of the soap in its compostable packaging for later.

The Acne Bar is suitable for combatting for both youth and adult acne. It’s triple-milled, soap-free, pH balanced and prevents skin irritation and reduces redness. With 2% salicylic acid, it keeps pores clean and helps to treat acne. It’s available in either Cucumber & Mint or Coconut.

The Body Bar is for everyday cleansing, triple-milled for a condensed bar and lather that lasts longer. It includes totarol, an extract of the New Zealand totara tree, which has anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. It’s available in Sweet Orange, Sandalwood, and Lemongrass varieties.

Both the Acne & Body Bars are suitable for vegans, cruelty-free, and made without palm oil. van Arts herself is a proud vegan, and overall, she says her health and wellbeing has greatly improved since adopting this way of life.

And because many Skinnies customers are sophisticated and eco-minded, van Arts says that “they aren’t into mass-produced commercial products that cut corners, they seek brands that resonate and have a story to tell. We have seen demand for vegan products increase significantly in the last couple of years as awareness around not testing on animals and vegan-friendly ingredients are more prevalent. It’s all about making better choices and ensuring we put our best foot forward sustainably, which makes us a better business, and we sleep better at night.”

Skinnies’ original product, its innovative waterless sunscreens, are also a firm favourite, as they offer an alternative to the traditional white & sticky sunblocks on the market.

The Skinnies range is available online at skinnies.co.nz or in pharmacies nationwide. Check it out!