Eli Halliwell is the CEO and President of Jurlique, an independent Australian skincare company that is considered a pioneer in the natural beauty field.
It’s flower-based collection is hand-sown, hand-tended and hand-harvested on its own certified organic and biodynamic farms in South Australia.
What is the philosophy behind Jurlique?
More than a business, Jurlique exists to awaken people to the beauty of nature and the simplicity of life.
Why did you join Jurlique?
I joined Jurlique in 2006
to strengthen the brand’s commitment to sustainable business practices,
and environmental and social responsibility.
Previously I worked for Bumble and bumble, a New York-based prestige hair care company owned by Estee Lauder Companies.
At Bumble and bumble, I was recognised for my strategic thinking, passionate leadership style and track record of growth.
What changes have occurred since you have been on board?
We have added 165 additional acres of certified biodynamic and certified organic farmland. Our packaging is now at least 80 per cent post-consumer recycled – not simply recyclable.
I have guided an ambitious update of the Jurlique look and feel with a packaging and retail store re-design and re-committed the privately-owned company to the principles of biodynamics, a form of agriculture that is considered “beyond organic” because of its closed system sustainable practices.
Are all the products in the range biodynamic?
The approach that we take to making the products at Jurlique is fundamentally what makes them so different. Hand-sown and gently-cultivated flowers and herbs from our own certified organic and biodynamic farm are the alphabet of our apothecary.
From the tiny periwinkle bud of borage to the flaming flags of saffron-hued calendula, each plant we harvest holds healing traditions of its own.
The result of biodynamic farming is a plant that is healthier, stronger and more potent. Jurlique’s biodynamic farming process brings more living energy into the plants. It’s not just the ingredients that we use, but the entire holistic approach, from seed all the way to the store.
After our organic herbs, flowers, and roots are hand harvested and dried on wood-framed drying racks in our barns or “drying sheds”, they must still be transformed into the ingredient we can use in our skin care.
The challenge is to do this without losing the potency or life force inherent in the plants. For this reason, Jurlique developed a unique approach to extraction; a modern adaptation of the spagyric process, a term that comes from the Greek and means to separate out and recombine.
How are you continually seeking ways to create a lighter carbon footprint?
By planting additional trees on our farms, swapping from recyclable to post-recycled materials and using recovered timbers in our store-design. In fact, we used part of the old national stadium in Singapore for our store there.
Does the Jurlique range include any cutting-edge ingredients?
The new Biodynamic Beauty range of products contains a potent biodynamic blend of herbs and flowers that address the visible signs of ageing skin.
Not only do they have the most potent biodynamic blends in them, but we’ve also supplemented them with natural ingredients from around the world that are incredibly efficacious at delivering very specific results.
The all-natural products contain a unique combination of hand-picked ingredients; Black Elder, lLicorice, Beech Tree Buds, Blue Algae, Hibiscus and Yeast to help soften the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and discolourations while renewing and strengthening the skin.
