Inspired by global destinations, OILIXIA creates natural beauty products that feature potent and precious ingredients sourced from all over the world. The star ingredients in each of their products can be traced back to the source and they choose to work with suppliers that nurture their natural environment and community. Oilixia’s products are made from natural or naturally-derived ingredients and they are certified vegan and cruelty free.
We speak to Oilixia’s founder Alexandra Jansons about why she started Oilixia and how her products are perfect for your night time skincare routine.
Tell me a little about yourself, and what inspired you to create Oilixia Skincare?
Hello! I’m Alexandra and I’m the founder of Oilixia. I grew up in Australia, have lived in the UK for 9 years and have travelled across the globe in between. I’ve worked in the beauty industry for over 12 years, mainly for L’Oreal and Tweezerman, so whenever I visit a new place in the world I automatically view it with ‘beauty goggles’ on. One thing that really fascinated me was that every region of the world has their ‘tried and tested’ native ingredients that they swear by. For example; eucalyptus oil in Australia; birch in Latvia; cacay in Colombia. So, the seed for Oilixia was planted. Oilixia is inspired by global destinations and creates natural beauty products that feature potent and precious ingredients sourced from all over the world. The star ingredients in our products can be traced back to the source and we choose to work with suppliers that nurture their natural environment and community, maintaining social and environmental sustainability. We are ideal for customers that are looking for clean and green beauty products that are cruelty-free, vegan, eco-conscious and traceable. Most importantly, our products are unique, fun to use and give visible results.
Can you talk us through some of the skincare rituals you follow/are inspired by to create your products?
Although I have worked in the beauty industry for over 12 years and tried LOT of product during that time, I like to keep things simple. I really believe that using a few great products that you love is better than a 10+ step regime. Better for your wallet, the planet and your general stress levels! Most days I just use our Gummy Cleanser and then switch between either our Explorer Blend Facial Oil or our Amazonian Cacay Facial Oil, depending on how my skin is feeling. I can honestly say, even though I’m using just two products most days, my skin has never been better.
How do you go about selecting ingredients and how do you make sure they work?
What’s your policy on using synthetics and preservatives in your products?
We don’t just use any old ingredient in our skincare products – we use tried and tested natural ingredients that are often the most potent ingredient of their kind. Our Kakadu Plum, which is natively grown in Australia and wild-harvested, is the richest natural source of vitamin C in the world! Our Cacay oil, sourced from re-forested areas of Colombia, is a rich source of retinol, vitamin E and vitamin F. All of the ingredients in our products are either natural or naturally-derived (often this means that they have had one or two steps taken to transform the natural ingredient into something more stable) and our products are certified cruelty-free and vegan. I personally don’t think that all synthetics are ‘bad’, but we choose to celebrate the natural ingredients that the earth has to offer, so our products focus on natural ingredients instead. Our oils do not contain preservatives (since there is no water in the formulation, they don’t need a preservative) and our Gummy Cleanser contains rosemary extract as a preservative.
We’ve never seen anything like the Gummy Facial Cleanser before,
and we’re intrigued by how it works! Tell us more about it?
You’re right – there’s currently nothing like it on the market! The cleanser is designed to be applied to dry skin, like you would apply an oil cleanser. To use it, spread a small amount over dry skin. Then, use your fingers and palms to press and lift your skin – the cleanser becomes sticky so that your skin will lift and drop with your fingers. This helps to lift off dirt, grime and treats your skin to a little massage to help stimulate microcirculation. Once you’re satisfied with the pressing and lifting, wet your fingertips and start to massage your face and the cleanser will transform into a silky milk. Then, it rinses off clean with plain water and without any residue. I love this cleanser because you don’t need a cloth to remove it properly. I was so frustrated when I was travelling a lot for work – although I do love an oil/balm cleanser, almost all that I tried left residue or makeup on the skin if you didn’t use a cloth to remove it. The problem is … have you ever tried to pack a wet cloth?? Bleurgh.
Of the products that we’re featuring on the website, what’s the best seller, and why is it a must-need?
The Gummy Cleanser is our standout bestseller. Our customers love it because it’s fun to use, it’s easy to use, it actually works, and it leaves skin feeling clean but not stripped. Thanks to the natural AHA and phenolic acid found in Kakadu Plum it also multi-tasks as a mask and exfoliator – simply apply to dry skin and leave for 5-10mins before rinsing off.
Where do you see the beauty industry in the next 10 years, with regards to products designed specifically to help move the sleeping process along?
There’s definitely been an increased focus on general wellbeing within the beauty industry, and sleep is an important part of that. In terms of beauty products and treatments, it would be cool to see technology play a bigger role in rejuvenating the skin as you sleep – maybe a wearable eyemask that helps to send you into a deeper sleep and targets the delicate eye area to banish under-eye bags as you sleep. That would be nice!
Do you think there’s an up-and-coming ingredient or practice in the market that we should keep an eye out for?
One practice that I am really enjoying is using a Jade Roller and a Gua Sha in the evenings before bed. Although these are not ‘new’ they are becoming more recognised as a great way to massage the skin, helping to stimulate lymph drainage and bring fresh blood and oxygen to the surface of the skin, to promote brighter, lifted, fresher looking skin. I love using these tools in the evening, just after I have applied a facial oil. It’s very relaxing and it feels like the tension that is often held in the face is rolled away.
And finally, a few pearls of wisdom from you! Run us through your recipe for great sleep, and some do’s and don’ts that we ought to follow in our pre-sleep schedules.
What’s one thing you recommend we do with our night time routine for better sleep and better health?
I would love to say ‘have an electronic curfew’ but sometimes that’s just not possible! All too often I find myself back on my laptop late at night, sorting out work, orders, emails or frantically trying to do the grocery shop – and I know I can’t be the only one! One thing that has helped me a lot is installing a piece of software on my computer called ‘F.LUX’ – it basically takes the blue/white light out of your screen after the sun goes down, so your computer is less disruptive to your sleep and you go to bed feeling less wired. Go and download it now if you haven’t already! Another thing that I do is change my pillowcase often – there’s nothing like a fresh crisp pillow to sleep on!
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