BeautyBlog: Apivita

With The Mole enjoying a brief sabbatical* attention turns to Apivita, which has been quietly making itself at home on HowBigIsYourEco’s bathroom shelf.

Hailing from Greece, Apivita has been doing the natural beauty thing since the sustainability movement was but a twinkle in its mother’s eye (or thereabouts). Husband and wife pharmacists Nikos and Niki Koutsiansas officially created Apivita in 1979 from bee products and Greek herbs… Apivita means, literally, the life of the bee (“Apis”=bee, “Vita”=life).

Greece has over 5,700 native or endemic plant species—coupled with low industrial pollution and more sunshine than you can poke a stick at, it’s fertile ground for potent extracts. Although not every product is 100% natural, each clearly states the percentage of natural ingredients, with each free from undesirable synthetics such as parabens, propylene glycol, silicone and mineral oil.

Products are based, not on water, but plant infusions—so aqua is replaced, for example, with Cardomom seed infusion (in the men’s body wash sampled—88% natural) or, say, rosemary in hair products. The packaging—which is especially elegant in the men’s range—incorporates recyclable materials, aiming to make them reusable and renewable.

The products themselves? They cover the gamut from face, hair, body, aromatherapy, sun care and fragrance. We sampled the aforementioned hair and body wash (rrp $24.90), gentle shaving cream (99% natural, $29.90) and after shave balm (97% natural, $39.90) from the recently launched Men’s Care line.

The fragrance is quite wonderful—light, but masculine—and the formula itself, likewise, manages to be effective without the cloying heaviness that scares guys off. This, I’ve learnt, is thanks to propolis and essential oils. Propolis, I’ve also learnt, is the resin bees collect from plants which they also use as spack-filler on their hives. It’s antiseptic, anti-fungal and an antioxidant—yes, the website explains the various ingredients in some details, as you may deduce.

The entire Men’s Care line is alcohol-free, which cuts down on the odds that it will dry or irritate skin. Although Men’s Care is a recent arrival, Apivita has been doing their thing in Australia for about a decade now. Find out more at the Apivita website or call 03 9495 6336 for local stockists.

* “enjoying” isn’t quite the word—The Makeup Mole is hella busy being an international makeup legend and will be returning in a fortnight.

Next Tuesday, Natalie Bloom returns for her second guest BeautyBlog.