Healthy, clear skin is a major contributor to our confidence levels, we feel great when our skin looks good, as Oxygen Skincare creator Alana Riley has seen first-hand.As former owner of successful NZ modelling agency Spotlight, she worked with a lot of women and young ladies. The impact their skins health had on their confidence was significant and after learning there were ZERO natural skincare options for teens, Alana identified the need for a natural & organic solution. The seed was planted, and with the help of her family, she set out to change things.
Alana’s hubby Colin Oldham is a 3rd generation organic hop farmer in Nelson, after years working to produce a large portion of all NZ organic hops exported for craft beer, Alana presented an idea. She wanted to use the oils and minerals in the hop plants to develop her skincare range. It is well known hops provide an anti-inflammatory effect to the skin and are used to decrease the surface blood vessels, so with an organic acne remedy on the doorstep, the farm took on a whole new challenge.
Alana’s hubby Colin Oldham is a 3rd generation organic hop farmer in Nelson, after years working to produce a large portion of all NZ organic hops exported for craft beer, Alana presented an idea. She wanted to use the oils and minerals in the hop plants to develop her skincare range. It is well known hops provide an anti-inflammatory effect to the skin and are used to decrease the surface blood vessels, so with an organic acne remedy on the doorstep, the farm took on a whole new challenge.
Alana set out to develop a range of skincare for women that would not only improve the access to natural, organic products for Kiwi women, but also be suitable (and highly effective) for teen skin. Armed with a good understanding of what goes into current skincare, a recipe book, and a Kenwood mixer, Alana started work on her skincare journey from the comfort of her garage. This was back in 2009, flash forward 9 years and Oxygen is now scientifically developing skincare solutions for sensitive and teen skin, with a focus on organic ingredients and being made in New Zealand.
Every small business has to start somewhere and while Alana and her sister in law Jacqui were busy being the ‘nutty professor’s’ developing their range, perfecting the brand, selling products, and making industry contacts, Alana’s 18 year old daughter Olivia was embarking on her life after school. Olivia studied commerce at Canterbury, and was working for the ANZ Commercial Banking team, when she got the call up from Mum. As a testament to the hard work and effective skincare solutions Alana developed, her brand was growing. With consumers more and more focused on natural, organic ingredients, Oxygen was quickly becoming more and more popular and it was all hands on deck.
Every small business has to start somewhere and while Alana and her sister in law Jacqui were busy being the ‘nutty professor’s’ developing their range, perfecting the brand, selling products, and making industry contacts, Alana’s 18 year old daughter Olivia was embarking on her life after school. Olivia studied commerce at Canterbury, and was working for the ANZ Commercial Banking team, when she got the call up from Mum. As a testament to the hard work and effective skincare solutions Alana developed, her brand was growing. With consumers more and more focused on natural, organic ingredients, Oxygen was quickly becoming more and more popular and it was all hands on deck.
For the last 2 years Alana, Colin, Jacqui and Olivia have been working nonstop to get their brand out there. Partnering with Life and Unichem pharmacies all over New Zealand and working with a team of 10 to represent and promote this exciting range. I have been pestering Olivia for quite a while now because I really wanted to offer our customers the opportunity to try this exciting New Zealand made organic product. It takes blood, sweat and tears to get a great brand like Oxygen off the ground and I am very excited to be able to offer you a full size 200ml Crème Cleanser in your April box. The Crème Cleanser is well suited to sensitive skin and has been known to actively reduce the appearance of capillary veins and rosacea, and make all skin types feel fresh, healthy and blemish free. I know your skin will love this natural, organic product and it’s exciting to be able to tell you all about this successful kiwi family business.