Frankie Apothecary – Kawakawa Repair Balm

It’s a traditional balm that’s solid at room temperature but break the seal on it, so to speak, and you have a creamy, thick balm that glides onto the skin leaving a slight sheen and a really nice layer of moisture. It’s a genuine all-arounder that we’ve used in our house on everything from patches of eczema to use as an eye makeup remover. The glass jar has a classic apothecary feel to it and there’s so much product that it will last for ages, even if you use it for everything – making it a good purchase for those needing their beauty products to stretch a bit further! Knowing nothing about the traditional Maori medicinal Kawakawa plant, I was excited to learn it’s been used through the ages for skin issues.

The company is Maori-owned and seems to be deeply involved in its local community and the ethical, sustainable harvesting of its star ingredient. They, like many of the other contenders here are working hard to use product and delivery packaging that produces as little waste as possible. I love that they have the option to refill the products or mail back empties and hard-to-recycle components. They also pay a New Zealand living wage to their employees – Bravo!

–Jessica Teas

A buttery smooth cream which is nourishing to dry and inflamed skin – made using traditional Maori techniques. The use of Kawakawa – a native plant from New Zealand – gives the balm a unique feel, smell and healing properties. It’s great to see an uncommon ingredient being used in this product!

I am also impressed by the brand’s traditional and earth focus practices!

–Corrine Sultana

This is such a great balm to have on hand! We’ve been using it for lots of different things – grazes on the little ones knees, dry winter skin, cuticles ect. It’s also great to see the company is very conscious of their packaging materials and supports their local community as well as charities.

–Ash Quinn