About Us

  
We are proud to bring you our range of plant based, cruelty free and Australian made skin care products. Made with natural, high quality ingredients and with sensitive skin in mind. Our mission is to promote holistic skin health with products that work alongside the skin microbiome, not against it.

 

A letter from our founder –

 I would love to be able to tell you that a plant-based skincare company was a lifelong dream of mine, but it’s not true. Actually, I have to confess, thanks to the ultra-sensitive face I was born with, I’ve barely owned a bottle of moisturiser until now. The truth is, Nicoya began as a light bulb moment that I just couldn’t shake. A lightbulb moment of a product that I was certain the world needed, as it was EXACTLY what I, and many others I know needed. 

 A myriad of digestive and skin conditions led me to adopt a plant-based diet in my early 20’s and also sparked a deep curiosity of the human body. After studying and working in education, I decided to make the leap back to studying health science. Learning about the skin microbiome certainly gave me a deeper understanding of our bodies largest and most important organ. A living organ that needs to be fed just as much good bacteria as it needs the bad bacteria to be washed away. I almost feel a little embarrassed to admit now that this was all completely new to me! 

I’ve always had sensitive ‘problematic’ skin, from spontaneous bouts of adult acne, to fungal conditions, and dermatitis. When I finally found a cure for one condition, it would snowball to the next. A never-ending cycle. Living with sensitive skin felt a bit like not being invited to a party all of your friends were going to. When the new ‘natural’ skincare product you saw advertised on Instagram meant you’d end up with hives for a week– something was not right! What I was yet to realise was that my microbiome was suffering, and there was no real solution to it. The thing is, everyone’s skin is as unique as their personality, and despite what we’ve been led to believe, there really is no one size fits all solution to skincare. 

That’s why we have designed our products around microbiome health, because when you are treating your microbiome right, your enhancing the health of your skin. Sure, there’s a whole lot more to healthy looking skin then slapping on a serum 2 times a day. Hydration, diet, sleep, stress genetics, UV exposure… the list goes on. I can't promise this skincare will be right for everyone, but I can promise that it WILL give your microbiome the treatment it deserves, that we use high quality, low-tox ingredients, derived from plants, and that all of our formulas are free from common allergens. Most importantly, we will always be transparent with our ingredients and will never claim to be something we are not..

These products are my pride and joy, and I really hope you feel that every time you use them. 

Caitlyn xx

All orders will be shipped from our headquarters in Byron Bay, NSW, via Australian Express Post.

FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING for orders over $70 (1-3 days)

Orders under $70 will be charged $15 for express shipping via Australian post ( 1-3 business days) or $10 for regular post (5-7 business days)

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer international shipping.

We can not cancel your order or change the address once your order has been shipped. If you happen to enter the wrong shipping address, please contact us urgently by emailing hello@nicoya.com.au. If you do not want to give authority to leave your parcel without you being home, please let us know in the 'Notes to seller' section of the website.

We do not accept returns due to change of mind, so please shop mindfully. For more information read our returns policy.

For dry skin we recommend starting with the Refresh Oil Cleanser followed by the Skinbucha Serum and finishing off with the Sunday Skin face oil

For combination / oily skin we highly recommend to begin with the Green Juice Cleanser followed by the Skinbucha Serum and Skinbucha Moisturiser

The strain of probiotic used in both our Skinbucha Serum and Skinbucha Moisturiser has been scientifically proven to reduce the severity and occurrence of skin conditions such as dermatitis, acne and rosacea. Our Green Juice Cleanser has also been proven to reduce redness and breakouts.

The entire Nicoya skincare range is made using the highest quality natural ingredients that have been entirely sourced from plants. Our products are vegan, cruelty free and organic where possible. All of the products are naturally scented using essential oils in skin safe quantities.

ALL NICOYA SKINCARE PRODUCTS ARE PROUDLY FREE FROM:

- Artificial colours, bleaches & harsh detergents

-Parabens, sls & sles

-Petro-chemicals

-Synthetic fragrances

-Animal derived ingredients

Our entire skincare range is handmade in Australia, in small batches by qualified cosmetic chemists. We also source most of our packaging and branding from small businesses around Australia.

Simply put, our skin microbiome is the fancy name for the bacteria that live on our skin. This good bacteria is what keeps our skin healthy, preventing conditions such as acne, dermatitis and premature ageing (crows feet were talking to you). Research into the skin microbiome is relatively new, but it's a total game changer! The bottom line is that we now know skincare should be working with our microbiome, not against it (which has been the case for many, many years).

Our skincare range contains probiotics, prebiotics and natural, fermented preservatives- elements that encourage our microbiome to do the work alongside the skincare - It's a win-win.

On average you will start to notice results after the first 30 days. However, some of our community have reported that they noted a drastic improvement in their skin in as little as 2 weeks! Everyones skin is unique and for a small percentage of people the skin may get worse before it gets better. We recommend sticking to the routine for 30 days to let your skin adjust if this is the case.

Our entire range of skincare is designed especially for sensitive and/or impaired skin barriers. If you are experiencing symptoms of an impaired skin barrier we would highly recommend to strip back your skincare routine to as few products as possible. Our skinbucha serum and skinbucha moisturiser are a great place to start. We also recommend the refresh oil cleanser as a gentle cleansing alternative

Yes! All of our ingredients are 100 percent safe for pregnant and breastfeeding when used topically.

Whilst we cant 100 percent guarantee that all of our products will be suitable for all skin types. Every product in our range is made with natural ingredients and free from most common allergens and artificial fragrances. Our skincare range is designed to enhance your skins natural defences, and in turn reduce the likely hood of sensitive skin flair ups. We recommend to patch test before use if you have sensitive skin.

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Most people with oily or combination skin make the assumption that oil based skincare will make them break out. However, the truth is that oils can be very beneficial in balancing oily complexions. People with oily skin should use lightweight, fast absorbing oils high in essential fatty acids such as the Sunday skin face oil.