Eco and Chic with ILA + AVA
Green luxe beauty brand ILA + AVA celebrates five years in business. Penny Brand talks to owner Miriam Drescher about what goes into her organic, fresh and feminine eco-friendly skin care products.
There is no green-washing or white labelling in sight at ILA + AVA.
In fact, it couldn’t be further from reality for the clean, vegan skincare range which is handmade in Noosa.
With ILA meaning “the earth” in Sanskrit (Indian) and AVA meaning the “living one” in Latin, owner and beauty alchemist Miriam Drescher has brought together modalities she learned from opposite sides of the globe.
A doctor of Chinese medicine, Miriam has travelled the world and studied up a storm to learn everything that has gone into the eco-luxe range, which is celebrating five years in business.
Understanding the holistic foundation of natural beauty and wellness continues to be a huge focus and passion of hers.
It all comes together in her home studio, aptly named Nourish Temple, which serves as both an acupuncture and Chinese medicine clinic, and a base for the products which Miriam makes and sells exclusively at the clinic and online.
“I’m pretty proud of it,” Miriam says, “It’s great to still have so many loyal and regular customers after all these years.
“It’s small batch and not produced by a third party. I make the formulations myself with a high importance on quality and I know exactly what is going into each product.
“My aim was to create organic skincare that didn’t require the use of lots of products and steps each day. A less-is-more approach is really important when it comes to our skin. This is a self-care routine without the fuss that delivers big results and healthy glowing skin.”
Plus the well-priced products last long and won’t break the bank.
“I worked really hard to make it clean and there’s no weird ingredients that you can’t understand or pronounce,” she said. “No chemicals, toxic ingredients or synthetic preservatives are used.”
Utilising powerful science-backed plant botanicals like oils of jojoba, argan and rosehip and high grade organic extracts and essential oils, the products are designed to ‘re-balance’ and ‘restore’ how the skin actually works so are also suited for those with sensitive skin as well as drier or oily skin.
The products can be used several ways to suit the individual at any age.
The ILA + AVA range starts with the Nourish Face Cream which has been designed for day use with natural sun protective ingredients like non-nano zinc oxide, and extracts of Kakadu plum and green tea.
“The cream is very hydrating, but not heavy or greasy and it leaves the skin really soft and silky,” Miriam said.
The Hydrate Toner Mist is perfect for hydrating and toning before the Nourish Face Cream, after cleansing or to freshen up anytime for an extra hydration boost.
For the evening, there are three products in place of a traditional cleanser to remove any dirt and dead skin cells.
“With just warm water, you can buff the skin in a circular motion with the beautiful hand-sewn, bamboo cleansing cloth, without disrupting the skin’s pH balance or removing any of the skin’s natural oils,” Miriam says. “A few drops of either of the face oils can also be incorporated for deeper cleansing.
“It can sound counter-productive using oil as a face cleanser but it completely cleans and, when used with the bamboo cloth, leaves the skin very smooth and fresh.”
The Radiance Face Polish can be used weekly and is an exfoliating face scrub and mask in one, and is made of clays and extracts, for a deep cleanse.
“Perfect for using while in the shower, this is great especially for busy mums and those wanting a quick pamper,” she said. “It tightens and tones without drying and leaves the skin so soft, smooth and really clean.”
The two face oils are designed for night use to deeply restore and replenish the skin while we sleep, and can also be applied as a serum, or used for cleansing with the cloth as mentioned.
One of the best sellers is the Refresh Deo Balm, which uses natural ingredients to prevent odour-causing bacteria, and to help healthy detoxing while not blocking the sweat glands or compromising the lymphatic system.
This is important especially for women and breast health and with a refreshing gender-neutral scent, it’s perfect for the whole family, plus it’s bicarb free so doesn’t cause any irritation.
The ILA + AVA range also includes body and perfume oils, herbal teas, a lip balm and jade stone beauty tools, amongst other goodies.
All the products are ocean safe and packaging is minimal with glass chosen for its recycling properties. Miriam has put in the hard work to create products that achieve the five facets she considers important for any products we put on our skin: products that look great, feel great, are great, do great and smell great.
We think that’s pretty darn great!
CELEBRATE CLEAN BEAUTY!
Find out more about clean beauty and celebrate five years of ILA + AVA with nibbles, refreshments and giveaways.
When: Thursday 11 May, 5pm
Where: Il Porto, Peregian Beach Hotel
FREE EVENT!
