Indigenous skincare brand Juddarnje has expanded its offering with a new range of baby products.
The Juddarnje Baby collection includes Gentle Baby Soap and Baby Bottom Balm that use natural vegetable and plant oils, making them suitable for babies and children as well as those with sensitive skin.
According to Juddarnje founder Linda Slockee the products reflect the brand’s approach to business, as well as her family’s indigenous heritage by incorporating ingredients found in the Australian bush. “Our ethos is quite simple really: ‘keep it natural’,” she says. “We have kept this as our ethos across all of our product ranges.”
The first batch of Juddarnje soap was produced at Slockee’s Queensland home in 2007 using a recipe straight out of a library book. She then began experimenting with different oils and fragrances to create a unique product. “Friends and family were impressed and we were encouraged to share these on a business platform but to target a niche market,” she explains.
“After careful consideration of the market, we felt there was an opening for an approach from an indigenous viewpoint as well as showcasing many of the fantastic benefits found in Australian bush botanicals.”
Reflecting the brand’s commitment to natural Australian products, Slockee named the business Juddarnje, which is the word for frog in the dialect of the Bundjalung people of northern New South Wales.
“We felt the best representation of this [natural] concept was a frog as they can only survive in pristine environments free of chemicals and pollutants. We felt this was a fitting symbolism for the values we held for our products.”
All Juddarnje products are made in a workshop on the Sunshine Coast, and Slockee says it is this personal approach that makes her brand unique. “Juddarnje sits apart from other skincare brands on the market as it is 100 per cent owned and operated by an Australian indigenous family.
“We personally put love, care and attention into our product, ensuring everything we make is the best it can be. We only use the best ingredients chosen based on their nutritious and healing values such as our handpicked native botanicals, fruit essences and clays from the Australian bush. We also utilise traditional ingredients and age-old remedies such as bush honey, cider vinegar, cucumber, pawpaw and herbal teas.”
Despite the benefits of her natural skincare, Slockee says it has been a challenge breaking into such a competitive industry that is saturated with big brands. However, Juddarnje has found its place in the market.
“We have had success so far within the gift industry as both a souvenir with an indigenous made product, but also as an Australian made product, particularly where there is a high tourist trade.”
Slockee and her team are currently trialling a new product aimed at sufferers of psoriasis and eczema that they hope to release in the near future.
