If you’ve ever felt completely overwhelmed and intimidated trying to find skincare products that actually work, you are not alone.
From daily 12-step regimens to ingredients you need a biochemistry degree to decipher, our skincare routines have become complex rituals resembling science experiments.
The pursuit of radiant skin has led us down an expensive rabbit hole of serums, essences, acids and masks and as our bathroom shelves groan under the weight of countless products it can feel like there’s no end in sight for our beauty regime overload – until now.
Conviction is a new skincare brand that is making waves in the industry with a ‘less is more’ approach to skincare.
The entire Conviction range consists of four products only – three face oils and a cleanser.
Creator Gemma Ede says it’s all your skin needs to embrace and support the ageing process and combat blemishes, redness, and pigmentation.
How? The secret lies with Conviction’s two all-natural key ingredients: turmeric and native kanuka.
‘Crazy hormones and a cynicism of beauty brands’
When it comes to skincare, Ede knows her stuff.
Conviction was born from her personal experience of suffering blemished and hormonal skin from her teens right up to her 30s.
“Then came my 40s and the ageing process and the fine lines and the dehydrated skin.”
By then Ede had found herself living alone after a marriage separation and a devastating miscarriage. She decided to take time out to declutter her life and work out what she could do to heal both her mind and her body.
With “crazy hormones and a cynicism of beauty brands”, Ede said she took advice from a leading NZ naturopath and started looking at what her body was absorbing through her various skincare products.
“I did a lot of research and really started to unpack a lot of the bullshit that we are fed through commercial skincare brands. I knew I wanted to create a skincare brand that went against the grain of other luxe brands peddling multi-step and complicated routines for great skin.”
Ede’s path soon crossed with two women on a small farm in the Bay of Plenty who take a fully-holistic approach to health and knew all about the power of plants.
“They listened to my desire to incorporate organic jojoba with the very best plant matter NZ had to offer,” said Ede. “We all worked together on formulating what we thought would be the very best simple quality skincare, which also spoke to keeping that kind of hormonal picture of balance.”
Ede says she sat on the idea for a few years, then Covid hit.
“The pandemic environment gave me the confidence to launch Conviction. It was my ‘f*** it moment’ to share what I knew would work for a whole bunch of women in similar situations.”
There’s a choice of one of three “Liquid Skin” facial oils in the range: Rebel Gold with turmeric for redness and pigmentation; QueenB with native kanuka is the anti-ageing weapon; and Naked, that’s lighter on the turmeric but still does all the good even skin tone stuff.
There’s a choice of one of three “Liquid Skin” facial oils in the range: Rebel Gold with turmeric for redness and pigmentation; QueenB with native kanuka is the anti-ageing weapon; and Naked, that’s lighter on the turmeric but still does all the good even skin tone stuff.
The key ingredient to confidence
At the heart of Conviction’s simplified approach to skincare are two hero ingredients plucked straight from Mother Nature herself: native kanuka and turmeric. Both ingredients are used in Conviction’s signature facial oils.
The turmeric works hard to combat uneven skin tone and work on redness and rosacea, blemishes and inflammation.
“We use turmeric because it’s active as an anti-inflammatory, which is the cause of so many skin issues,” said Ede.
The native kanuka assists with ageing, fine lines, hydration and repair.
“Kanuka has flown under the radar as manuka took off globally but is now emerging as an ‘uber healer’, and has so many healing and other benefits for health. It has an amazing overnight effect on ageing and fine lines.”
The organic jojoba base is the closest oil base to our skin’s natural sebum, allowing for greater hydration and benefits from the raw plant ingredients.
It’s the turmeric that excites Ede the most. “Turmeric is a phenomenal plant – a spice actually, and it reached worldwide shortage status during the lockdowns due to everyone being at home more and taking more care of their health and wellbeing. And our turmeric isn’t just any old commercial grade stuff. This turmeric is grown locally here in New Zealand, in nutrient-dense permaculture soil.”
Conviction is sustainable and vegan, and all their ingredients are organic where possible.
Ede said Conviction's discerning customers appreciate this, since other skincare brands often greenwash products.
“No, we don’t greenwash and claim to be organic while throwing in a whole bunch of preservatives and chemicals like a lot of other brands on the market do,” she said. “We are the real deal.”
Conviction's QueenB face oil features native kanuka that assists with ageing, fine lines, hydration and repair.
Conviction's QueenB face oil features native kanuka that assists with ageing, fine lines, hydration and repair.
Spotlight on your skin
Since its launch in 2021, Conviction has steadily amassed a cult following with women of all ages flocking to try Ede’s facial oils and cleanser.
“One of my recent reviews was a woman who wrote that after using Conviction she had thrown everything else in her bathroom cabinet out,” said Ede. “She said her pigment spots are fading and her redness is gone and that she feels like a whole new person. Getting feedback like that is all I need to validate what we're doing.”
Conviction’s streamlined range is suitable for all ages, said Ede. “However, our tribe of early adopters are in their 40s, 50s and beyond and our products are all about women living their lives with confidence,” she adds.
First there’s the unDirty cleanser, which is suitable for all skin types. After you cleanse, there’s a choice of one of three “Liquid Skin” facial oils: Rebel Gold with turmeric for redness and pigmentation; QueenB with native kanuka is the anti-ageing weapon; and Naked, that’s lighter on the turmeric but still does all the good even skin tone stuff.
Either oil also makes a beautiful face primer or base for a glowing makeup look.
Ede has helpfully divided the products into simple ‘Conviction systems’, so you will know what to use in the morning and what to use in the evening.
“And that’s it, everything else, like your moisturisers and serums you can just toss,” said Ede.
Why? “Because your skin is actually a lot smarter than you think,” said Ede. “And all of the gunk we've had forced down our throats about, you know, five to 10 steps and multiple products - it's just not necessary.”
The facial oils have been a “game changer” for Ede’s own skin, and she said she’s delighted word is spreading about Conviction. “I want women everywhere to have the best, most beautiful skin and all the confidence that goes along with it,” she said.
And while Conviction’s range is deliberately kept small, Ede said she’s always looking for new ways to help women embrace ageing and live their lives with conviction.
“We have something else in the works that plays into our holistic philosophy, which is a ‘watch this space’ kind of thing!”
Conviction is a new skincare brand that is making waves in the industry with a ‘less is more’ approach to skincare.
Conviction is a new skincare brand that is making waves in the industry with a ‘less is more’ approach to skincare.
Join the Conviction tribe. Find your perfectly simple routine. For more information visit conviction.co.nz
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