ORESTA is 24

On December 3rd, 2001, I opened ORESTA in the Glebe with a simple belief: beauty should nourish. It should support women, not confuse, shame, or make anyone feel less than. I wanted to prove that skincare could be effective, honest, and deeply restorative.

Twenty four years ago, clean beauty wasn’t a category. It was a conviction.

I had spent years wrestling with my own skin, trying every product I was told would “fix” me. I knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed and discouraged. I saw women investing in routines that left them irritated, stripped, or disappointed. ORESTA was born from the desire to offer something different – a place built on education, integrity, connection, and genuine care.

In those early days, clean beauty was rooted in transparency and a genuine desire to understand what we were putting on our skin.

Over time, the landscape changed.

Clean beauty became louder – and often, more fear-based. Words like “toxic,” “unsafe,” and “hormone-disrupting” started dominating the conversation. Instead of empowering women, the messaging often left them more anxious, more unsure, more convinced that danger was lurking in every bottle. Fear sells, but it doesn’t heal. 

 

I’ve met countless women who are afraid of ingredients, afraid of making a mistake, afraid they’re aging too fast.

 

That isn’t the beauty culture I believe in.

 

I have never wanted women to feel pressured into better choices – I want them to feel supported in making informed ones.

 

Two decades in, I know that beauty is not only about what we put on our skin. It’s about how we treat ourselves, how we age, and how we relate to the person looking back at us. It’s emotional, physical, and personal.

 

And so, we’re evolving.