News feed
Elsa Pataky always dreamed she’d launch a skincare brand, but it wasn’t until she moved to Byron Bay eight years ago that inspiration struck. “When I moved [here], I immediately felt connected to Byron Bay’s natural beauty,” she tells GRAZIA in the lead up to the launch.
“I started discovering all these natural botanicals, which are so powerful and clinically proven – they really work! I fell in love with all the different ingredients that grow here, so when the idea came about to make it happen with my co-founders, I was so excited.”
The end result is Purely Byron, a natural range of skincare made and grown locally that captures the essence of Byron Bay, using botanical ingredients to impart the region’s innate feeling of serenity and calm in skincare – to “let a little Byron in” to the everyday.
GRAZIA sat down with Pataky in her adopted home of Byron Bay to discuss the inspiration behind the brand, her daily skincare rituals and the one beauty habit she’ll never forget.
GRAZIA: Congratulations on the launch of Purely Byron. What was your relationship like to beauty and skincare growing up?
Elsa Pataky: Growing up I was always really inspired by my mum. She was a marketing director and she was so elegant, I loved watching her doing her beauty routine and I really learned from her how to take care of myself. One of the biggest things she taught me was to always moisturise – for her it was so important, I always saw her moisturise her face and whole body straight after a shower. Now I can’t have a shower without moisturising my whole body from head-to-toe. I fell in love with skincare through her, and have loved it ever since – I’m happy it’s a habit that’s stayed with me.
GRAZIA: How did that relationship evolve over the years to what it is today?
EP: When you’re young you try different things to see what you like, to discover what’s good for your skin and what it doesn’t like. Then once you’ve figured that out, you really start getting into your routine. My routine now is all about getting my skin really clean, washing my face every night and applying moisturiser – and there will be not one night or one morning that I forget about it!
GRAZIA: Do you find that your kids are starting to pick up your habits too?
EP: Yes, my boys love it even more than my daughter, they notice any change in my face! My daughter isn’t really into it yet, I think she will when she’s older. But my boys actually tried Purely Byron’s clay mask the other day, they painted their whole faces with it. They were walking around with it on, asking ‘What is it for?’ and I just said ‘It’s good for your skin’. Our premium products are all natural, so I’m happy for them to put them on.
GRAZIA: What was the ethos behind Purely Byron?
EP: It was really important to me to have products that contained 98% natural ingredients and were really sustainable – I wanted something recyclable, because it’s very important to respect nature. We also wanted to impart the serene spirit of Byron Bay in each of our daily rituals, which we considered through every aspect of the brand. You can take a little moment for yourself and enjoy it without having to go to an appointment in the spa – you can do it yourself at home and still get the feeling. We hope it helps to give everyone a piece of Byron and give back to the community here.
GRAZIA: Walk us through the range! What are your favourite products?
EP: I love our moisturiser, which is coming soon! We’ve been working on it for so long, we took our time because we really wanted it to be perfect. But I also love our derma roller, I use it every day and I love it! It’s great for your skin. I use it every other night and it really invigorates my skin and improves the tone. I also love our Divine Ritual™ Balm, it really soothes the skin and I love massaging it into my skin before bed. The fragrance is also really beautiful, the scent of the botanicals really transports you to Byron.
GRAZIA: What’s your morning skincare routine?
EP: I keep it really simple. In the morning I will use our beautiful serum – which is also coming very soon! – followed by our moisturiser. Then once a week, when I have a little more time, I’ll use the clay mask with the Divine Ritual™ Boost of Rejuvenation. I also love Divine Ritual™ Face Sculptor for working my muscles, it’s awesome.
GRAZIA: What do you hope people feel when they experience the Purely Byron products?
EP: I want people to be able to take a moment of quiet, to de-stress and feel a bit of nature from Byron. The whole image of the brand was inspired by golden hour in Byron, that earthy, sandy, soft colour that you see at sunrise or sunset here.
GRAZIA: And finally – what would you say to people who wonder if this is just another celebrity-led skincare brand?
EP: We’re community-minded, everything is about giving back and celebrating the Byron Bay community. Our products are also really natural, recyclable and sustainable – there are so many little details that are so important to us. I work with my team to create the best products, it’s a really collaborative process. The products are made here, the botanicals are from Byron and we’re a female-run business from Byron. Everything we do is to give back to the place that inspired us.
Shop The Edit
Purely Byron Divine Ritual™ Clay Mask, $80 SHOP NOW
Purely Byron Divine Ritual™ Derma Roller, $100 SHOP NOW
Purely Byron Divine Ritual™ Balm, $80 SHOP NOW
