About Us

Aotearoa (New Zealand), "land of the Long White Cloud" lies in the southwest Pacific Ocean half way between the Equator and the South Pole. The two main islands are characterized by volcanoes, glacial formations and breath-taking fjords.

Ao in Maori, draws references to the earth and cloud formations of this unique and pristine environment.  This is a place where, from high in the mountains, crystal clear waters pass through purifying aquifers to feed a rich landscape of verdant native forests and fertile farmlands.

Aotearoa. The embodiment of pure, natural beauty.

What we set out to do

Internationally recognized New Zealand dermatologist Dr Mark Gray saw the potential in New Zealand’s natural unspoilt abundance. His vision, to capture the unique properties of this country's pure artesian water, native botanical, honey and wool extracts in an effective, modern, practitioner-grade skin care range that is available and affordable for everyone.

Why we did it

The skin care industry is a minefield of dubious promises and suspect chemicals. We believe nature is the best inventor for what goes on your skin, and what nature doesn’t know, we use state of the art science to find out. Where other skin care products are often created by chemists who have no clinical background, Dr Gray's years of experience as a clinical dermatologist means that the Ao skin care range has been created with an innate understanding of our customers' needs. Ao understands your skin and what it needs to be healthy and look its best. We do this by combining the very best of science with a clinical understanding of skin health and the unique benefits of natural New Zealand-sourced bioactive ingredients.

What we found out

That science and nature can coexist. It’s hard to make skin care formulations that are natural, kind to your skin, kind to the environment, and at the same time, packed full of scientific active ingredients that do what they claim to do.

Wherever possible Ao Skincare uses the highest quality, environmentally friendly, sustainable ingredients from New Zealand and around the world. We blend these carefully selected, often fragile ingredients, using the latest 'green' cold processing technology in order to maintain their integrity and minimise our carbon footprint.

Ao Skincare is created from a constantly evolving magic combination of 18 innovative ideas, compounds and processes. We call it the 'Essential 18'. The elements that make up this number will continue to evolve over time but our drive to create the world’s finest skin care will always be the same. More about the Essential 18

Ao Skincare delivers the things that really matter to you and your skin.

Results that speak for themselves

How you feel about your skin is what really matters. We tested* a full set of our products on 40 people in 2016 and here's what they felt about the Ao Skincare system. First, we asked them about their overall experience with the products after 1 week and 94% of respondents either had a very positive or positive experience. For many, after 4 weeks of using the products, their experience improved even more. Note the 'very positive' shift after 4 weeks below:

Next, we asked them if they had any irritation to any of our products. In particular our Vitamin A substitute, Bakuchiol that has many of the benefits of Vitamin A, without the known side effects. This incredible ingredient is one of the 'stars' in our #5 Repair Night Treatment. 100% of respondents had no irritation to any of our products, including the products containing Bakuchiol.

Then we asked them how their skin felt after 1 week of use and again after 4 weeks. Most saw very positive results. Tight and firm, soft and supple, and hydrated. In fact, 92% saw a positive change to their skin. The results improved over time.

Before & after treatment

We use a number of proven anti-ageing ingredients in our products. One of these is Bakuchiol (a Vitamin A Substitute). Extracted from psoralea corylifolia seeds (commonly known as the Babchi plant), Bakuchiol has the anti-aging benefits of Retinol (Vitamin A) without the side effects of photosensitivity and skin irritation. We use Bakuchiol in #5 Repair and #6 Rewind.

Here is the summary of a controlled study conducted by Sytheon.

For more information on Ao Skincare and our skin care products, please contact us here.