ABOUT WELLBEING ISLAND

Hurtled into toxin awareness whilst scrutinising products for their new born baby, Rachel & Justin embarked on a quest to challenge the personal care industry and to develop safer options.

The vision for Wellbeing Island was simple: make safer products which perform without compromise. 10 years and more than 100 products later, we’d be lying if we told you it was simple, but we’re super proud of the hard work and results.

With reverence for the science behind successful formulations, we begin projects by identifying and eliminating ingredients which don’t meet our safety criteria. Oftentimes, the challenge lies with preservative systems. Ironically, a preservative system is designed primarily to protect the end user. The most effective examples are often considered the ‘harshest’. If they are effective against micro-organisms, chances are they will also have detrimental effects on human cells because they are similar in many ways. Exploring alternatives and finding the balance is key.

Another crucial area for consideration, is the origin of particular components. For example, the petrochemical industry gives rise to many industrial chemicals and commercially available personal care ingredients. Of course, we avoid these. Our Gold Standard for a suitable ingredient profile is a) natural or naturally derived and b) considerable and favourable safety data available.
With an in-house pharmacist as well as an experienced development team, we work with the best partners far and wide to produce our ranges.

Established in the 1940's, the Jack N' Jill Kids brand was a household name and is fondly remembered by many Aussie kids raised in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Today, the family business has been revived by Melbourne-based couple Rachel & Justin Bernhaut, who, after their own personal light bulb moment, realised the product is still very relevant for today's health-conscious parents.

Jack N' Jill is now sold in more than 50 countries with the range incorporating toothpaste of various flavours; newborn teething gel and tooth wipes, plus toothbrushes - both manual and electric. Silicone finger brushes, rinse cups as well as a Bathtime range and a Natural Sunscreen!

Jack N' Jill Toothpaste is 100% safe for young children - especially because they have a tendency to swallow it, rather than spit it out! All Jack N' Jill branding is designed to be appealing to children and is cute enough that parents won't mind it sitting on their bathroom vanity. Alongside the toothpaste we have designed and manufactured the first children's toothbrushes with handles that are made of NON GMO cornstarch, and are therefore biodegradable and recyclable. Did we mention 'cute'??

At Jack N' Jill we believe that businesses have an obligation to the environment, that's why we have formulated an all natural, hypoallergenic toothpaste with organic ingredients, and designed our packaging to be minimal, recyclable and BPA Free.

The Natural Family Co. was developed by Justin and Rachel Bernhaut in response to a desperate cry from many people looking for a natural toothpaste that they could use daily, without the novelty ingredients and without the challenge... We shared their pain, and throughout the years we have encountered many options that were simply unacceptable i.e. tasted like floor cleaner or had the consistency of snot. Some of them were colored with components, which made us feel like bathroom chimney sweeps, or that we had fallen teeth first into the mud...

Determined to rise to this challenge and rid the world of unworthy toothpaste, they began searching far and wide for a botanical that tasted clean and fresh - one that could represent important aspects of life in Australia. In a magic moment, they happened upon some wild mint, which was quietly thriving on the banks of a creek - a stone’s throw away from their own backyard. This ultimately became the inspiration for including Australian Native River Mint in all NFco toothpaste varieties.

After much research, lab tweaks and tooth brushing, the team at NFco, have developed a range that ticks all the boxes. Fresh, minty taste, effective cleaning and plaque removal and squeezes out of the tube with no surprises. As you’d expect, NFco is made with the highest grade natural ingredients.

And best of all, it’s suitable for the whole family! NFco Original Toothpaste variety is even safe from 6 months old (providing your little one is a ‘minty kid’...) We reckon it’s the way natural toothpaste should be.

Planet Luxe is the culmination of many years toiling in creative and academic pursuits. From their entrepreneurial roots, ignited by a tiny mouth and it’s even tinier first tooth, Rachel and Justin have come full circle in many ways, now that they are at the helm of Australia’s most beautiful lifestyle brand, Planet Luxe.

Two lives founded on science and the creative arts, fused and compounded by the cut and thrust of years spent in New York City, emboldened by careers in magazine photography and styling, and shocked into the immediacy of parenthood. And cleaning toilets. And the rest.

We love life, and we desperately strive to accomplish pleasure over pain, all the while being invigorated by life’s challenges. Like you, we keep layering it up. We believe strongly that prevention is better than cure, and despite the proverb first being uttered in the 13thcentury, it seems easily forgotten amongst the white noise of modern life. Our eyes are wide open. Yours are too.

We take the time to look at ingredients on the label. We know a thing or two about safety. We take note when a product elicits a physical response – Headache? Skin irritation? We consider that our children may come into unnecessary contact with chemicals. We consider our pets. AKA our other children. We consider the ramifications. Endlessly.

We believe that careful curation of products invited into our homes is a prerequisite because we value wellbeing. Above everything. We don’t just take it for granted. We don’t buy into the stuff they tell us on the telly. Wait, we don’t even watch ‘the telly’ in the same way anymore – we curate that too.

Thank the planet for subsisting us all. Do this by being gentle. To the planet. To Yourself. Ditch the chemicals. Trash the toxins. Tread carefully. With determination. Live Thoughtfully. Live Consciously. PLANET FRIENDLY. PLANET LUXE.