5 Greek Skincare Brands You Should Know About

During the last few years, our attention has shifted to natural skincare products -made in Greece- using the purest elements that mother earth has to offer.

Whether you live in Greece or you visit the country for a holiday, embracing the “shop local” philosophy is the perfect reason to clean up your top shelf and make room for these under-the-radar Greek eco-friendly skincare brands.

Euthalia

Yiayia Euthalia learned from a very young age how to use the beneficial herbs of her island, Skopelos, and to include them in her daily routine. She created her own recipes for soap and waxes, which gave inspiration to her granddaughter (who also inherited her name) to launch Euthalia Natural Cosmetic Values in 2012. Τhe Greek word “euthalia” describes a state of flourishing or thriving.  

The key ingredient of Euthalia is the extra virgin olive oil combined with essential oils and extracts of aromatic and medicinal plants- creating beneficial compositions for the body and soul. 100% natural, Euthalia cosmetics, pay tribute to the eternal power of nature and to the traditional values and virtues of Greek culture.

MIELĒV

Marialena Baklatzi spent her childhood in the colourful, enchanting rose garden kept by her family. While the women of the house produced rose water extracts for personal use, Marialena observed, recorded, and slowly developed her love for nature and the treasures it has to offer.

She began to produce creams for her personal use and after three years of extensive research and development, in cooperation with an excellent team of internationally renowned scientists and dermatologists, MIELĒV from dream became a reality in 2020, launching her company in Athens. MIELĒV is derived from the French verb “Je m ‘élève” which means “to elevate me”. A range of natural and organic skincare lines, with ingredients that heal the skin, satisfy the senses, and offer immediate, visible results. 

Tzimas Cosmetics

In 1957, a family of chemists-cosmetologists, John, George and Lila Tzimas dedicated time to the research and production of Greek skincare, beauty and wellness products, that cover the needs of face, body, and hair. “Every skin is different and has unique needs”. With this belief, the company began producing personalized products and services.

The treatment line offers solutions for hydration, cleansing, freshening, anti-aging, regeneration, firming and sun protection for all skin types. The composition of Tzimas cosmetics consists of ingredients of natural origin, herbal extracts, mainly from the Mediterranean flora, Greek extra virgin oil and other vegetable oils, amino acids and bioactive peptides, algae extracts and other elements of marine origin, vitamins and essential oils.

Nemertes

The production of Greek cosmetic company Nemertes, is based on pure, virgin olive oil of superior quality and blends of precious oils, herbs and healing materials from the Greek land, creating personal care and wellbeing products respecting people and the environment.

Nemertes is a mythological figure mentioned in the Iliad. Daughter of Nereus and Oceanida Dorida, granddaughter of the Ocean, nymph of the sea and one of the fifty Nereids. She represents philanthropy and people who follow and achieve their goals. They combine the precious legacy of Greek tradition with the most modern scientific methods and high aesthetics- passionately creating what a contemporary person needs today; physical health, mental euphoria and a positive attitude to life! Their products are produced in small quantities to ensure excellent quality and full control capability.

Bee Naturalles

After completing their studies in science, environment, and art, George and Chara decided to leave the city and settle in Evia. They set up their workshop there in order to combine tradition with nature. They managed to “enclose nature” into their products. Bee Naturalles was founded in 2013 and their products’ 100% natural composition encloses the beneficial and healing power of nature.

Bee Naturalles products are mixtures of natural raw materials, such as organic bee products, herbal extracts and essential oils, with only natural preservatives. Their production is “dictated” by nature, according to its own rhythms and seasonal alternations.

5 Pure Greek Soap Companies You Should Know About

One step closer to nature. Many Greek companies use invaluable ingredients direct from mother earth to create pure handmade soaps that smell heavenly, come stylishly packaged and most importantly leave our face and body feeling soft and smooth.

From Tinos to Crete, these are the 5 Greek Soap Companies we suggest you should get into your bathroom.

Ena Karo

Ena Karo is a small workshop located in Tinos, Cyclades. They create handmade soaps and toiletries with the most natural ingredients. Using essential oils and natural colourants, their soaps are prepared using the cold method process to ensure that the ingredients retain their quality.

You will not know which one to choose from. ‘Miss Rose,’ is loaded with dried rose petals and full of moisturizing ingredients including Shea butter, Almond oil, Castor oil, Sunflower oil, Coconut oil and of course Greek Olive oil. ‘Poppy,’ featuring poppy seeds for mild exfoliation, ‘Mpe e,’ a luxury soap with goat’s milk, ‘Barber’s,’ an aloe vera soap for nourishing your skin, ‘Cinderella,’ a mild exfoliation soap with ash & pumpkin, ‘Herby,’ with beeswax and herbs, are some of their soaps, all wrapped in a package that allows visual contact with the product. 

If we had to choose only one: The colourful felt soap, made with sheep wool; ideal for everyday peeling, suitable for face and body use.

Sapoon

Sapoon is a natural and eco-friendly cosmetic soaps company that has developed a processing plan that essentially eliminates the negative effects on the ecosystem, contrary to large industrial processes of high-temperature saponification. 

With an emphasis on organic virgin olive oil, wisely blended with unique and precious cosmetic and essential oils- Sapoon soaps are a luxury product that only nature can guarantee. Each soap bar is packed in a unique handmade way- with outstanding aesthetic and design, similar to what you will experience when using a Sapoon soap. Featuring the ‘Mastic-Silk, with antiseptic and hydrating properties, ‘Chocolate-Goat milk,’ which is exfoliating and nourishing for the skin and ‘Saffron-black pepper,’ with beneficial action in acne cases. 

If we had to choose only one: The Pomegranate soap, suitable for facial cleansingThe pomegranate extract, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, is three times richer than red wine or green tea. It stimulates the skin’s redress mechanisms and prevents the formulation of wrinkles, while the pink clay offers an ideal treatment for sensitive skin and allergies. 

Snob Duck

Back in 2012, some furious… ducks in an olive grove made a fuzz. Behind them was Vassilis Douros, who introduced the most imaginative soaps, by taking advantage of his family olive grove. Snob aims to use traditional and modern concepts to create a leading product.

Snob Duck are 100% handmade soaps- from production through to packaging. Only the purest ingredients are used to create them: extra virgin olive oil (from Vassilis’ olive grove), Greek herbs and fruits, like fig, melon and lemon puree, Greek honey, recycled packaging paper and a lot of love! Soaps are made by the so-called “cold” method and their weight varies from “duck to duck”.

If we had to choose only one: The company’s really special product is the disposable soaps, which in fact are disposable soap peels.

Cool Soap

John Zagorianakos (chemist and artist) and Marina Koriolano Lykourezou (with years of experience in art galleries and anthropology) had nothing to do with soaps, nor did they have olive trees. But one day, they decided to move to Aegina and wanted to do something with nature. And so, soaps came into their lives. 

In addition to pure, virgin olive oil, Cool Soap also uses natural glycerin as a basic ingredient in saponification, enhancing the moisturizing character of soaps, which is completely skin-friendly.

They created three collections: Essentials, a range of 12 handmade natural extra virgin olive oil soaps made with the cold process and scented with essential oils and Elements, a range that includes 4 versions of Soap Bars, Shower Gels, Body Milks, Body Butters and Soap Flakes all-natural, made with olive oil. They also have a series of handmade objects for the home and bathroom.  

If we had to choose only one: Their third collection, Mood of The Day, a series of colorful soaps in seven colors, seven scents to put you in the mood for a beautiful day.

Olea Soaps

The inspiration for handmade soaps came to the creators of Olea Soaps when they started looking for the purest soap for their children. The final idea was to make available to others, the natural products they were using. Olea Soaps handmade with Cretan olive oil, do not harm the environment during their production. They consist of saponified oils, herbs and essential oils that are completely biodegradable after each use. 

The most important part of the production of their soaps is the search for fine raw materials from Greek producers (olive oil, herbs, essential oils, etc.). The preparation of the ingredients is based on specific recipes and the saponification process begins following the cold method. The mixture is molded until it becomes solid, then cut into bars and stored until it matures (for 2 months), then its quality is checked and packaged.

If we had to choose only one: The black detox soap with active carbon for both face and body.