Talking to an expert: Jacine Greenwood on her award-winning skincare line, Roccoco Botanicals

I have to admit that prior to receiving some samples of the seriously efficacious Australian skincare brand, Roccoco Botanicals, I’d never heard of it. A rarity for a beauty nerd like me, and I have no idea how it passed me by! The media have called it the “multimillion-dollar beauty brand you’ve never heard of”, and the Queensland-based brand is out there beating some of the world’s cosmetic giants at their own game.
Roccoco's most prestigious gong thus far has been an award in the international industry Cosmetics and Toiletries group’s Allēs Awards, the Roccoco Botanicals Ruby Crystal Cleanser (my personal favourite from the line, thus far) taking home the title of The Most Significant Skin/Body Care Formula in the Indie category. Ruby Crystal Cleanser is an anti-inflammatory cleansing balm suitable for all skin types, and one of the awards’ esteemed judges said: “I am a big fan of these oil-based cleanser formulations based on sucrose esters and this is no exception! Beautiful, elegant and sustainable formulation and packaging. Bravo! A very well-formulated product. Attentive to sustainability and eco-friendliness. Good data.”
Past winners in the category include Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Belcorp, Kao Brands Co., Procter & Gamble, PZ Cussons, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, AmorePacific, Shiseido, L’Oréal and more, and the judging panel was made up of representatives from the likes of Chanel, La Perla and Estée Lauder… Certainly no mean feat!

It’s the first time an Australian brand has even been nominated in the awards, and when I talk to founder, Jacine Greenwood (above) several weeks later at home in Queensland, she is clearly still buzzing from the win. A nurse, beauty therapist and cosmetic chemist who started her business literally from her kitchen sink, she has also recently been visiting stockists and training beauty therapists in New Zealand as the brand expands further onto our fair shores.
It seems that every great brand founder has a fascinating story about how they came about creating their dream product line, and it often comes from a personal need. Jacine’s is no different, but it’s taken a slightly circuitous route along the way.
“I began to suffer from cystic acne at fourteen,” she explains, “and over the years I looked everywhere for a solution. I went to various skincare professionals, beauty counters, dermatologists… I occasionally found temporary relief but it left my skin highly sensitised for years afterwards.” That was what kicked off her interest in deep diving into skin science and the power of a solid ingredient deck, coupled with bouts of dermatitis and dealing with children with eczema.
She released a brand under the name Eclogite, “which was a terrible name and it flopped! I learned a lot of lessons though, and when I started fresh with Roccoco I knew where I wanted the brand to head and it’s been an amazing journey since.” Her goal was always to treat various skin issues without resorting to products that sting or burn, and every product that Roccoco releases has the utmost respect for sensitive skin.
“Everything in our range contains ingredients that heal and repair, we just seek to bring about a change in every person’s skin,” says Jacine, and I sense that for the multi award-winning business woman and respected cosmetic chemist behind the brand, this is just the beginning.