Our story — Meet Apinya
I moved to Berry in 2019 after twenty-three years running procurement for a pharmaceutical distributor in Sydney. The job was fine. Good money, long hours, a lot of time in fluorescent-lit offices negotiating contracts for products I never thought much about. When my husband Geoff retired early and we started talking seriously about what came next, I kept coming back to the same idea: make something small, make it well, sell it honestly. Berry was his suggestion. We drove down one weekend, found a weatherboard place on Kangaroo Valley Road with a big shed out the back, and put in an offer before we'd even had lunch.
Before pharmaceuticals, I'd studied biochemistry at Macquarie, class of 1993. I never really used it professionally, but I read obsessively, kept up with formulation literature, and spent years making small batches of skin and hair preparations at home mostly for family. My mother, who grew up in Chiang Rai, taught me a lot about plant-based preparations when I was young. That knowledge sat quietly for decades while I worked in logistics and compliance. Moving to Berry felt like the right moment to stop treating it as a hobby and start treating it seriously.
The brand started properly in March 2021 when I registered INK CRAFT PTY LTD and ordered my first commercial batch of raw materials, about 40 kilograms of Australian botanical extracts sourced through Aussie Botanical Supplies in Melbourne. I spent six months testing formulations in the shed before anything went near a customer. The first real sale was at the Berry Produce Markets in September 2021, a table, a hand-painted sign, and twelve units of facial mist. I sold nine of them. That was enough to keep going.
These days Creston Goods ships from Berry to customers across the country, and I have two people helping me part-time. Everything is still made in the shed, which now has proper ventilation and a lot more shelving than it did in 2021. I do the formulation work myself. I'm not trying to build a large company. I want to make things that work, price them fairly, and be honest about what goes into them. That's the whole plan.
— Made in a shed in Berry, sold straight to you. — Apinya, Apinya Nantanon
Journal
What I learned driving four hours off the Stuart Highway
I flew into Darwin expecting a quick supplier visit and came home three days later with a completely different understanding of where this fruit actually comes from.
Before I started Creston Goods I spent 22 years in commercial property in Sydney. I know how to read a contract and how to sit through a meeting that should have been an email. What I did not know, until last month, was anything useful about Terminalia ferdinandiana, which is the actual name for what everyone calls Kakadu plum. I had been sourcing the extract through a Melbourne distributor and telling myself that was fine. It wasn't fine, or at least it wasn't complete. So in late February I flew to Darwin, hired a car, and drove out to meet the mob and the small family operation that does the harvesting near Pine Creek.
The fruit only looks ripe for about six weeks, roughly July through August, and what gets harvested gets processed quickly because the vitamin C content starts dropping almost immediately after picking. The grower, Ronnie, told me the 2023 season yielded about 40 percent less fruit than expected because of an unusual wet season that pushed into the harvest window. That number matters to me directly because it explains the price variation I'd been absorbing without really understanding it. Standing next to an actual billygoat plum tree, which is small and scrubby and not at all what I'd imagined, made the whole supply chain feel real in a way that a PDF certificate of analysis never does.
I asked Ronnie what he thought of skincare brands using the fruit and he was pretty measured about it. He said the interest has been good for the community economically but he wishes more companies would come out and see it rather than just buying the extract at arm's length. I took that comment personally because that was exactly what I had been doing. We ended up talking for most of an afternoon, and I met his sister who manages the drying process, and by the time I drove back toward Darwin I had agreed to buy direct for the next season rather than going through the distributor.
The thing about leaving a long career and starting something small is that you think the hard part is the business mechanics. GST, packaging, Shopify, all of it. But the hard part is actually deciding what kind of company you want to be when nobody is watching. I could keep buying the extract through a third party and the Kakadu Plum Serum would smell and perform exactly the same. Nobody shopping on my website would know the difference. But I would know, and after standing in that scrubby bush country near Pine Creek, I couldn't unknow it.
I got back to Berry on a Tuesday evening and my partner asked how the trip was. I said it was fine and then talked about it for about an hour straight. The serum reformulation using direct-sourced extract will roll out with the winter batch, probably June. The colour will be slightly more amber than the current version because the extract is less processed. I think that's a good thing.
How I actually use the Outback Glow mask now
It took me almost six months of making this product before I worked out that I had been using it wrong, and I suspect I'm not the only one.
Here is something slightly embarrassing. I developed the Outback Glow Clay Mask over about eight months, ran it past a cosmetic chemist in Wollongong, adjusted the kaolin-to-bentonite ratio three times, and then for the first five months I was selling it, I was applying it the wrong way myself. I was putting it on in a thick layer, waiting until it went completely hard and chalky, and then scraping it off. My skin felt tight and a bit raw afterward and I kept blaming the Illawarra water, which is honestly quite hard. The problem was not the water.
The right approach, which I now know because the cosmetic chemist finally asked me point-blank how I was using it, is a thinner layer and you take it off while it's still slightly tacky, not bone dry. The mask is meant to draw out impurities while still holding some moisture at the skin surface. If you let it go fully rigid you're pulling out more than you want and you're also making it much harder to rinse. The kaolin in this formula is quite fine, sourced from a supplier in South Australia, and it responds better to that shorter contact time. Somewhere between 10 and 12 minutes is what I aim for now.
I also changed when I use it. I was doing it in the morning which, looking back, makes no sense. I do it on a Wednesday or Thursday evening, before a shower, so I can rinse thoroughly without feeling rushed. I follow it with the Eucalyptus Dream Facial Mist while my skin is still damp, which I know sounds like I'm just recommending my own products in sequence, but genuinely the mist settles the skin temperature down after the mask and it's become a habit I look forward to. Berry in winter gets cold enough that a warm shower followed by a cool mist actually feels quite good.
I have had a few customers email asking about sensitivity. The mask does contain a small amount of white willow bark extract, which can be an issue for people with salicylate sensitivity. I added a note about this to the product page in May after the second email came in. If you're not sure, do a small patch test on your inner arm for 24 hours before using it on your face. That's not a legal disclaimer, it's just the practical thing to do, and it's what I'd tell a friend.
I sometimes think about the version of me who was a property lawyer reviewing 80-page contracts and wonder what she would think of me now, sitting at the kitchen table on a Thursday night with clay on my face, reading emails about salicylate sensitivity. She'd probably find it baffling. I find it surprisingly satisfying.
Behind the scenes of a very small bath bomb operation
The Lavender Dreams Bath Bomb is the product people buy most as a gift, which means November is when I find out exactly how small my production setup really is.
I make the bath bombs in the shed behind the house. It used to be a proper workshop, and before we bought the place it apparently housed a small pottery operation. There's still a faint clay smell on humid days, which I find oddly comforting. The shed is not temperature controlled, which is a problem in summer when the beeswax in the formula gets soft, and it's not insulated, which is a problem right now in November when I'm trying to hit the pre-Christmas batch numbers and the humidity off the South Coast keeps creeping up and making the citric acid fizz prematurely. I've lost about 14 bombs to premature fizzing this month alone.
The mould I use is a standard two-piece aluminium sphere, 65mm diameter. I have 24 of them. That means each batch is 24 bombs, and each batch takes about 40 minutes to press, plus two hours setting time, plus unmoulding, which sounds straightforward but requires a very specific amount of patience and a wooden mallet. I do three batches on a good day. My pre-Christmas target is 480 bombs, which means 20 batches, which means I am essentially doing this every evening and most of Saturday for the next three weeks.
The lavender oil comes from a small farm near Bridgetown in the south-west of WA. I found them at a market in Margaret River in 2023, about six months before I launched, when I was still in the research phase and driving around the country asking growers awkward questions. They do a Grosso variety which has a slightly more camphor-forward note than the Maillette I was originally testing, and I prefer it in a bath product because it's more grounding and less sweet. The dried buds I press into the top of each bomb are from the same farm. They look nice and they also mean I can tell exactly where that element came from.
People sometimes ask if I'd consider getting the bath bombs contract-manufactured. The honest answer is yes, I've looked into it. There's a facility in Revesby that does small run cosmetic manufacturing and their minimum order is 500 units per SKU. The cost per unit would be lower and I would get my evenings back. What I'd lose is the ability to adjust things on the fly. Last month I increased the sodium bicarbonate ratio very slightly because I thought the fizz duration was too short, and I could do that because I was making them myself. With contract manufacturing that kind of small tweak becomes a reformulation request with a lead time.
I'll probably revisit the contract manufacturing question after Christmas, when I have a clearer sense of whether the volume justifies it. For now I'm ordering another 500 grams of Bridgetown lavender oil and accepting that my shed smells incredible at the moment, which is not the worst problem to have.
When the Shoalhaven wind changes, so does my skin
Every year in late March the air off the escarpment gets drier and I notice it first on my face, which is apparently just how it is now.
I lived in Sydney for over two decades and I don't remember noticing seasonal skin changes the way I do now. Maybe I was too busy. Maybe the air-conditioned offices and apartments smoothed everything out into a kind of year-round sameness. Here in Berry the shift from late summer to autumn is quite physical. The northerly winds that come over the Cambewarra Range carry a dryness that arrives almost overnight, and this year it happened in the third week of March, right on schedule. I woke up on a Monday and my face felt different, tighter along the jaw, slightly rough near the temples.
What I've landed on for the transition period, after a couple of years of experimenting, is pulling back on the clay mask frequency and leaning harder on the facial mist. In summer I use the Outback Glow mask once a week. From late March through June I drop it back to every ten days or so and I use the Eucalyptus Dream Facial Mist twice a day instead of once. The eucalyptus oil in that formula is steam-distilled from Blue Mallee, which has a higher cineole content than the Tasmanian Blue Gum I tested originally. It's a sharper, cleaner scent and in cool morning air it's quite good to stand on the back veranda and spray it on before the day starts.
The Kakadu Plum Serum becomes more important to me in autumn too. The vitamin C component helps with the dullness that comes from spending more time indoors, and I notice it most around the eyes. I started adding a second tiny application just to the eye area in the evenings, using the leftover serum on my fingertip after doing my face. It's not a technique I'd necessarily advertise because it sounds fussy, but it costs nothing extra and I can see a difference in how that area looks by mid-April.
I also drink more tea in autumn, which has nothing to do with skincare but is relevant to the general texture of life here. There's a berry grower about 6 kilometres up the road who sells dried rosehip through the Berry Farmers Market on Saturdays, and I've been putting it in a loose-leaf blend with lemongrass. I mention this only because I keep getting asked whether I'm going to expand into ingestibles, and the answer is no, not right now, but I do think there's something to the idea that what you eat and drink in a particular season matters for your skin.
My 55th birthday is in April. I didn't think I'd be making skincare products in a shed in the Southern Highlands when I was 55. I thought I'd probably still be reviewing development applications or sitting on a strata committee somewhere. The Shoalhaven wind is cold at six in the morning and the mist works better than anything I bought in Sydney. That feels like enough to say about where things stand.
Customer reviews
Priya M. — Surry Hills, NSW — 2024-03-14 — 5/5
The serum is the real deal
I ordered the Kakadu Plum Serum after seeing it mentioned a few times online and it arrived in three days, which was faster than I expected for standard post. I've been using it for about six weeks now and my skin tone has genuinely evened out. The packaging is simple and nothing leaked. Will reorder.
Jake T. — Brunswick, VIC — 2024-05-29 — 4/5
Good clay mask, takes a bit to arrive in VIC
The Outback Glow Clay Mask does what it says — my skin feels cleaner after use and I haven't broken out since starting it. Shipping to Brunswick took six business days on standard, which is fine but worth knowing if you're running low. Would be five stars if there was an express option that was a bit cheaper.
Saoirse B. — Hobart, TAS — 2024-07-11 — 5/5
Bath bomb arrived perfectly intact
I've ordered bath bombs online before and they usually arrive crumbled. The Lavender Dreams Bath Bomb came wrapped well and in one piece. It dissolved evenly and the scent wasn't overpowering, which I appreciated. Already ordered two more as gifts.
Marcus W. — New Farm, QLD — 2024-09-03 — 4/5
Solid blemish gel, honest review
The Tea Tree Blemish Control Gel works on surface-level spots — I saw results within a couple of days on a few problem areas. It didn't do much for deeper breakouts, so manage expectations there. Packaging is straightforward and the tube dispenses cleanly. Good value for the price.
Lena H. — Fremantle, WA — 2024-11-19 — 5/5
Facial mist is now a daily thing
I bought the Eucalyptus Dream Facial Mist on a whim and now I use it every morning. The scent is fresh without being overwhelming and it doesn't leave any residue. Customer service also replied quickly when I emailed a question about the ingredients — appreciated that.
Danielle K. — Fitzroy, VIC — 2025-01-08 — 5/5
Ordered as a gift, recipient loved it
I added gift wrapping at checkout and the presentation was genuinely nice — not over the top, just clean and thoughtful. The handwritten note was a good touch. The Kakadu Plum Serum was the main gift and my friend texted me the next day asking where I got it.
Rhys O. — Glenelg, SA — 2025-02-22 — 4/5
Clay mask does the job
Been through half a jar of the Outback Glow Clay Mask and I'm happy with it. Leaves my skin feeling clean and a bit tighter, which is what I was after. I did have a mild tingle on first use so patch testing is worth doing if you have reactive skin. Would buy again.
Tessa V. — Manly, NSW — 2025-04-05 — 5/5
Fast shipping, great product
Ordered the Eucalyptus Dream Facial Mist on a Tuesday morning and it arrived Thursday, which was quicker than I expected on standard shipping. The mist itself is light and absorbs quickly — I use it after cleansing and before moisturiser. Already recommended it to two people.
Shipping
All Creston Goods orders are dispatched from our workshop in Berry, NSW. Standard orders ship via Australia Post and typically arrive within 3–8 business days. Customers in NSW and ACT generally receive orders at the faster end of that range, while WA, NT, and remote areas should allow the full 8 days. Express orders ship via StarTrack and arrive within 1–3 business days for most metro areas. Orders must be placed before 2pm AEST Monday to Friday to be dispatched the same day. All prices on our website include GST, and your tax invoice is emailed automatically when your order is confirmed.
We pack every order carefully to reduce the chance of damage in transit. We use recycled cardboard boxes and paper-based void fill where possible — no loose polystyrene. Fragile items like bath bombs are individually wrapped before being placed in the outer box. If your order arrives damaged, please take a photo of the packaging and the product before doing anything else and email it to hello@crestongoods.com.au within 48 hours of delivery. We'll sort it out quickly, either with a replacement or a refund depending on what you prefer and stock availability at the time.
Free standard shipping applies to all orders over $75 across Australia. The discount is calculated automatically at checkout — there's no code to enter. For orders under $75, standard shipping is a flat $8.95 and express is $14.95 regardless of order size. We currently ship to all Australian states and territories, including PO boxes and parcel lockers via Australia Post standard service. StarTrack express cannot deliver to PO boxes, so if you select express at checkout, please provide a street address. We don't currently ship internationally, but we're working on it.
Returns
We want you to be happy with what you ordered. If you change your mind, you can return most items within 30 days of delivery provided they are unused, sealed, and in their original packaging. To start a return, email hello@crestongoods.com.au with your order number and the reason for the return. We'll confirm whether the item is eligible and send you a return address. Return postage for change-of-mind returns is at the customer's expense. Once we receive and inspect the item, we'll process your refund within 5 business days. Refunds are issued to your original payment method.
Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply to every order placed with Creston Goods. If a product is faulty, not fit for purpose, or doesn't match its description, you are entitled to a remedy — which may be a repair, replacement, or refund depending on the nature of the issue. You do not need to return the item in its original packaging to claim a remedy under Australian Consumer Law, and a change-of-mind return policy does not limit those rights. If you believe a product is faulty, contact us as soon as possible and include photos where you can. We'll assess the issue and get back to you within one business day.
Due to hygiene reasons, we cannot accept returns on opened skincare or personal care products unless they are faulty or have caused an adverse reaction. This includes the Eucalyptus Dream Facial Mist, Outback Glow Clay Mask, Kakadu Plum Serum, Tea Tree Blemish Control Gel, and any other product where the seal has been broken. We recommend patch testing all new skincare products before full use. Items that arrive damaged in transit are handled separately — see our shipping policy for details. Gift cards are non-refundable. If you have any questions about whether your situation qualifies for a return, just email us and we'll give you a straight answer.