Authentic, like nature itself. Like life itself
Australia’s natural heritage, poured into a flawlessly designed and eco-conscious bottle – that’s how we would briefly describe LEIF, the brand that has just arrived at Metropoliten. We introduced it, where else, but in the glass pavilion of the Jevremovac Botanical Garden, surrounded by some of the rare Australian plants that make LEIF so unique.
“In the beginning, there was the bottle. And in the bottle, a message...”
That’s how the founders of LEIF – the designers from the Australian studio Container Made – like to describe their brand. Dedicated to creating sustainable packaging for cosmetics, they did something few brands ever do: LEIF began with the bottle.
A beautiful, empty bottle, patiently waiting for its contents.
At our perfumery event and the presentation in Jevremovac, we were joined by Jonnie Vigar, one of LEIF’s founders. We asked him why LEIF refers to its cosmetics as a “message in a bottle” – and why that bottle had to wait several years for its content, its message.
“We are a design studio – we create packaging for various brands. This one, we created for ourselves, without a client in mind. It sat on a shelf for years while we wondered what should go inside it. What would be its essence? Eventually, we decided it should be cosmetics made with ingredients native to Australia.”
Before it had content, the bottle had a promise: to treat nature with respect; to preserve Australia’s authentic flora, tradition, and culture; and to keep exploring ways to design packaging with minimal environmental impact.
In the same spirit, its content was created – care products based on native Pacific continent ingredients, formulated purely, without unwanted chemicals.
LEIF as “leaf” – as Nature
The plants used in LEIF cosmetics have no names in Serbian: lillypilly, flannel flower, buddha wood, boronia… And no, they weren’t chosen for their poetic names but for the beneficial effects of their essential oils and extracts – known to Australia’s First Nations people for centuries.
These plants are rich in antioxidants, healing and anti-inflammatory compounds, and vitamins – for instance, the Kakadu plum contains more vitamin C than any other known natural fruit.
“Everyone knows about Australia’s unusual animals, a result of the continent’s long isolation. That same isolation also shaped its flora, leaving us with valuable native plants. We decided they would be the core of our cosmetics – our way of promoting Australia’s nature and culture worldwide. These plants, their essential oils and extracts, are the backbone of every LEIF collection.”
LEIF works with only a small number of carefully chosen botanical suppliers who share the same values and integrity.
We personally experienced how different Australian plants are while exploring the greenhouse of Belgrade’s Jevremovac Botanical Garden, home to over a thousand plants from around the world. Professor Peđa Janaćković and Assistant Professor Tomica Mišljenović from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Biology were our exclusive guides through the world of authentic Australian flora.
We met an unusual fern that grows on a tree whose lower two-thirds are dead, allowing it to be cut and used as food – rich in starch, as the Aboriginal people knew well.
We admired a magnificent fig tree that generously hosts a “hippie commune” in its crown – providing habitat for orchids, other plants, and birds who find plenty of food there.
And we were introduced to one of the rarest and smallest Australian plants – Wollemia, still a seedling at Jevremovac. Once thought extinct, this ancient conifer was rediscovered only a few decades ago in an Australian canyon. Today, the remaining 46 trees are preserved in a strictly protected, secret location.
LEIF as “life” – as Living
By the time these stories unfolded, night had already fallen over Belgrade, wrapping the glass pavilion in a soft veil. The intertwined branches of exotic greenery cast patterned shadows, adding a touch of mystery. Rain tapped gently against the glass roof, while guests – at this unusual kind of cosmetics presentation – listened intently to the scientists’ words, sipping cocktails made with Australian gin that our guest personally brought – naturally infused with rare botanicals from his homeland.
If the Botanical Garden is a place where biodiversity is nurtured, plants are cared for and studied – then it’s also a place that tests our own ecological awareness. So how does LEIF think about sustainability?
“A smaller environmental footprint was our goal from the start. We saw plastic as a major issue – the beauty industry has a big waste problem. As a small brand founded by packaging designers, we believed LEIF could serve as an example of what’s possible. Today, 50% of our packaging materials come from recycled sources. We also launched a refill system, where one 2-liter refill replenishes our bottle four times. That reduces CO₂ emissions by 78% and water usage by 76%. We’re now developing a new system to be launched in Australia next year.”
It took two years of dedicated work for LEIF’s packaging to reach these sustainability standards. With each step, they reduced their carbon footprint even further: their gift sets are packed in FSC-certified materials (ensuring responsible forestry), and they’re part of the 1% for the Planet network – pledging to donate 1% of annual sales to nature conservation organizations, especially those focused on ocean protection.
“Darwin would approve of our choices,” say the founders with a smile.
And with that thought, we slowly left the glass pavilion of Belgrade’s Botanical Garden, letting the plants rest in the night’s calm – as much as the city’s restless hum would allow.
At home, curious and inspired, we tried the power of those other plants – the Australian ones, captured in LEIF’s impeccable, eco-conscious bottles.
