Urban Jungle is a skincare brand that was always designed to make waves in the beauty industry. “From the beginning, the vision was clear: to help people embrace their flaws and tackle life with a little bit of swagger, and a lot of confidence,” founder Paul Tsalikis says. “Urban Jungle champions individuality and lifts-up self-acceptance with an affordable, effective line-up of Korean skin and body products that are designed to not only meet but celebrate the needs of all skin types.”
Paul says Urban Jungle products are designed to be simple yet effective, allowing everyone to feel confident in their own skin. “I also wanted to create a community that helped humans to bravely navigate their way through information overload, confusion, and overwhelm,” he says.
Urban Jungle was officially created in 2021, but the idea was years in the making. Paul says he’d always been passionate about skincare and entrepreneurship, and Urban Jungle is the culmination of that passion, aimed at making high-quality skincare easy and fun for everyone.
Urban Jungle is Australian owned, but Korean made to get the best of both worlds. “We combine a laid-back Australian approach with the famed Korean skincare routine and the result is an easy-to-use, highly effective skincare routine,” Paul explains.
“We pair our effective Korean formulations with an affordable price-point so that our customers don’t have to spend truckloads of money for skincare products that actually work.”
Paul started in the beauty and skincare industry when he founded Vanity Group in 2011. Today they have a portfolio of six retail brands under Damn Good Beauty and over 40 amenity brands at Vanity Group.
“I’m deeply inspired by how the beauty industry is constantly evolving—there’s always something new and exciting, whether it’s innovative ingredients or cutting-edge technologies,” Paul says. “It’s such a creative and energising space to be in! But what truly keeps my passion alive is the joy of helping our customers feel their best. Knowing that we’re making a difference in how people feel about themselves is what makes it all so rewarding for me.”
Paul himself is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and from a family of immigrants, and was determined to create a brand that focused on inclusivity no matter what the rest of the market was doing at the time. “I wanted to shake things up and create a brand aimed at embracing inclusivity, welcoming all, and helping people fearlessly tackle life with swagger and confidence,” Paul says.
“This inclusive philosophy comes to life in every aspect of Urban Jungle, whether that be our formulations which are created to cater to a wide range of skin types and tones, our affordable skincare (everything is under $50!), or our creative campaigns that feature the real faces of our community – we say no to photoshop!” he explains. “Our commitment to diversity is not just a marketing angle; it’s embedded in everything we do.”
Since the brand’s launch in 2011, Urban Jungle has expanded their line of products, while still making sure quality remains high. “We launched with four skincare products—we now have 12 products, including skincare and body, and many more on the way!
“Over the past three years, we have evolved our line-up to include must-have skin and body products while always staying true to our simple, easy-to-use philosophy.”
Although it’s hard to play favourites, Paul says he does have a favourite Urban Jungle product at the moment: “Urban Jungle Midas Touch Body Lotion! This lotion smells like a tropical dream, absorbs into the skin quickly and the hero ingredients of niacinamide and apricot seed oil leave skin soft and smooth.
“It’s my must have body lotion all year round.” Plus it contains niacinamide, which is definitely one of Paul’s hero ingredients to use in formulations. “I can’t go past niacinamide, it’s a real skincare MPV! Niacinamide tightens pores, plumps fine lines and evens and brightens the skin tone. It does a little bit of everything and can be used every day for glowing skin,” he says.
“I also love natural oils such as sunflower oil, chamomile flower iil, apricot seed oil and sweet almond oil for all their nourishing and soothing goodness.”
As for what’s next for the brand, Paul says they’re gearing up for some incredible new launches. “Stay tuned for what’s to come! We have some fantastic Holiday gift packs coming towards the end of the year and then 2025 is going to be filled with so many new skin and body launches,” Paul says. “Exciting times ahead!”
Urban Jungle is available online, or at Sephora stores Australia-wide.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
