About Back to the Wild – Natural, Organic & Ethical Outdoor Skincare and Gear (NZ Made)

Back to the Wild creates natural, organic, and ethical outdoor skincare and gear designed to handle Aotearoa’s wild and unpredictable conditions. Safe for babies, great for people with sensitive skin, and anyone who wants to cut down on the amount of toxins in their life.

The company was born from a passion for tramping, skiing, and exploring with young children. The brand began when founder Sonia—an outdoor-loving mum with a science degree—needed a safe, non-toxic sunscreen for her children’s skin.

Combining her scientific knowledge with a love for DIY, Sonia began formulating natural sunscreen in her kitchen. What started as a personal project for her family quickly gained traction. Extra batches offered to friends and listed on Facebook Marketplace sold out almost instantly. Realising the demand for effective, chemical-free outdoor skincare, she officially launched Back to the Wild in 2017.

Today, Back to the Wild offers a trusted range of small-batch, handcrafted skincare products. All products are independently SPF-tested, backed by science, and packaged sustainably. Each product is made in New Zealand to protect and nourish skin, helping Kiwi families enjoy the outdoors with confidence.

The brand has since grown to include curated outdoor gear (tested by the Back to the Wild team) and exclusive tramping books that inspire and educate tamariki on overnight hikes across Aotearoa.

Whether it’s rugged sunscreen for alpine adventures or gear for backcountry family trips, Back to the Wild supports those who live for the outdoors. Their products care for both people and Papatūānuku.

Back to the Wild Product Range

Skincare includes shampoo and conditioner, sunscreen, insect repellant, deodorant, hand sanitisers.

Childrens outdoor clothing

Adventure Journals

With a sustainable focus at heart Back to the Wild has a gear hire service where you can hire clothing for the snow and food preserving tools. Tools include dehydrators, pressure canners and freeze dryers.

And keen to share knowledge, they also run workshops. If you are in Christchurch head to ReKindle. There Sonia offers workshops on soapmaking, skincare and natural cleaning products. You can check those out here! 

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Back to the Wild products use EAN-13 barcodes from Barcodes.co.nz.