With its heavenly depictions of aromatic botanicals, the packaging for Koala Eco’s environmentally-friendly gift collections gives new meaning to the term ‘box fresh’

The creamy, star-like clusters of the mandarin blossom [Citrus reticulata]. Tender pink buds and the rich green leaves of a Peppermint plant [Mentha piperita]. The exuberant white sunburst of the Lemon Myrtle [Backhousia citriodora] flower. No wonder a glossy honeybee hovers among the startlingly realistic botanical illustrations on the biodegradable packaging for Koala Eco’s Holiday Collections of eco-friendly cleaning products.

Since 2017, Koala Eco has been making safe, powerful plant-based products using 100% pure essential oils from Australian native botanicals. Nature’s ‘super-powers,’ these oils not only have incredible antiseptic and antibacterial attributes, but also a wonderful scent, and mood-enhancing properties. So not only can they help to keep household germs at bay, or give laundry items a deep, aromatic cleanse, they can also bring a little bit of nature’s healing into people’s daily lives.

What better way to convey the essence of these amazing plants than exquisitely-detailed botanical illustrations? Designed by Glasfurd & Walker, and commissioned exclusively for Koala Eco, the plant-life rendered on this family-owned company’s product labels and gift collections speaks directly to the ingredients within.

After all, the human love affair with flowers is an old, old story. Over centuries and all over the world, plants and flowers have cast their enchantment across all areas of our lives, homes and psyches. Botanical art began in China in 4000 BCE, as a means of forever capturing and recording the beauty of flowers. Explorers sought to understand so-called ‘new’ continents through botanical specimens, and from the fifteenth century onwards, scientists relied on meticulously detailed, botanically correct drawings for species identification. It is this tradition of botanical art and its faithfulness to detail that inspires the Koala Eco labels and gift box design.

And these delicate renditions of flora and insects are a constant visual reminder of how deeply interwoven humanity and nature have always been, and must continue to be, for the good of us all.

‘The Koala Eco mantra is essentially ‘More Nature, Feel Better,’ says Koala Eco co-founder Jessica Bragdon. ‘Our purpose is to help people bring more nature into their everyday lives, because we know—and this is backed up by research—there is a definite link between nature and wellness. So one easy way to bring nature into daily life is to use household and personal care products that not only are made from nature, but are also environmentally friendly, and don’t cause harm to nature.

‘And if we make our botanical ingredients a major part of the aesthetic appeal of our packaging, it only helps to reinforce the message that the more we connect with and love nature, the more we want to protect it. If we care about something, we want to take care of it. Because in turn, it takes care of us,’ Jessica says.