Jurlique
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Australian botanical skincare brand built around plant-based formulations and biodynamic farming in the Adelaide Hills.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Jurlique is an Australian skincare and cosmetics brand established in South Australia in 1985 by Dr Jurgen Klein and Ulrike Klein. The company developed from the couple's interest in natural health, botany and holistic skincare. Klein, a biochemist and naturopath, had previously worked with the German holistic skincare company Dr. Hauschka, while Ulrike Klein was trained in horticulture and botany. Their complementary backgrounds shaped Jurlique's emphasis on botanical ingredients, plant cultivation and formulations positioned as natural alternatives within the prestige beauty market. The brand's name is a phonetic combination of the founders' first names, Jurgen and Ulrike. Before launching the business, the German-born couple moved to a farm in the Adelaide Hills, attracted in part by the region's climate. The farm became central to Jurlique's identity and remains associated with the brand's ingredient-sourcing and cultivation story. Jurlique presents its farming approach as biodynamic, with plants grown and harvested in accordance with principles intended to connect soil health, cultivation and the wider natural environment. This agricultural foundation differentiates the brand from skincare companies that use botanical language without operating an identifiable growing estate. Jurlique's range is centered on facial skincare, including cleansers, toners, moisturizers, serums and treatments, alongside hand, body and other personal-care products. Its commercial positioning combines premium pricing, natural and botanical ingredient claims, sensory textures and an Australian place of origin. The brand's communications have historically made the Adelaide Hills farm and its plant-based ingredients important parts of its provenance and product narrative. It has also operated dedicated Jurlique concept stores in addition to selling through other retail channels. Ownership changed substantially as the business expanded. In 2002, Jurlique was acquired for approximately A$25 million by the Australian businessman Kerry Packer. In 2011, the company was resold by interests associated with James Packer together with the US investment firms Triarc and JH Partners to Pola Orbis Holdings, a Japanese publicly traded beauty group. The reported transaction value was approximately A$355 million. Pola Orbis stated that international and particularly Asian growth was an important rationale for the acquisition. Jurlique has subsequently operated as part of the Pola Orbis Group while retaining its Australian brand identity. According to the cited reference material, its products have been sold through more than 5,000 stores worldwide, including more than 58 Jurlique concept stores, with 18 of those stores in Australia. The brand is therefore positioned between its South Australian agricultural heritage and a broad international prestige-beauty distribution network. Jurlique is commonly associated with ethical and environmentally conscious beauty because of its botanical sourcing narrative and biodynamic farm. Its international operations have also involved market-specific regulatory questions. The cited Wikipedia reference notes that some products sold in China were subject to animal-testing requirements under local rules at the time described, meaning that the brand's ethical positioning has not been identical across every market. This issue is relevant to how Jurlique's natural and environmentally oriented identity has been interpreted internationally.
History
Jurlique was founded in 1985 in South Australia by the German-born couple Dr Jurgen Klein and Ulrike Klein. The founders brought different but complementary areas of expertise to the business: Jurgen Klein was a biochemist and naturopath who had previously worked for the German holistic skincare company Dr. Hauschka, while Ulrike Klein was a horticulturalist and botanist. Their shared interest in natural health and plant science became the basis for a skincare company built around botanical ingredients rather than conventional mass-market beauty positioning. The couple moved to a farm in the Adelaide Hills approximately one year before the brand launched. The region's warm climate supported their plans for growing plants and developing a distinctive Australian source story. Jurlique's name was formed phonetically from the founders' first names, Jurgen and Ulrike. From its beginnings as a niche natural-skincare range, the brand linked its products to the farm, the cultivation of plants and a philosophy described as biodynamic. The farm remains part of the company's identity and is used in the brand's provenance and ingredient narrative. Jurlique developed a portfolio spanning facial skincare, hand care, body care and related cosmetics. Its premium proposition combined botanical ingredients with the sensorial and retail characteristics of prestige beauty. This allowed the company to occupy a distinctive position: it was not simply an agricultural producer or a general natural-products company, but a beauty brand using farm cultivation and plant science as central elements of its differentiation. The company changed ownership in 2002, when Kerry Packer acquired it for approximately A$25 million. The acquisition placed the Australian brand within a larger private ownership structure while preserving its established natural-skincare identity. In 2011, interests associated with James Packer, together with American investment firms Triarc and JH Partners, sold Jurlique to Pola Orbis Holdings, a Japanese public beauty company. The reported price was approximately A$355 million. Pola Orbis indicated that it intended to expand Jurlique, with particular attention to Asian markets. Under Pola Orbis ownership, Jurlique remained an Australian-origin brand with international distribution. The cited reference describes products being sold in more than 5,000 stores globally and identifies more than 58 Jurlique concept stores, including 18 in Australia. This retail footprint placed the brand's Adelaide Hills identity within a broader international prestige-skincare network. Jurlique's public image has generally emphasized ethical, natural and environmentally conscious attributes. At the same time, the reference material records a market-specific regulatory complication: products sold in China were subject to local animal-testing requirements that led to some samples being submitted for testing. This illustrates the tension between a brand's global ethical positioning and differing regulatory conditions in individual markets. Jurlique has therefore been associated both with biodynamic farming and with the practical compliance issues affecting cosmetics distribution across jurisdictions. The brand also received a notable piece of screen exposure when Julia Roberts's character, Captain Katherine “Kate” Hazeltine, was shown using Jurlique hand cream in a 2010 airplane-restroom scene in the film Valentine's Day. This was a product-placement appearance rather than a separately documented advertising campaign, but it contributed to the brand's visibility in popular culture. Jurlique's continuing identity rests on the combination of Australian provenance, botanical skincare, farm-based cultivation and international prestige-beauty distribution.
- 2011
Pola Orbis acquires Jurlique
[1]Pola Orbis Holdings purchased Jurlique for a reported approximately A$355 million and identified Asian expansion as a strategic opportunity.
- 2010
Hand cream appears in Valentine's Day
[1]Jurlique hand cream was shown being used by Julia Roberts's character in the film Valentine's Day.
- 2002
Acquisition by Kerry Packer
[1]Kerry Packer acquired the company for approximately A$25 million.
- 1985
Jurlique is founded in South Australia
[1]Dr Jurgen Klein and Ulrike Klein established Jurlique as a natural botanical skincare business in South Australia.
- 1984
Founders move to an Adelaide Hills farm
[1]Jurgen and Ulrike Klein relocated to a farm in the Adelaide Hills approximately one year before launching Jurlique, establishing the agricultural setting that later became central to the brand.
Products and positioning
Premium Australian botanical skincare with an emphasis on natural ingredients, biodynamic cultivation and Adelaide Hills provenance.
Skincare · 1985
Facial skincare
Jurlique's core business is facial skincare, including cleansing, toning, moisturizing and treatment products. These products are positioned around botanical ingredients and the brand's Adelaide Hills cultivation story, with a premium presentation intended for prestige beauty consumers.
Hand and body care
Hand care
Hand care is one of Jurlique's recognizable product categories and includes hand cream associated with the brand's botanical, sensorial approach. Hand cream also received screen exposure in the 2010 film Valentine's Day.
Body care
Body care
The brand's body-care offering extends its botanical skincare proposition beyond the face. Products are marketed within the same premium natural-beauty framework as Jurlique's facial and hand-care lines.
Cosmetics
Botanical cosmetics
Jurlique also operates in cosmetics alongside its skincare business. The cosmetics range is associated with the company's broader use of plant-based and botanical positioning.
Brand decisions
2011
Sale to Pola Orbis HoldingsM&ABackground
Jurlique was being sold by interests associated with James Packer, Triarc and JH Partners as the brand sought a larger international platform.
Action taken
Pola Orbis Holdings acquired Jurlique for a reported approximately A$355 million.
Aftermath
Pola Orbis planned to expand the business internationally, with particular emphasis on Asia, while Jurlique retained its Australian botanical-skincare identity.
Acquisition price. A$355 million transaction value (2011)
2002
Change of ownership through Kerry Packer acquisitionM&ABackground
Jurlique had developed as a niche Australian natural-skincare company and was acquired as the business moved beyond its original founder-led phase.
Action taken
Kerry Packer purchased Jurlique for approximately A$25 million.
Aftermath
The acquisition placed the brand under new Australian ownership; the cited material does not provide detailed operational consequences.
Acquisition price. A$25 million transaction value (2002)
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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