Berry business Totem Eco, founded by a husband and wife team, took home the top prize at the Clean + Conscious awards for their brand’s natural deodorant.

Toby and Katie Gibson’s brand, Totem Eco, won Gold for Best Deodorant at the Clean + Conscious Awards 2025 with their Blue Gum Natural Deodorant Stick. Totem Eco also secured Silver in the Sensitive category for their Kakadu Rose Natural Deodorant Stick.

The Clean + Conscious Awards highlight the most sustainable and ethical products in Australia and New Zealand, with winners undergoing testing by leading experts across health, beauty, sustainability and media.

“We were up against some of the brands that we'd really respected over the years and who were sort of the trailblazers and are still doing great stuff in this space,” said Toby.

“But to take home gold and being in that company was just a huge achievement for us, given we're just a little family business and they're very big and established players.”

Totem Eco launched after Toby and Katie relocated to Berry from Sydney as a way for them to reconnect with their roots and for their children to have more of a grounded upbringing. The couple started becoming more aware about the products they had in their household and how safe they were around children.

“Having kids makes you a little bit more conscious of the products that you have in your house and that you're using on your body,” said Toby.

Both Toby and Katie made the switch to natural deodorant some time ago and felt as if they could make a difference in the space with their own product. Despite being relatively new and coming up to their “three-year mark”, the couple have made a splash in the industry and put their skills together, Toby having been a genetic scientist and Katie being a hair and makeup artist.

Toby explains that not all natural deodorant brands are the same, and many tend to be bi-carb based, whereas what sets them apart is their magnesium-based formula.

“It's really more effective on odour control and gentler on your body…We like to say you only need to use it once a day at most,” he said.

“People sometimes might balk that it's maybe potentially more pricey than say their roll-on that might be on special on the shelves”.

“One of our sticks will last you between three to four months and you can't really put a price on your health and the planet”.

As Totem Eco grows, the couple still maintain their local connections by regularly going to markets to sell their products and remain dedicated to their founding principles.

More information about Totem Eco and their products can be found online at totemeco.com.au.