Sphaera came from a time in my life when I entered an intensely domestic phase, with the event of motherhood and a new set of priorities. At first it felt like a creatively restrictive time but I came to accept that, although insular, it wasn’t a world of lesser importance.
Soap – simple, useful and sometimes beautiful – really captured my imagination. As an enthusiastic reader of novels, I started to note the role of bathing with soap in every archetypal hero’s journey. The hero finally arrives at a place of safety and is cleansed to reveal their true, transformed self.
I researched the historical, cultural and scientific aspects of soap and began experimenting, making batch after batch. Eventually, my sister-in-law Suni Hermon became involved, providing the impetus and skill to move the work out into the world.
In 2015 we chose the name Sphaera (sphere-a). We didn’t know how the company would evolve, and we wanted a name that referenced the natural world but left room for evolution.
I love that so many of our skills and interests are brought together in these products, but that in the end the result is simple, useful and beautiful. A utilitarian object crafted with the finest ingredients and care.
In June this year we released a new solid-state collection of shampoo and conditioner bars. They’ve taken nearly four years to develop, and taken us into a new area of cosmetic chemistry, science and design.
It was a personal project – I’d long wanted to shift to plastic-free hair care but couldn’t find a replacement that worked well for my own hair. We were hearing similar stories from our community of customers and friends.
New Zealand-owned companies have led the world in these products, and – building on that legacy – we felt we had something new to offer. The result is a premium shampoo and conditioner range crafted without compromise.
Sphaera
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