Bridging Worlds: How Alisha Geary is Shaping the Future of Australian Skincare

NAIDOC Week 2025 celebrates “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy”, a powerful theme that Thirsty Turtl co-founder Alisha Geary lives with pride.

Alisha’s story isn’t just about skincare. It’s about building a future where Indigenous knowledge, innovation, and sustainable industry collide. An Australian skincare industry where the next generation of First Nations entrepreneurs lead the way.

Growing Up Between Cultures

As a proud Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal woman, Alisha grew up with one foot in each world - navigating her family’s deep cultural roots and the Western systems that too often left her people overlooked. This duality sparked a fire: to build businesses that connect cultures, uplift communities, and share Indigenous botanical knowledge with the world.

“My ventures come out of a desire to create cohesion between my two very different cultures, while helping my community and my family flourish in a very different system.”

Founding Thirsty Turtl: Indigenous-Owned Skincare with Impact

After launching a fashion business featuring licensed Indigenous art, Alisha turned her focus to natural Australian skincare and co-founded Thirsty Turtl, a part-Indigenous-owned beauty brand powered by native Australian plants.

Her mission? To decolonise skincare and create a business model that benefits both skin and Country and features women of colour.

Thirsty Turtl’s formulations feature hero native botanical ingredients such as:

• Desert Tomato: a powerful antioxidant-rich fruit sustainably harvested by Pundi Produce in South Australia. It brightens, hydrates, and protects skin from sun damage and premature ageing.
  

• White Cypress: a calming, anti-inflammatory extract used in traditional medicine and featured in Thirsty Turtl’s cleanser.
  

• Colloidal Oatmeal and Seaweed: soothing ingredients that support the skin barrier - ideal for sensitive and sun-stressed Australian skin.
  

These aren’t just trendy ingredients slapped on a label. Every plant is chosen with intention, science, and respect for the communities who’ve used them for generations. 

Leading the Next Generation of Founders

Alisha’s passion doesn’t stop at skincare. She’s also part of Blak Angels, an Indigenous-led investment group supporting the next wave of First Nations entrepreneurs.

“We want to promote more First Nations businesses because they employ other Indigenous people and give back to the community.”

It’s a business model built on reciprocity, not extraction and a powerful example of what real reconciliation in business looks like.

Why It Matters This NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is a time to reflect on the legacy we inherit... and the one we’re creating.

In an industry often dominated by Anglo and European ideals and extractive practices, brands like Thirsty Turtl prove that there’s a better way. That Australian skincare can be rooted in science, natural ingredients and healing Country. That we can build ethical, inclusive beauty brands that honour culture, land, and community.

Because real progress isn’t just about launching a product - it’s about rewriting the playbook.