
Our Founder
On a mission to make the world a kinder place for all creatures great and small.
-
-
With a lifelong love for animals and a deep commitment to conscious living, Marisa Robinson founded Wild & Cruelty Free to inspire others to choose beauty without harm. After making the switch to cruelty free living in 2018 and more recently embracing a vegan lifestyle, Marisa became a passionate voice for animal welfare, using her platform to show how accessible, empowering and aligned cruelty free living can be.
With over a decade of experience trialling and reviewing beauty products, a qualification in makeup artistry and a heartfelt dedication to ethical change, Marisa is combining her skills with her deep reverence for both beauty and animals to create a compassionate platform that promotes ethical Australian brands and guides women on a journey towards better beauty.
Through her signature Gua Sha classes and workshops, Marisa also shares her love of ritual, demystifying this centuries-old technique and teaching women how to incorporate it into their modern lives to reduce stress, support lymphatic health and naturally lift the skin.
Marisa’s approach goes beyond surface-level skincare. She invites women into a deeper connection with their bodies rooted in mindfulness, self-awareness and the power of slow, conscious beauty.
-
5 Years on the Clean + Conscious Awards Expert Judging Panel
I have had the honour of hands-on testing and scoring finalist products to help decide the winners of the Clean + Conscious Awards for the last 5 years. This has introduced me to so many incredible Australian beauty brands who I now have the privilege of supporting and stocking at Wild & Cruelty Free.
-
10 Years Trialling & Reviewing Makeup, Skincare & Wellness Products
What started as a hobby soon became an obsession and I have had the joy of trialling the latest beauty products for almost 10 years. As you can imagine I have used a lot of products in that time and this invaluable experience means I can now bring you the best in Australian Vegan and Cruelty Free Beauty.
A letter from our founder
My love for animals was instilled at a young age. My mother doesn't know it, but she is the catalyst for everything I do and everything I've built. Growing up, if an animal somehow arrived on our property, my mother would adopt her and take her in as our own. If it was a baby she would be up at all hours of the night hand-rearing and nurturing her, just as her mother would have, until being strong enough to join the other animals.
From dogs, cats and birds to goats, chickens and our beloved donkey Sally, who we had for over 20 years, I’ve lived alongside animals my whole life and every one of them was treated as part of the family and never seen as separate from us.
As I grew up, I still had an immense love for animals but I was very naive as to how they were being treated and it saddened me to learn that they weren't receiving the unconditional love and treatment I witnessed my mother giving them. From animal testing for cosmetics to the abuse in factory farms, my whole nervous system went into shock as I learnt of their fate.Â
My life was at odds with my values and my love of animals. That's when I knew I had to make the switch to living Cruelty Free and more recently, becoming Vegan. I couldn’t fathom a world where animals were exploited and treated separately or differently from us, after all they are living, breathing creatures just as we are.
Somehow we as humans have evolved into thinking we are at the top of the hierarchy - we aren’t. There is no hierarchy. We are all nature.
I want to be the voice for creatures who don't have one - a voice that says, "It's ok to look beautiful and be beautiful at the same time." Through my content creation and social platforms, I educate and inspire others to make the switch to Cruelty Free products and help put an end to animal testing.
The relationship I have with cosmetics is rather like one you would have with a best friend. She empowers you, understands you, and elevates you. This new concept is more than a brand, it’s a movement. It encapsulates a level of emotion, connection, and inspiration that goes beyond the product.
I love the butterfly effect that beautiful beauty can have. When I hear I've impacted another creator or consumer to make a change, I know my work here is done yet also beautifully unfinished.
I don't intend to start a revolution, but I do intend to start a revelation within each woman. A notion that says she is empowered to make decisions that feel good holistically.
Love Marisa x
"I love the butterfly effect that beautiful beauty can have. When I hear I've impacted another creator or consumer to make a change, I know my work here is done yet also beautifully unfinished."
MARISA ROBINSON, WILD & CRUELTY FREE FOUNDER