Saltbush & Clay Pty. Ltd. is the creative engine behind the frontier brand Thirteen Degrees South — forging the intellectual property of tomorrow by honouring the spirit of the past. Our philosophy is anchored in the raw, unyielding beauty of the wild. By distilling the wisdom of the land into contemporary benchmarks of excellence, we transform rugged inspiration into a refined new reality.
The Name
Thirteen Degrees South is not an abstraction — it is a coordinate. The 13th parallel south marks the harsh, sun-scorched latitude where the majority of wild Kakadu Plum is harvested. It is from this precise point on the map that our hero ingredient draws its extraordinary resilience, and from which our brand takes its name.
The company was not conceived in a studio or a boardroom. It was born in the field — across the vast clay pans of the Simpson Desert, where ancient saltbush stretches to the horizon and the land holds knowledge that predates written record. Our founder's close relationship with the Simpson Desert's last known medicine man took shape over years of shared expeditions into this remote country, exploring its botanicals, learning its rhythms, and developing a profound respect for the intelligence encoded in its plants. The 'clay' underfoot and the 'saltbush' that endures it — resilient, adaptive, quietly extraordinary — became the natural anchors for a company built on exactly those qualities.
Integrity by Design
Our value-driven, transparent skincare philosophy is rooted in an absolute connection to Country — blending a visionary background in social enterprise with expertise in luxury brand management.
We believe the skincare industry works best when it puts the formula first. Too often, marketing budgets dwarf ingredient budgets — and consumers end up paying for the campaign rather than what's actually in the bottle. We wanted to build something different: a brand where every dollar of value sits in the product itself, not around it.
There is no celebrity face behind 13°S and no manufactured hype. What you find instead is an honest accounting of what goes into each formulation — potent, authentically sourced, scientifically verified actives, produced in small and exacting batches. Our pricing reflects that reality. We choose instead a path of rigorous science, honest ingredients, and total transparency.
The Breakthrough: Cellular Extraction™
We believe that potency at the source is meaningless if it is lost in processing. While traditional heat-based extraction methods strip plants of their vital intelligence, we sought a better way. The revolutionary Cellular Extraction™ methodology uses targeted high pressure to capture the plant's full, undisrupted network of water-soluble compounds — what we call unlocking the hydrophilic entourage. Your skin recognises this bio-identical signal at a cellular level, absorbing the intact life-force of the plant for measurable results.
This is the kind of investment we make: in the science of extraction, in the integrity of the ingredient, in the result you experience. It is a different set of priorities from much of what the broader industry offers — and one we are quietly proud of.
Rooted in Country & Green Chemistry
Our operations are deeply connected to the land. Since approximately 95% of Kakadu Plums are wild-harvested on Aboriginal land, sourcing this fruit is a non-negotiable commitment to community-centred commerce. We help create meaningful economic opportunities in remote regions, ensuring our practices honour the land's traditional custodians.
Every formulation at Saltbush & Clay is grounded in the principles of green chemistry — protecting molecular integrity while minimising environmental impact. We disclose every active, substantiate every claim, and price our products to reflect the genuine cost of doing this properly. No shortcuts. No embellishment. Just the work.