Cuti
Cuti is a natural cuticle oil designed to nourish, hydrate and strengthen. Made with 100% organic, vegan ingredients and infused with New Zealand native botanicals, our formula helps extend your manicure while treating your natural nails to some serious TLC. All natural. No nasties. Just nourishment.
What inspired the idea for your business?
After some ongoing struggles finding our usual go-to cuticle oil brand - we simply decided to use a bit of Kiwi ingenuity and just make our own! We grilled our nail tech for insights, dove into research, and discovered a huge gap in the market for a high quality cuticle oil that was easily obtainable within the New Zealand market and further afield.
From day dot we wanted Cuti to be a premium product. It had to be 100% organic, vegan and friendly to our planet with refillable and recyclable packaging. We also wanted the formula to incorporate New Zealand native botanicals so we enlisted the help of a cosmetic chemist, resulting in a unique product with excellent export appeal.
Where is the business now? And where is it headed?
Since launching on Valentine's Day last year, Cuti has landed on the shelves of some of New Zealand's best retailers. Our first year in business saw over 3000 Cuti products sold, exceeding our initial goals and estimates, growing via word of mouth and organic social reach.
Our vision is to be a leading nail care brand in the global market. To solve skin and nail concerns with a simple, natural and accessible product. Our primary focus for the next 12 months is expanding the brand to quality retailers across the ditch in Australia. While the nail industry is very much in its infancy in Australia and New Zealand, we believe international markets hold the key to our growth at scale and we’re excited to see where this next stage takes us!
How does your brand differentiate itself in the market?
Our native flora has been used in rongoā Māori (traditional healing) for centuries - and for good reason. We decided very early on to use both kawakawa (great for soothing dry skin) and mānuka (a powerful antifungal) in our formula for their incredible healing properties.
We were also surprised that there wasn’t already another refillable/reusable cuticle oil product on the market in this part of the world - so we knew Cuti had to have this point of difference. We know we’re far from perfect, but are committed to doing what we can to continue improving our products with sustainability in mind as we grow.
Can you share the challenges you've encountered and how you've navigated them? What have been your key strengths and weaknesses, and what have you learned from them?
Inventory management was our biggest early hurdle - we sold out more than once. It was a good problem to have, but wasn’t ideal - as we never want to keep our customers waiting! We’ve since solved this by scaling up storage and ordering capacity.
Knowing our own personal strengths and weaknesses has allowed us to collaborate to grow Cuti to the brand it is today. Ashleigh comes from a background in hospitality brand and marketing, and is the creative genius behind Cuti. Tessa loves a spreadsheet. She’s the yin to Ashleigh's yang, keeping things under control and the bills paid. An Air Traffic Controller by day, she’s juggled another small business for the last seven years, learning a HECK of a lot along the way, and bringing valuable experience to Cuti.
One of our favourite sayings is “every day’s a school day” - and we’re always finding opportunities to learn and improve. We’ve worked hard to build a balanced foundation that keeps the business moving and growing.
What are the core values and principles that shape your brand's decision-making process:
Sustainability, simplicity and authenticity guide everything we do. From our refillable pens to our eco-conscious packaging, we prioritise doing better for the planet. Every ingredient we use is organic and purposeful. We don’t believe in shortcuts - only thoughtful decisions that support doing what we do as responsibly as possible (while having a whole lot of fun along the way).
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to start their own business?
Start small, stay curious, and surround yourself with supportive people who will give honest feedback. Focus on progress, not perfection - and celebrate the wins along the way. And for those times you’re not winning - you’re learning. Also: wine, snacks and a killer playlist make the serious stuff a lot more fun.
What achievement are you most proud of in your business journey?
Attending Life Instyle 2025 is a huge milestone for us! Our goal was to reach this level in 3-5 years, but here we are - just over a year in. We’re proud to be representing a New Zealand-made brand on the Australian stage - and can’t wait to connect with future stockists and fellow creators.