A little sponge. A rather big year.
When we launched Aqua Zoi, our goal was simple: introduce more Australian bathrooms to the natural alternative to plastic shower puffs and synthetic bath sponges.
We knew why we loved natural sponges. They’re beautifully soft when wet, create an incredible lather, last for months with proper care and, best of all, there’s not a scrap of plastic in them.
What we didn't expect quite so quickly was for some of the beauty and natural product industry's most respected independent awards to start noticing them too.
In 2026, Aqua Zoi's natural bath, body, facial and baby sponges have been recognised across the Beauty Shortlist Awards, Beauty Shortlist Baby Awards, Mama & Baby Awards and Clean + Conscious Awards.
And yes, we're still pinching ourselves a little.
Beauty Shortlist Awards 2026
The Beauty Shortlist Awards celebrate outstanding products across beauty, wellness and natural living, with products independently tested and judged rather than selected through public voting.
🏆 Editor's Choice — Luxe Bath Sponge
Our hero Luxe Bath Sponge received an Editor's Choice Award, recognising the natural honeycomb sponge that started Aqua Zoi.
Hand harvested in Greece, the Luxe is our softest and most luxurious natural bath and shower sponge, loved for its rich lather, softness when wet and ability to replace the plastic shower pouf in your everyday routine.
🏆 Wellbeing Editor's Choice — Luxe Bath Sponge
The Luxe received a second recognition with a Wellbeing Editor's Choice Award.
🏆 Wellbeing Editor's Choice — Fino Facial Sponge
Our Fino Facial Sponge was also awarded Wellbeing Editor's Choice, recognising our natural facial sponge designed for daily cleansing and makeup removal.
Beauty Shortlist Baby Awards & Mama & Baby Awards 2026
Some of the recognition we're proudest of came from the baby category.
🏆 Winner — Best Baby Sponge
Our natural sponge was named Best Baby Sponge in the 2026 Beauty Shortlist Baby Awards.
🏆 Winner — Best Mama & Baby Sponge
It was also named Best Mama & Baby Sponge in the 2026 Mama & Baby Awards.
These awards mean a lot to us because the Little Luxe has always had a very simple purpose: a small natural sponge for little bodies and delicate skin, without the synthetic mesh or plastic bath accessories.
Recognised by the 2026 Beauty Shortlist Baby Awards and Mama & Baby Awards, two highly regarded independent natural product awards, because when it comes to what touches your baby's skin, we'd rather keep things beautifully simple.
Clean + Conscious Awards 2026
The Clean + Conscious Awards independently recognise products across clean beauty, wellness and conscious living, with products assessed by an expert judging panel.
🥈 Silver Winner — Bathing & Self Care
Our Luxe Bath Sponge was awarded Silver in Bathing & Self Care.
And this one came with feedback that stopped us in our tracks.
“The softness is incredible and so good on the skin. It really makes me question why we would choose synthetic sponges at the cost of the environment when nature already offers such beautiful, effective alternatives.”
Renee Anthony, Clean + Conscious Awards Expert Panel
That's pretty much the question behind Aqua Zoi.
Why are we washing ourselves with plastic when nature already made the alternative?
✨ Finalist — Facial Tools
Our Fino Facial Sponge was also named a 2026 Clean + Conscious Awards Finalist in the Facial Tools category, recognising it as a natural alternative for facial cleansing and makeup removal.
From the Greek islands to Australian bathrooms
Every award is lovely. We're certainly not going to pretend otherwise.
But what matters more is what these awards represent.
Aqua Zoi began after we discovered a bathing tradition that has existed in Greece for generations and wondered why natural sponges had largely been replaced in Australian bathrooms by disposable synthetic alternatives.
Our sponges are naturally grown, hand harvested in Greece and selected individually before making their way to us here in Melbourne.
No plastic mesh. No synthetic sponge pretending to be something from the sea.
Just a beautifully simple swap for something most of us use every day.
Ready to make the switch?
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