From Fashion Model to Skincare Storyteller

Zeja began in New Zealand with Nicqui KurZeja, who poured her heart, creativity, and belief in the power of botanicals into every formula. She built something beautiful, a brand rooted in Mānuka, nature, and real results.

Now that story continues with someone who’s been part of Nicqui’s life since childhood: Craig Roberts.

Craig and Nicqui grew up together, so bringing Zeja to the USA, EU, and UK feels less like a business move and more like carrying a friend’s legacy forward. Before stepping into the world of skincare, Craig spent years working as a fashion model with major international agencies, learning firsthand what skin goes through under bright lights, long days, and constant makeup.

That experience eventually pulled him behind the camera, where he built a career as a photographer, studying real skin, real faces, and what makes someone look genuinely healthy and confident. It gave him an eye for detail — and a deep appreciation for products that actually work.

Now he’s taken Zeja overseas, bringing that creative background and lived experience with him.

For Craig, growing Zeja internationally is about honouring where it came from while giving it fresh energy. Keeping Nicqui’s original vision, clinically backed botanicals, New Zealand ingredients, and skincare that delivers real results but sharing it with a wider world.

About Zeja

Born in Aotearoa, crafted with intention.
Zeja began over a decade ago in New Zealand with a simple belief: skincare should work with your skin, not against it. We create products that lean on the power of nature — not unnecessary chemicals — using botanicals that have supported skin for generations.

Our formulations are made in New Zealand, where we source high‑quality native ingredients known for their purity and potency. Every product is crafted with care, intention, and respect for the land it comes from.

We believe in doing more with less.
Skincare shouldn’t be complicated. It should be effective, honest, and made for people who care about what they put on their skin. That’s why we focus on multi‑benefit products that work hard, deliver visible results, and fit effortlessly into real life.

After building a loyal following in New Zealand for over 10 years, Zeja has now launched in the UK and EU — bringing our botanical‑led, results‑driven approach to a new community of people who value clean, thoughtful skincare.

Pure ingredients. Purposeful formulas. Products made with intention.
At Zeja, nature isn’t a trend — it’s our foundation. And we’re here to show that natural skincare can be powerful, effective, and beautifully simple.

Zeja Founder Story

Zeja Botanicals was created in Aotearoa by Nicqui KurZeja, whose journey through resilience, healing, and a deep respect for nature continues to shape our brand today.

Her background in psychology, combined with a lifelong connection to botanicals, led her to question why so many skincare products relied on fillers, synthetic chemicals, and up to 90% water. A personal shift toward clean, natural living in 2006 — during a challenging time trying to conceive — strengthened her belief that what we put on our skin truly matters.

A serious accident in 2013 became the turning point. While recovering from a facial injury, Nicqui began formulating her own natural products in her New Zealand lab. What started as a search for a gentle, effective anti‑scar cream evolved into our first hero product, Intense Face Plant, followed by Kawakawa Skin Salvation, created for her daughter’s eczema.

From these beginnings, Zeja has grown organically into a range of intentional, 100% natural skincare made with the best New Zealand botanicals. We honour Nicqui’s father — a gifted chef — in the way we craft every formula: thoughtfully, creatively, and with heart.

Today, Zeja continues to champion simplicity, purity, and the connection between inner and outer wellbeing. Our products are made in New Zealand, using ethical ingredients and no fillers, emulsifiers, synthetic chemicals, or preservatives.

Zeja exists to show how powerful natural skincare can be — beautifully simple, simply beautiful.