SMART THINKING
The unique properties of select native extracts are increasingly informing NZ skincare options.
The unique properties of native extracts are informing our skincare choices.
The growth in beauty options created in Aotearoa has certainly been spurred by our desire to shop local. It has also been driven by our recognition of the abundance of natural resources with exceptional skin-loving properties.
A number of ingredients have gained prominence and global interest over the years – such as mānuka oil and mānuka honey and lanolin from New Zealand wool. Yet other star players are gaining more and more attention, in particular a handful of native botanicals with a long and rich history here that also offer significant benefits to skin.
Kawakawa is one of the most important traditional plants in Rongoā Māori, or traditional Māori healing and medicine. Kawakawa’s anti-inflammatory properties are incredibly effective in calming and soothing skin.
Auckland skincare brand Frankie Apothecary’s Kawakawa Repair Balm is famously effective for providing relief to reactive and eczema-prone skin. Yet its hero ingredient also infuses a nourishing body oil and facial serum designed to treat the signs of ageing in skin.
Oil extracted from the seeds of harakeke excels in preventing moisture loss in skin as well as maintaining the skin’s protective barrier. This flax is rich in omegas 3, 6 and 9 which play a role in skin cell rejuvenation and restoration, and make Aotea Made’s Harakeke Seed Oil Night Cream an ideal option to restore parched winter skin.
Totarol, an extract from native totara, is a super-antioxidant, stronger even than universally loved vitamin E. Sustainably sourced from the heartwood of recycled totara trees – so no trees are felled for its creation – and with antimicrobial, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, it is useful in managing acne as well as fending off environmental damage that can lead to premature ageing in your skin.
Totarol is used throughout Velettà’s natural skincare range, including the luxurious Cleansing Oil and glow-boosting Rejuvenating Oil.