Naturally Ours – NZ’s Best Beauty Ingredients

By BR Kellie

Aren’t we blessed to live in such an amazing part of the world? Golden sand beaches, black sand beaches, hidden lakes dotted amongst towering snow-covered ranges, forests filled with ancient trees. It’s all a bit breath taking. And it’s home to some of beauty’s most amazing skincare ingredients. Ingredients that have been embraced by some of our best-known beauty brands. So what are some of these amazing natural gifts from Godzone? Here are our top five:

Now I must admit after reading that the mānuka tree most likely made its way here from across the ditch I nearly didn’t add mānuka honey into the list, but then I thought ‘pfft’ because it’s widely considered to be a very New Zealand product and it’s also an amazing ingredient in beauty products. Known for its ability to moisturise, soothe and heal it’s a product embraced by many beauty brands, including Oasis Beauty who use it along with mānuka oil in their Knock-Out SPF25 (Antibacterial) moisturiser.

Rotorua Mud is another product beloved not just by we Kiwis, but also by the world. Rich in minerals, it’s great for cleansing, exfoliating and rejuvenating skin. While not all of us have access to Rotorua mud at the source (oh to have a mud bath on a regular basis…) we can enjoy a little bit of this nature’s goodness at home thanks to Skinfood’s Mud Masque

The gel of the Harakeke flax is known for its ability to control oil, as well as hydrate and soothe. In the past Māori used it’s gel medicinally, applying it to boils, burns and other wounds, but these days it can be found in many beauty products including Living Nature’s Firming Flax Serum, where it harnesses the power of the Harakeke to help skin retain moisture and keep fine lines at bay by contracting pores. Living Nature also use Harakeke in their Hydrating Toning Gel range (which happens to be a favourite of this HP’s husband.)

Not only is our national Christmas tree beautiful to look at, it can be beautiful for the skin too. When Pohutakawa extract is added to beauty ingredients it infuses them with its ability to soothe and regenerate the skin. No wonder Trilogy use it in their amazing Mineral Radiance Mask.

I had absolutely no idea about the benefits of Kawakawa until my mother in law spotted a tree, pulled a leaf off and then proceeded to chew on it telling me how it was good for soothing toothache. Turns out it’s good for more than just that. Kawakawa is like a little natural pharmacy. It the past the leaves and roots of the Kawakawa tree were used for healing wounds, bruises and soothing tummy aches. Today it’s still used as a method of treating eczema and other skin conditions. As far as beauty products are concerned, it can be found in moisturisers and cleanser, body washes and balms, as well as being combined with Kowhai and Harakeke to create Tailor Mist – a must for this summer!

So do tell, are you a fan of using beauty products featuring New Zealand’s own ingredients? Do you have any you use that we need to know about? Sharing is caring!