5 Australian Botanical Skincare Ingredients You Need To Know About
Incredible native plants and superfoods found right here in Australia are shaking up the beauty world thanks to their powerful anti-ageing benefits.
Used for thousands of years by Aboriginal people for food and medicinal purposes, you can now reap the skin beautifying potency of these ingredients in all kinds of skincare from serums to cleansers. Here are 5 Australian botanical skincare ingredients you need to know about!
The Kakadu Plum
This Australian fruit grows wild in the Northern regions of the country and is definitely having a moment as the ‘new’ superfood in the world of skincare.
What makes the Kakadu plum so incredible? It’s about the vitamin C content. This, small, light green Aussie fruit has a sky-high concentration of vitamin C, higher than any other natural source in the world. Even higher than the blueberry!
Why is Vitamin C so important for our skin? Our bodies can’t produce it, so we need to get our vitamin C quota either topically or by eating it. It plays a key role in helping skin look smooth and youthful by encouraging collagen synthesis.
Vitamin C is also a skin lightener which can help to reduce the look of hyperpigmentation and brown spots as well as inhibiting melanin production which evens out skin tone.
Quandong
Quandong. This Aussie fruit is unique as its name. While often used in jams, sauces, juices or desserts, it’s now making a big splash in the world of natural skincare thanks to its hugely beneficial properties.
Also known by its traditional Aboriginal name ‘Goorti’ (Nurungga) or ‘native peach’, the quandong is brimming with antioxidant properties to fight free radical damage that speeds up the signs of ageing. This beautiful red fruit is high in rutin which stimulates the production of collagen and helps your body use Vitamin C to strengthen capillaries, minimise under eye circles and slow the effects of ageing.
Pairing the Quandong with the vitamin C powerhouse Kakadu Plum = a botanical skincare dream team.
Phenolic acids are skincare superstars and also found in the Quandong extract. These acids work to ever so gently exfoliate the skin to reveal a brighter complexion and contain antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
The soothing nature of Quandong extract makes it a perfect choice for sensitive skin. The extract is also used in baby skincare formulations.
Finger Lime Caviar
Dealing with dull, hyperpigmentation or uneven skin tone? Hello, Finger Lime Caviar.
A go-to source of food and medicine for the Aboriginal people for thousands of years, this Australian native fruit is packed with citric acid.
Citric acid is a naturally powerful exfoliator which encourages cellular turnover, polishing away old skin cells and revealing a brighter, more even-toned appearance.
Again, this Finger Lime Caviar has an impressive vitamin C content helping boost collagen, the skin’s building blocks to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
If you suffer from dry skin, the extract of the Finger Lime Caviar can provide relief too by helping skin retain moisture.
So, why the ‘caviar’ name? When the mature fruit is sliced open, you’ll find ‘pearls’ that look a little like caviar filled with zesty lemon and lime juice. This gorgeous looking fruit comes in various shades on the inside - green, yellow, purple, pink and bright red.
Mountain pepper
The leaves and berries of this small plant are a storehouse of active ingredients. However, it’s the Mountain Pepper’s super antioxidant abilities that make this Aussie native a standout for natural skincare.
Fresh looking skin needs antioxidants. Health promoting antioxidants combat the damage done by free radicals from too much sun exposure and environmental stressors like pollution and smoking.
Antioxidant levels also naturally decrease as we age. You can see why it’s important to give our skin as much help as possible in the antioxidant department with the foods we eat and the products we put on our skin.
The Mountain Pepper scores a high ORAC value (oxygen radical absorption capacity) which is a measure of the ability of a substance to quench oxygen free radicals in a test tube.
Essentially, this means the Mountain Pepper does a fantastic job at combating age-accelerating free radicals. It’s also high in magnesium, folate, zinc, calcium and beta carotene.
Snowflower - tea tree extract
Targeting a range of skin issues, Snowflower - tea tree extract is a hardworking active botanical skincare ingredient.
A collagen stimulating powerhouse, Snowflower - tea tree extract is brimming with an antioxidant called catechins.
Catechins are more potent than both vitamin C and vitamin E and support the skin by inhibiting the breakdown of collagen and elastin; aka, they’re real wrinkle-busters.
They also and speed up and support healthy wound healing.
Catechins and Kaempferol, another antioxidant found in Snowflower -tea tree extract, together reduce skin photoaging; the skin damage caused by prolonged sun exposure
Red, irritated skin will also be soothed by the wonders of this extract. It contains Quercetin which works together with vitamin C to reduce inflammation and sensitivity while brightening skin.
These Australian botanical skincare ingredients really are incredible, don’t you think?
We use all of these ingredients and more in our Karinda range to harness the power of these natural skin saviours sent to us by Mother Nature herself.
What Aussie botanicals are part of your daily skincare routine?
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