Botanical bonanza

What plant would you pick if you were a world expert at identifying and using plant extracts in beauty products? Kumerahou, says international ethnobotanist Dr Paul Cox. Honoured by Time magazine as one of 11 Heroes of Medicine for his ongoing search for new medicines from plants, Dr Cox says the indigenous plant – a staple in natural beauty products and an alternative to the sodium lauryl sulfate commonly found in foaming cleansers – has huge potential in the field of beauty.

Often referred to by one of its English names, Gumdigger’s Soap, saponin-rich kumarahou is a great skin-soother and natural surfactant (the leaves and flowers lather up when rubbed together under water). “But Maori have been using it to treat TB and other respiratory conditions such as coughs and asthma for years. It has a very interesting chemistry. There are many people whose opinions I greatly respect who think the world of it.”

About 80 percent of New Zealand’s trees, ferns and flowering plants are native. This gives us a distinct advantage when it comes to commercialising ingredients in beauty products. The potential of indigenous ingredients such as kumerahou, harakeke flax, manuka honey, hallo clay and totara could be huge, says Cox. Our atmospheric conditions, and the fact our flora and fauna has evolved over time in relative isolation, means we are able to grow some of the world’s most nutritionally superior bioactives. What’s more, the more natural ingredients Kiwi skincare companies use, the harder it is for overseas competitors to copy.

It may be a while before global beauty companies truly clamour for our botanicals to use in their high-end anti-ageing facecreams, but the demand is definitely growing. Totarol, extracted from totara wood, is a potent anti-bacterial agent and preservative base. It's been picked by beauty giant L’Oreal, as well as big brands such as Jurlique and Glo and is currently exported to 17 countries, including China and the US. New Zealand is the only supplier on the planet.