The Power Of Australian Ingredients

As the Australian Natural Soap Company, it's probably no surprise that we are true champions of Australian ingredients for skincare and aromatherapy. We may be biased but the amazing natural ingredients native to Australia really do rival other ingredients that most of us know so much more about such as lavender, lemongrass or argan oil.

Having worked with Australian ingredients for ten years now, I am constantly blown away by the power of our homegrown ingredients. I'm really dumbfounded why most of us use skincare and cleansers that contain ingredients shipped from other parts the world. And our repertoire is so much more than tea tree and eucalyptus.

Trust me, the next time you hear about a new "active ingredient" or "superfood" for the skin, there will be an Australian equivalent - there just probably hasn't been the same level of research or marketing for the majority of people to recognise how good Australian ingredients are.

So given I work with these ingredients day in and day out, let me share with you my top 5 Australian super ingredients that I can't get enough of:

Macadamia is my absolute staple for my skincare regime, particularly as I get older. Macadamia oil is one of the world's richest sources of palmitoleic acid, which is abundant in human sebum when we are younger but diminishes with age. When used on the skin, macadamia oil actually mimics human sebum and therefore is great for dry skin, irritation and fine lines. While we have you covered with our range of soaps that use macadamia oil for cleansing, you'll find the best macadamia oil moisturiser in the food aisle, rather than the skincare aisle. Yes, a bottle of pure macadamia oil that is sold as cooking oil is all I use for my moisturiser

Perfect for: Dry and mature skin. Best used on its own rather than in a cream.

Like macadamia oil, we're probably more used to lemon myrtle essential oil as a food ingredient rather than a skincare ingredient. I, like most people first fell in love with the scent of pure lemon myrtle oil and it definitely a great natural deodoriser for the skin.

But that is just the start of it - lemon myrtle has been used by Indigenous Australians for 40,000 years for its antiseptic, calmative, sedative, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. Other parts of the world may have lemongrass but we should be super proud of of our lemon myrtle essential oil.

Perfect for: Normal to oily or irritated skin and any skin that needs a good scrub or deodorising.

Emma's Pick:
Lemon Myrtle Pamper Pack

Pink Clay is probably one of the more well known Australian ingredients for skin care. Besides being one of the planet’s purest, gentlest, mildest clays. Australian Pink Clay is rich in skin-loving silica, magnesium, selenium and zinc. It promotes skin renewal and absorbs excess oils, making it great for blackheads and fine lines. It also helps calm inflammation and brightens dull skin.

Perfect for: Normal to oily skin. Great for removing make-up and giving your skin a really deep cleanse.

You wouldn't be alone if you have never heard of this essential oil before - but you should. Dubbed the lavender of Australia's essential oils, this beauty really will calm you down and help you get to sleep. Its scent is a combination of tea tree and lavender but that's not all that it has in common with lavender. It contains a lot of Linalool, which is a well known calming botanical compound.

Rosalina has also been used in bush medicine for thousands of years for a variety of skin conditions as it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

So the next time you reach for Lavender, why not consider Rosalina?

Perfect for: Sensitive and Irritated Skin. And definitely one that can help with sleep and the every day stresses that can sometimes overwhelm us.

Emma's Pick:
Wattle Seed

Kunzea is really only starting to get the recognition in the skincare world that it deserves. Since it was recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in the 1990s, there has been more and more research done to truly understand the therapeutic benefits of this Aussie wonder oil.

Legend has it that a Tasmanian farmer became interested in the plant when he noticed that there was no rust on his fence where the plant was growing. First Nations Australians have used Kunzea for thousands of years for various skin conditions. It is now well known to contain significant anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-infectious properties.

Perfect for: Irritated and sensitive skin. Great for tired joints and muscles.

Emma's Pick:
Lemon Myrtle Leaf