They say ‘tis the season to be merry, and Oilixia HQ can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by indulging in some bright, beautiful and delicious new skincare products. Our Gummy Facial Cleanser, containing Australian Kakadu Plum is now available to buy.
Come on a journey with us Down Under to discover the origins of this magical little plum…
History of the Kakadu Plum
Australia is world-renowned for its sprawling tropical landscapes and it’s here that the Kakadu Plum calls home. Out in the depths of the unforgiving northern outback, this flowering plant grows in abundance. The plum is taken from the slim terminalia ferdinandiana tree that grows up to 14 metres high.
This super-tough little plum has adapted to its tropical ecosystem over many centuries and is able to withstand extreme weather whilst retaining optimal properties. If you’ve never heard of the Kakadu Plum before, it is also known by the names Gubinge, Billygoat Plum, Mudood and Murunga.
The Real Superfruit
We wish we could say that Oilixia discovered the wonders of the Kakadu Plum, but those in the know have been using this magical fruit for centuries. It’s packed with antioxidants and has been a valuable food source and staple part of the bush tucker diet for hundreds of years, where the Australian Aborigines ate it raw or blended it into a jam.
It has also been a vital ingredient in traditional medicine for many years. The inner bark of the tree is recognised for its antibacterial properties and used to treat skin problems such as infections or scars.
Skincare Benefits
The real question with Kakadu Plum Extract is, what can’t it do? Recognised as a superfruit, the Kakadu Plum is the world’s richest natural source of vitamin C with 3700mg per every 100 grams. A kiwi fruit has just 180mg and the orange has 53mg. The extract is also the world’s first stable source of natural vitamin C and a highly potent natural antioxidant, making it extremely kind to skin.
The extract encourages healthy, radiant skin, improving elasticity and hydration for a softer, more youthful texture. It smoothes out wrinkles for a more delicate appearance, and reduces inflammation, pigmentation and the appearance of blemishes such as dark spots or fine lines by stimulating a healthy collagen production to counteract signs of ageing and damage from free radicals.
The extract also has a healthy dose of Phenolic Acid (that acts like an AHA), which enhances the antioxidant content, exfoliates and brightens the skin. Flavone Glycosides work alongside the vitamin C to stabilise and intensify its positive effects, helping to reduce under-eye puffiness and pesky dark circles.
All of these ingredients work together to replenish and stabilise the skin’s natural levels of vitamin C, resulting in young, supple and healthy skin.
Sustainability
While the levels of vitamin C in the extract fluctuate between harvests and batches due to natural environmental factors, the source we use is eco-Sustainable, Fair Trade and Organic Certified.
We collect our Kakadu Plum Extract from a local Australian company that works very closely with indigenous communities in the remote Kimberleys region. As people of the land, they are extremely knowledgeable in the harvest and management of the Kakadu Plum, which has been growing in their country for millions of years.
Harvest and Potency
Here comes the science bit… and it’s actually pretty fascinating. Among a number of different types of Kakadu Plum Extracts available on the market, Oilixia favours an extract that uses a Cellular Extraction method to protect the natural potency of the plum. This is the first ‘true to nature’ extract that harnesses the phyto-active ‘blueprint’ of a species, as it exists in nature, and is renowned for its purity. As raw vitamin C is naturally very unstable, traditional methods of extraction can place the plant under stress and destroy the activity of vitamin C at the final stage.
The Cellular Extraction method delivers the Kakadu Plum Extract with active, potent and stable vitamin C content. As a rapid, natural extraction process, it retains the stability of the compounds to effectively protect the potency. There are no synthetic mimics of vitamin C in our extract – it is all natural and therefore more bio-available.
The extraction method fits beautifully within our brand ethos, as the process sits as close to nature as possible. This technology is changing what we can achieve with nature – delivering nature’s potent potential yet working alongside it. Our Kakadu Plum is wild harvested from remote, pristine, indigenous lands and entirely organic.
If you simply can’t resist the temptation of Kakadu Plum Extract, check out our new Australian Kakadu Plum Gummy Facial Cleanser now!