From Kakadu plum and quandong to lemon myrtle and mountain pepper, Australian native botanicals are playing a starring role in more skincare products.

Native Australian flora has been used for centuries by Indigenous communities both as food and as medicinal and topical therapeutics. But recently, our native botanicals have gone more mainstream, popping up not just on dinner plates, but in skincare formulations. Here are five reasons why it’s a trend that’s worth embracing for you and your business.

1. Being Australian, they epitomise a-beauty

That’s a trend that emerged a couple of years back and has been gaining traction ever since. ‘A-beauty’ is essentially Australian beauty – a more laid-back, lower-fuss approach to skincare, which contrasts beauty trends such as ‘k-beauty’ that champion 10+ step regimens.

2. They’re hard-working ingredients

A native botanical can deliver much more than one thing – perfect for a-beauty. For example, Kakadu plum not only contains the largest amount of vitamin C when compared to any other fruit in the world, it delivers vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant, and gallic and ellagic acid, which are phenolic antioxidants that provide skin-health benefits, too.

3. They’re natural

And that matters. Not only does a forecast report spanning 2021-2026 identify Australia as one of the most important and emerging markets for natural as well as organic skincare products, 53 per cent of consumers say seeing ‘all natural’ on a skincare label is important to them. And 46 per cent of them are willing to pay more money for it, too.

4. They’re native

It’s why they’re so robust and hard-working (see above). Combined with the fact they’re what’s known as ‘wild varietals’, Australia’s varied and often harsh, unpredictable climate stresses these plants and that’s what drives their nutritional density. It’s also a key factor in their popularity, at least for the homegrown market. Not only are consumers more passionate about buying ‘Australian’ than ever, an emerging trend in the skincare segment is that ‘local’ is ‘luxury’.

5. And many of them are actives

Defined as ingredients that actively target specific skin concerns like ageing or pigmentation, the list of actives used in skincare includes things like vitamin C and ferulic and alpha-hydroxy acids. Increasingly, ‘skintellectual’ consumers know exactly what these ingredients do and which ones they want in their skincare, and thankfully many Australian-grown ingredients can deliver.

Incorporating Australian native botanical ingredients or skincare products into your business model could see significant growth as more and more consumers search for these trending products.

Want to find more beauty and personal care products for your shelves? Browse the Naturally Good Product Directory and discover your ‘natural advantage’ here.