• Beauty

How the Australian climate created the most potent skincare ingredients on the planet

Emily Rohr shares her wisdom on ancient Australian botanicals 

Emily Rohr is an accidental beauty expert. When the fine arts graduate, and daughter of a dermatologist, and her family moved to Broome 25 years ago she decided to put her skills to good use and opened Broome’s first indigenous art gallery. During her time spent with the artists and their families – the Yulparitja women and men – she acquired a shared knowledge of traditional bush medicine that she’s now passing on via her eco-cert approved natural skincare company Rohr Remedy.

She believes we have the most powerful skincare ingredients on the planet growing in our own backyard and that these wild-grown Australian plants have the ability to deeply nourish and replenish our skin like no others on earth. 

‘’Climate change happened millions of years ago; it went from being rainforest to desert and my theory around a lot of these Australian plants and their high levels of bioactivity is due to this massive climate change transition,’’ Emily explains.

“The plants that did survive – like the desert lime, the boab, davidson plum and the quandong – did so by adapting and learning to hold onto nutrients so that they could last longer, which explains their potency.’’

Here Emily reveals why she thinks Australian botanicals are natural skincare’s secret weapons. 

Kakadu plum

The Kakadu plum is nature’s richest form of vitamin C. In skincare that translates into the creation of collagen to help fight the signs of ageing.

“There is new research that shows The Kakadu plum is 900 hundred times more potent than blueberries,’’ says Emily.

“And it’s incredibly rich in bioactives – which the studies are saying can have a real effect in transforming your skin.’’ 

Boab

Boab oil is like a powerful multivitamin for the skin, says Emily.  

Rich in Vitamin C, it evens skin tone, fights free radical damage and produces collagen.

“Boab oil has an extraordinary amino acid profile. Amino acids are the precursors or the fantastic enzymes that are necessary to make collagen, and collagen is not only very hydrating, it’s prompting skin to renew and restore, it’s the skincare holy grail.’’

Quandong

 Quandong has 250 per cent more antioxidants than green tea. 

“The thing about the quandong is it grabs free radicals so it detoxifies. It also registers very high on nutrient content,” Emily says.

Wild harvesting trumps organic

“Wild harvesting considers the entire ecosystem and uses traditional Indigenous farming methods that have been passed onto family members for many generations,’’ Emily says.

“The most important point here is that there are no chemicals in the wild, so there doesn’t need to be a discussion about organic because it’s naturally organic.’’

Related: These 5 superfoods will transform your skin 

Related: Natural face oils for every skin type

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