New Zealand's native plants pack serious skincare power. Our Mānuka Cleanser combines three of these botanicals (Mānuka, Kawakawa, and Totāra) in a formula that works better together than any single extract could alone.
Full-Spectrum Mānuka Gold Extract: Antimicrobial Powerhouse
Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is New Zealand's most famous botanical export. Our Full-Spectrum Mānuka Gold Extract captures everything this plant has to offer through CO₂ extraction.
CO₂ extraction uses no heat or harsh solvents. This preserves the plant's complete chemistry including triketones, flavonoids, and essential oils that would otherwise be lost with conventional methods.
What this means for your skin: powerful antimicrobial action that balances your skin's microbiome, anti-inflammatory compounds that calm irritation, and antioxidants that protect against daily environmental stress. Mānuka also strengthens your skin barrier and supports healthy cell renewal.
Kawakawa Extract: Traditional Healing Meets Modern Skincare
Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) has been central to Māori medicine for over 700 years. This native pepper plant grows in New Zealand's coastal forests and brings centuries of healing wisdom to modern skincare.
It contains compounds like myristicin, elemicin, and various phenolics making it excellent at calming and healing. Its anti-inflammatory properties reduce redness and sensitivity, while its wound-healing compounds support your skin's natural repair processes. It's gentle enough for daily use, even on reactive skin types.
Bioactive Totarol: Ancient Tree, Timeless Protection
The Totāra tree (Podocarpus totara) can live over 1,000 years. Its longevity comes from totarol, a powerful protective compound that gets concentrated into an amazing product called Bioactive Totarol.
Their extraction process isolates this signature diterpene while maintaining its bioactive integrity. They source sustainably, protecting these ancient trees while harnessing their protective power.
Totarol delivers potent antioxidant protection against aging, natural antimicrobial action for clear skin, and anti-inflammatory benefits that calm irritation.
How These Three Work Better Together
The real power happens when these botanicals combine. Each extract shares key benefits that amplify when working together.
Antimicrobial synergy: Mānuka's triketones, Totarol's diterpenes, and Kawakawa's phenolics create comprehensive microbiome support. Instead of one antimicrobial pathway, you get three working in harmony for clearer, healthier skin.
Amplified anti-inflammatory action: All three botanicals reduce inflammation, but through different mechanisms. Kawakawa soothes surface irritation, Mānuka calms deeper inflammation, and Totarol provides protective anti-inflammatory compounds. Together, they tackle skin sensitivity from multiple angles.
Enhanced antioxidant protection: Each extract contributes different antioxidant compounds. Mānuka's flavonoids, Kawakawa's phenolics, and Totarol's protective compounds work at various cellular levels, creating a comprehensive defense system against environmental damage and aging.
This isn't just about adding more ingredients. It's about botanical intelligence using plants that have evolved together in New Zealand's ecosystems and naturally complement each other's strengths.
Why Full-Spectrum Extraction Matters
Many skincare brands isolate single active compounds, but this breaks apart nature's carefully balanced chemistry. Our CO₂ extraction method preserves each plant's complete profile, maintaining the natural relationships between compounds that make them work.
Think of it like a jazz trio versus three solo artists. Each musician is talented alone, but when they play together, they create something greater than the sum of their parts.
The MN8 Difference
Our Mānuka Cleanser doesn't just cleanse, it regenerates. Every use connects you to New Zealand's wild places while supporting regenerative farming practices that give back to the land.
We're not chasing skincare trends or isolating the latest "breakthrough" ingredient. We're working with whole plant intelligence, the way nature designed it, for results that honor both your skin and the ecosystem these botanicals call home.
Beyond these three native botanicals, our cleanser also features volcanic rock for gentle physical exfoliation and uniclay ferment for deep pore purification, creating a complete cleansing experience that respects your skin's natural balance.
Experience the synergistic power of New Zealand's native botanicals. Your skin (and the land) will thank you.
