A bush tucker food native to the Northern Territory and Western Australia has raised the interest of a major US cosmetics giant. Last year Mary Kay cosmetics applied for an international patent on the Kakadu Plum extract to be used in skin care products. Traditionally used for food and medicine by the Mirrar people of Kakadu, this patent would create a monopoly of use for Mary Kay for up to the next 20 years. There is concern about this patent application as it may limit future use of similar extracts and indeed may exclude the use of Kakadu Plum in existing cosmetic products. The application had also angered some indigenous people as it doesn’t take into account any benefit sharing for traditional use of the plum.

Also known as Billygoat plum, the round, light green fruits are usually eaten raw or made into jam. The fruits gained increased popularity after the vitamin C content became known. Significantly the Kakadu Plum has been identified world wide as the single natural food source with the highest vitamin C content on the planet. It contains up to 3000mg of vitamin C per 100g of fruit, which is over 50 times the concentration found in oranges. In addition high levels of folate and polyphenolic antioxidants were also found.

Unfortunately, supply of high-vitamin C content Kakadu Plum may be limited. Antioxidant levels including vitamin C respond to harsh growing conditions and rise when the plant is under environmental threat which is common in wild stands of trees. Plantation crops of the fruit have lower levels of vitamin C due to irrigation and less harsh growing conditions.

The vitamin C content in particular explains why it Kakadu Plum has gained the recent interest of Mary Kay. Among other benefits Vitamin C – supports and stimulates collagen synthesis and reduces free radical damage. Significantly in the Australian climate, it also minimised photoaging. Photo-aging damage includes but is not limited to: wrinkles, dark blotches, freckles, leathery texture and loss of elasticity.

This exceptional extract can be found in the Mukti range, in particular their newly reformulated Nourishing Facial Cream as well as the divine Kakadu Plum & Honey Gel Hydrating Mask.

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