It’s no secret that Australia is home to some of nature’s most potent healing plants. One of the most famous is also the star of Minenssey’s Rejuvenating range: Kakadu Plum. Also known as the billygoat plum or green plum, this small green fruit has featured in Aboriginal culture for thousands of years. The fruit was eaten, a tea was made to treat colds and flus and the sap of the tree was used on skin conditions and sores.

Kakadu Plum is a great source of Vitamin C

While Indigenous Australians knew its myriad benefits, the ingredient is more recently causing a stir in nutrition and skincare circles across the globe. It’s been hailed by fashion website The Zoe Report as “The New Vitamin C” as studies have found it contains between 50 and 100 times more vitamin C than is found in oranges.

Unlike your usual garden-variety purple plum, Kakadu’s version looks a little bit like a cross between a baby pear and a cumquat. They’re sour to eat with a slight astringency prompting chefs to add them to jams, chutneys, juices, desserts and ice cream.

Three of Minenssey’s Rejuvenating products – the Pink Clay Mask, the Nutritious Face & Neck Cream and the Superfood Facial Elixir - are loaded with Kakadu Plum, which is also combined with pomegranate, creating a C-loaded super duo.  

“My Kakadu story goes back about 16-17 years, long before it became popular,” says Minenssey founder and formulator Cheryl Ross, who started working with the fruit several years before it hit the mainstream.

“It ticks all the boxes. It’s age preventative and hydrating, it addresses pigmentation, it’s firming and strengthening. It also displays superior antioxidant properties,” she says. It was for this reason that she added it to the Minenssey’s Rejuvenating range – a line that has become popular for its ability to nourish skin while protecting it from the elements. 

According to Cheryl, it’s a no-brainer to use a plant source over a man-made vitamin C. “Natural vitamin C sources are believed to be better at reducing free radicals and have greater bioavailability when compared to synthetic vitamin C.” 

When sourcing Kakadu Plum, Minenssey supports the Indigenous Wadeye and Murunga Communities in the Northern Territory. The Wadeye community was the first source of sustainable wild-harvested Kakadu Plum. 

“Indigenous Australians are rightfully very protective of the plant as it’s a major source of revenue for the local communities that do all the harvesting,” explains Cheryl. “It’s strictly controlled as to who can harvest the fruit. It’s just the small local community in the area that can harvest their land,” she says.

In addition to its ability to ward off free radical damage, Kakadu Plum is also anti-fungal and antiseptic, which can help prevent impurities in the skin, resulting in fewer blemishes. 

For an intensive Kakadu Plum treatment, try adding a couple of drops of the Rejuvenating Superfood Facial Elixir to the Rejuvenating Clay Mask and relaxing for twenty minutes. Gently remove the mask with a warm face washer then finish with a generous application of Minenssey Rejuvenating Nutritious Face & Neck Cream.