While manuka honey has long enjoyed a reputation for being medicinal, it’s about to begin what will likely be a long-reining tenure in beauty thanks to New Zealand skincare brand ManukaRx.

ManukaRx is owned by parent company Manuka Bioscience. Also under the Manuka Bioscience umbrella is Manuka Therapeutics (a research and development arm), Manuka Biologicals (focused on mānuka oil production), and 3K+ (B2B skincare). The company has its own lab for product creation and in-house cosmetic chemist.

From a sustainability perspective, the brand ticks all the boxes; It owns the supply of its manuka oil, giving it control and transparency over its production. The brand is involved in every step of production, including the planting of 5,000,000 mānuka trees on the East Cape of New Zealand. The 180 hectares of plantations utilised by ManukaRx are run in conjunction with local iwi (Māori community) who are paid for the rights to use the land and also have a share in the profits. So, the sustainably produced mānuka oil supports the local economy, provides employment, fair land use and environmental regeneration through native mānuka planting that supports the health of the soil and land for years to come.

Manuka Bioscience says it’s aiming for all its mānuka fields to be completely organic by 2030.