These days, it seems almost anything naturally derived can be claimed as a miracle cure, a superfood or, to use the rather overused phrase, a “game changer.”
And while there are indeed a plethora of weird and wonderful ingredients out there that can benefit us in some way shape or form, it can be overwhelming to work out exactly which from the list are beneficial to you.
So the trick to work out what’s really working? It’s all in the detail – just take this new skincare revelation as an example: Deer milk.
Deer milk is your skin’s surprising new best friend. (Image: Getty)
You might have heard some chatter through the grape vine about deer milk skincare of late – perhaps the ones that are based in the vineyards of New Zealand’s beautiful Queenstown Lakes area – because that’s exactly where it all began.
Indeed New Zealand businessman Graeme Shaw cottoned on to the unprecedented ingredient after a chance encounter with cheese.
Yep, you read that right – Shaw was keen to see if cheese could be made from deer milk (jury’s still out on that one, FYI), but instead, he found something much more fascinating.
One of the farmers who had been milking the deer noticed that her weather-worn skin had been transformed after handling the milk.
What’s more, her nails had also grown stronger.
The revelation sparked an idea for Graeme, who set to work testing the milk for its benefits and developing a prototype range of skincare that could change beauty routines in the masses.
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The rest, as they say, is history. Graeme’s brand Kōtia was born, and deer milk is officially our new skincare buzz word.
There’s plenty of proof to back this up. Deer milk is known to be extremely high in protein, especially when you see how quickly baby deer (aka fawns) grow from birth.
“The mother can only feed it’s fawn three times a day for 90 seconds per feed, so it has to be rocket fuel when you see how quickly they grow.”
He explained along with whales and seals, deer milk is among the highest in protein out of all the world’s animals.
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Deer milk has been proved to have some surprising benefits for your skin. (Image: Getty)
The milk also has a number of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories including retinol, folic acid and vitamins E and D3, which help to prevent ageing.
And when it comes to the milk itself, it’s best left untouched, Graeme explains.
“There is some mystery in the milk. The animals are mysterious, but I think that’s a good thing. We wanted to deliver it in its entirely, and then added other ingredients to complete the picture.”
The milk in his skincare line is unchanged unlike commercially produced milk from cows, sheep and goats, which means it couldn’t be more loaded with the essential vitamins, minerals and proteins that our skin can benefit from.
Whether the ingredient will be picked up, used and transformed in its own way by other brands remains to be seen, but for now, we’ll just be over here enjoying it in its purest form.
Kotia products will be available from Priceline in April. (Image: Supplied)
