Why We Choose Mānuka Oil for That’s It Skincare

When it comes to what we put in That’s It products, we keep things simple.

1. It’s natural
2. It works beautifully as part of our skincare range

We became natural skincare specialists almost by accident. For years, we searched for simple, effective skincare products that suited our outdoorsy family and the demands of life outside.

That search led us to Mānuka and Mānuka Oil. We had the need, the curiosity and the land to explore what this remarkable New Zealand native plant could offer. That’s It was born.

Why Mānuka Oil caught our attention

What we love about Mānuka Oil is that it brings together natural origins with a growing body of scientific research.

Mānuka has a long history of traditional use in Aotearoa, while modern researchers continue to investigate the composition and properties of essential oil derived from the plant.

One area of particular interest is a group of naturally occurring compounds known as triketones.

Research into Mānuka essential oil has examined the relationship between triketone content and antimicrobial activity in laboratory settings. These studies help scientists better understand what makes different types of Mānuka Oil chemically distinctive.

Importantly, research into an ingredient does not mean that a finished cosmetic product is intended to diagnose, treat or prevent a medical condition. For us, it gives valuable context around the ingredient we have chosen to work with and why its quality matters.

Our high triketone Mānuka Oil

At That’s It, we have developed a specialised vacuum distillation process that allows us to produce our Mānuka Oil at lower temperatures.

Combined with the particular East Coast Mānuka we grow, this helps us produce an oil with naturally high levels of triketones.

That matters to us because we want to understand our ingredients from the plant itself through to the finished skincare product.

Rather than choosing Mānuka simply because it is natural or because it has become popular, we are interested in where it comes from, how it is grown, how it is distilled and what its natural chemical profile looks like.

A plant with deep roots in Aotearoa

Long before modern laboratories began analysing Mānuka, Māori incorporated the plant into rongoā and other traditional practices.

Different parts of the Mānuka plant, including its leaves, bark and gum, were historically prepared and used in a variety of ways.

That history is an important part of the story of Mānuka in Aotearoa. It also reminds us that interest in native plants did not begin with modern skincare or scientific research.

Today, contemporary research gives us another way to explore the plant, including the chemistry of Mānuka essential oil and the compounds it contains.

Natural skincare without the hype

There is often a tendency to divide skincare into two camps: natural products on one side and science on the other.

We do not think it needs to work that way.

Natural ingredients can be studied scientifically, just as synthetic ingredients can. What matters is understanding what an ingredient is, where it comes from and what the available evidence actually tells us.

That is the approach we take with Mānuka Oil.

We value its New Zealand origins, its distinctive chemical composition and the growing scientific interest surrounding its naturally occurring compounds.

Most importantly, we use it to create straightforward natural skincare designed for everyday life, particularly for people who spend plenty of time outdoors.

That’s It.