How We Source Totarol

The heartwood from New Zealand’s Totara tree provided a major breakthrough when we were looking for natural ingredients to protect skin from harmful bacteria. Including Totarol in our products meant we could offer an organic alternative to synthetic antibacterials.

But it would be a shame if demand for Totarol meant sacrificing these beautiful, long-lived trees.

So we don’t do that. Instead, we use Totarol from another source – old, recycled timber.

There is an ample supply in New Zealand of recycled fencepost and house timbers from trees that were chopped down many decades ago. The Totarol that gives these planks their longevity can be successfully extracted from old timber and then used in products formulated for human health.

Sometimes, dead wood can provide a healthy bonus for the living.

RESTORE SKIN TO ITS NATIVE STATE OF HEALTH

From the depths of minerals pools and the heights of mountain peaks comes Ao—a line of beauty born from the wild abundance of the world’s last settled landscape.

Our fresh scientific methods filter nature’s potent energy into products designed to overcome uncertain elements and defend your skin’s dynamic boundary.

_Adaptive ingredients that stand up to the harshest conditions

_Cold processed formulas that retain the raw power of every active

_Instigative expertise that questions standard skincare practices

This is beauty from the brink that brings back your natural balance.

MEET THE DOCTOR

Dr. Mark Gray
Dermatologist, Director Product and R&D
MBChB, FRACP, FRCPC, FRCPA, ABPath, ABDermpath, FRACCS, FASMS Specialist Dermatologist, Specialist Pathologist, Specialist Dermatopathologist, Mohs Surgeon.

Harvard-trained pathologist and dermatologist Dr. Mark Gray deeply understands the science of skin. As the founding Director of the largest provider of skin medical and surgical services in New Zealand, he’s spent the past 20 years listening to his patients struggle with the skincare world’s mixed messages: effective ingredients that are harmful; natural ingredients that don’t deliver results.

Armed with the belief that skincare is evolutionary, he explored breaking scientific advancements and societal trends towards globalism, environmentalism and rising ethical standards to find the ideal balance between health and efficacy.

"Skincare science needs to be on the very edge of social change and evolution in order to succeed."

Dr. Mark Gray

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TRY BEAUTY FROM THE BRINK

Give Ao a go. Take 60 days to try our award winning products. If you’re not convinced, we’ll take them back, no questions asked.