Rooted in Nature,
Backed by Science

At Āhua, we use real, carefully chosen ingredients that work in harmony with your skin. Grounded in nature and supported by science, our balms and oils are made to nourish, soften and protect.

Cows grazing on New Zealand pasture

The Science Behind the Tallow

Tallow is made almost entirely of fat, mostly oleic, palmitic and stearic acids.1 Your skin's own surface oils are largely made of fats too,2,3 which is why tallow feels so at home on skin.

Beneath those oils, your skin's outermost layer holds itself together with a mix of lipids: ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids in roughly equal proportions. This lipid layer does much of the work of keeping moisture in.4

As a waterless balm, tallow sits on the skin and forms a light protective layer that helps slow moisture loss, so skin feels softer and more comfortable for longer.5,6

Not all tallow is created equal. Ours comes from organic, grass-fed New Zealand cattle. Studies comparing grass-fed with grain-fed beef have found grass-fed fat tends to contain more omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and carotenoids, the natural pigments behind its golden colour.7 Every Āhua balm is made by hand in small batches, pure from the land to your skin.

The Botanicals

Kawakawa leaves

Kawakawa

Piper excelsum

A native plant with food, medicinal and cultural importance to Māori.8 Researchers have identified more than 60 natural compounds in its leaves, including flavonoids and lignans.9 We infuse it for its comforting, grounding feel.

In RESTORE and HALO

Mānuka flowers

Mānuka oil

Leptospermum scoparium

Distilled from the native mānuka shrub, used by Māori for centuries. Lab research on its natural compounds is promising, though studies in people are still limited.10

In RESTORE and HALO

Calendula flowers

Calendula

Calendula officinalis

A golden marigold rich in flavonoids, carotenoids and triterpenes, and used in close to 200 cosmetic formulations.11 We love it for its gentle, comforting reputation.

In RESTORE

Aloe vera plant

Aloe vera

Aloe barbadensis

One of the most widely used plants in cosmetics, prized for its cooling, hydrating feel.12

In RESTORE

Marshmallow root

Marshmallow root

Althaea officinalis

Around 5 to 12% of the root is mucilage, a soft, slippery plant gel.13 It gives our balm a silky, cushioning feel.

In RESTORE

Evening primrose flower

Evening primrose

Oenothera biennis

A cold-pressed seed oil that's about 70 to 74% linoleic acid and 8 to 10% gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), both omega-6 fatty acids.14 It adds a light, nourishing feel to our balm.

In RESTORE

Jojoba seeds

Jojoba

Simmondsia chinensis

Technically a liquid wax rather than an oil. It's made of wax esters,15 a type of lipid that's also a major part of human sebum.3

In RESTORE

Coconut

Coconut oil

Cocos nucifera

Pressed from coconut flesh, it's made mostly of lauric acid, at about 47.5% of the oil.16 It adds richness and slip to our balm.

In RESTORE

Beeswax

Beeswax

Cera alba

A natural wax made by honeybees. Its largest share is monoesters, at about 35%, alongside hydrocarbons and free fatty acids.17 It gives the balm its soft, firm body.

In RESTORE

Licorice root

Licorice root

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Licorice extracts are widely used in cosmetics. The root contains glycyrrhizin and glabridin, which researchers are studying for their effects on skin, mostly in the lab so far.18

In RESTORE

Roman chamomile flowers

Roman chamomile

Chamaemelum nobile

Its essential oil is unusually rich in esters, such as isobutyl angelate, which give it a soft, sweet scent.19

In RESTORE

Rosehips

Rosehip

Rosa canina

Rich in linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids, plus natural tocopherols and carotenoids. Linoleic acid plays a direct role in the skin's own moisture barrier.6

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Sea buckthorn berries

Sea buckthorn

Hippophae rhamnoides

A vivid golden oil containing palmitoleic acid (omega-7) and gamma-linolenic acid, often used in products for dry or maturing skin.20

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Cacay nuts

Cacay

Caryodendron orinocense

An Amazonian nut oil that's about three-quarters linoleic acid and contains natural forms of vitamin E. Testing has shown good emollient qualities.21

In HALO

Bakuchiol plant

Bakuchiol

Psoralea corylifolia

A plant-derived alternative to retinol. In a 12-week trial of 44 people, a 0.5% bakuchiol cream visibly reduced wrinkles and uneven pigmentation about as well as 0.5% retinol, with less stinging and flaking.22 That study tested bakuchiol on its own, not our products.

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Castor seeds

Castor oil

Ricinus communis

A thick, glossy seed oil that's about 89 to 92% ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid with a hydroxyl group.23 It adds cushion and shine.

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Camellia flowers

Camellia

Camellia japonica

Pressed from the seeds of the camellia flower, the oil is mostly oleic acid, which makes up more than 80% of its fatty acids.24 It feels light and silky on skin.

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Olives

Olive squalane

from Olea europaea

Squalane is made by fully hydrogenating squalene, giving a saturated, lightweight oil.25 Squalene occurs naturally in olive oil26 and makes up around 12% of the skin's own sebum.3

In HALO and HALO GOLD

Vetiver roots

Vetiver

Chrysopogon zizanioides

Distilled from the roots of vetiver grass and rich in sesquiterpenes such as khusimol. Its deep, earthy scent lasts, which is why perfumers use it to anchor a blend.27

In RESTORE, HALO and HALO GOLD

Vanilla pods

Vanilla

Vanilla planifolia

Cured vanilla pods owe their warm, sweet scent mainly to vanillin.28

In RESTORE, HALO and HALO GOLD

Frankincense resin

Frankincense

Boswellia carterii

One of the few essential oils tested directly on human skin cells. In a lab study using skin fibroblasts set up to mimic long-term inflammation, frankincense oil lowered several markers of inflammation and tissue remodelling.29 It's early research, funded by an essential oil company, and hasn't yet been repeated in people.

In HALO GOLD

Myrrh resin

Myrrh

Commiphora myrrha

Its warm, earthy scent comes largely from sesquiterpenes such as curzerene, furanoeudesma-1,3-diene and lindestrene. In a 2026 lab comparison of three essential oils, myrrh was the strongest antioxidant, though far weaker than vitamin C.30 That was a test-tube result rather than a skin study.

In HALO GOLD

Jasmine flowers

Jasmine

Jasminum grandiflorum

Its scent comes mainly from benzyl acetate, benzyl benzoate and linalool, which made up around 80% of the oil in one analysis. In lab tests it also showed antioxidant activity.31 There's no skin research on jasmine oil yet, so it's here for its rich, heady scent.

In HALO GOLD

Sandalwood

Sandalwood

Santalum album

East Indian sandalwood is one of the most studied essential oils in dermatology. Its main compound, alpha-santalol, has reduced inflammatory signals in skin cell and animal studies, and shown antioxidant activity in the lab. Human studies so far are small and early.32

In HALO GOLD

Cedarwood

Cedarwood

Juniperus virginiana

Virginia cedarwood is steam-distilled from the wood of the eastern red cedar, which is botanically a juniper. Its oil is made up mostly of alpha-cedrene, thujopsene and cedrol.33 There's very little skin research on the whole oil yet, so we use it for its dry, woody depth.

In HALO GOLD

Geranium flowers

Geranium

Pelargonium graveolens

Rose geranium oil is rich in citronellol and geraniol, though the amounts vary widely from oil to oil. In test-tube studies it has shown antioxidant activity and slowed tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in skin pigmentation. It hasn't yet been studied on skin in people.34

In HALO GOLD

Āhua products are cosmetics, made to care for the look and feel of your skin. They're not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any medical condition. If you have a skin condition, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

References

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  2. Pappas A. Epidermal surface lipids. Dermatoendocrinol. 2009;1(2):72-6.
  3. Picardo M, Ottaviani M, Camera E, Mastrofrancesco A. Sebaceous gland lipids. Dermatoendocrinol. 2009;1(2):68-71.
  4. Schmitt T, Neubert RHH. State of the art in stratum corneum research. Part II: hypothetical stratum corneum lipid matrix models. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2020;33(4):213-30. doi:10.1159/000509019
  5. Lodén M. Role of topical emollients and moisturizers in the treatment of dry skin barrier disorders. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2003;4(11):771-88.
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  7. Daley CA, Abbott A, Doyle PS, Nader GA, Larson S. A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutr J. 2010;9:10.
  8. Butts CA, van Klink JW, Joyce NI, Paturi G, Hedderley DI, Martell S, et al. Composition and safety evaluation of tea from New Zealand kawakawa (Piper excelsum). J Ethnopharmacol. 2019;232:110-8.
  9. Jayaprakash R, Ramzan F, Miles-Chan JL, Foster M, Mithen RF, Pook C. Exploring the chemical space of kawakawa leaf (Piper excelsum). Nutrients. 2022;14(23):5168.
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  12. Surjushe A, Vasani R, Saple DG. Aloe vera: a short review. Indian J Dermatol. 2008;53(4):163-6.
  13. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Assessment report on Althaea officinalis L., radix. EMA/HMPC/436680/2015. London: EMA; 2016.
  14. Timoszuk M, Bielawska K, Skrzydlewska E. Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) biological activity dependent on chemical composition. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018;7(8):108. doi:10.3390/antiox7080108
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  16. Shankar P, Ahuja S, Tracchio A. Coconut oil: a review. Agro Food Ind Hi Tech. 2013;24(5):62-4.
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  18. Cerulli A, Masullo M, Montoro P, Piacente S. Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra, G. uralensis, and G. inflata) and their constituents as active cosmeceutical ingredients. Cosmetics. 2022;9(1):7. doi:10.3390/cosmetics9010007
  19. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Assessment report on Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All., flos. EMA/HMPC/560906/2010. London: EMA; 2011.
  20. Zielińska A, Nowak I. Abundance of active ingredients in sea-buckthorn oil. Lipids Health Dis. 2017;16(1):95.
  21. Alfaro MJ, Padilla FC, Pérez MN. Caryodendron orinocense ('nuez de Barinas') oil: tocopherol content and use in cosmetics. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2000;22(5):335-40.
  22. Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, Notay M, Trivedi M, Burney W, et al. Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. Br J Dermatol. 2019;180(2):289-96.
  23. Nitbani FO, Tjitda PJP, Wogo HE, Detha AIR. Preparation of ricinoleic acid from castor oil: a review. J Oleo Sci. 2022;71(6):781-93. doi:10.5650/jos.ess21226
  24. Zeng W, Endo Y. Lipid characteristics of camellia seed oil. J Oleo Sci. 2019;68(7):649-58. doi:10.5650/jos.ess18234
  25. Ciriminna R, Pandarus V, Béland F, Pagliaro M. Catalytic hydrogenation of squalene to squalane. Org Process Res Dev. 2014;18(9):1110-5. doi:10.1021/op5002337
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  27. Pandey A, Tiwari SC. A review on chemical composition, oil quality, and bioactivity of vetiver essential oil. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2024;86(4):1176-86. doi:10.36468/pharmaceutical-sciences.1381
  28. Perera CO, Owen E. Effect of tissue disruption by different methods followed by incubation with hydrolyzing enzymes on the production of vanillin from Tongan vanilla beans. Food Bioprocess Technol. 2010;3:49-54. doi:10.1007/s11947-007-0048-4
  29. Han X, Rodriguez D, Parker TL. Biological activities of frankincense essential oil in human dermal fibroblasts. Biochim Open. 2017;4:31-5. doi:10.1016/j.biopen.2017.01.003
  30. Nenni M. Antioxidant activity and chemical composition of Origanum majorana, Cedrus atlantica, and Commiphora myrrha essential oils: implications for antifungal applications. Cyprus J Med Sci. 2026;11(4):253-8. doi:10.4274/cjms.2026.2025-127
  31. Galovičová L, Čmiková N, Vukovic N, Vukic M, Kowalczewski PŁ, Bakay L, et al. Chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm and anti-insect activities of Jasminum grandiflorum essential oil. Horticulturae. 2022;8(10):953. doi:10.3390/horticulturae8100953
  32. Moy RL, Levenson C. Sandalwood album oil as a botanical therapeutic in dermatology. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(10):34-9.
  33. Adams RP. Investigation of Juniperus species of the United States for new sources of cedarwood oil. Econ Bot. 1987;41(1):48-54.
  34. Balabanova V, Zheleva-Dimitrova D, Gevrenova R. Recent studies on Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér.: a review on chemical composition and biological activity. Pharmacia. 2025;72:1-12. doi:10.3897/pharmacia.72.e168167