New Zealand deer milk used used in beauty products will go on sale in South Korea early next year.
But the milk could also rival medicalgrade ma¯nuka honey as a healing agent if early indications are anything to go by.
Anecdotal reports tell of wounds being healed using the innovative product, while a woman who has been milking deer in Southland for several years has swapped her calloused hands for softer versions.
Now South Korean pharmaceutical company Yuhan hopes to convince consumers about the benefits of the milk, from which it has created a range of cosmetic products, including a serum and moisturiser.
It signed a deal last week with Landcorp (trading under the name Pa¯mu), which supplies the deer from a Gore farm belonging to Sharon and Peter McIntyre.
Yuhan is the largest pharmaceutical company in South Korea, and has been developing the products for the past year.
They will be available in South Korea from early next year, marketed under the company’s New Origin brand.
‘‘We value Pa¯mu’s commitment to the environment, animal welfare, its people, and farming innovation and are excited to formalise this close partnership with them,’’ Yuhan chief executive Jung Hee Lee said.
Deer milk contained ‘‘a unique combination of properties that will deliver exceptional results to our customers’’.
Pa¯mu chief executive Steven Carden said the products were a response to what consumers were wanting. ‘‘It is incredibly important that we partner with strategic companies like Yuhan, who are committed to research and development and the commercialisation of products containing unique ingredients such as deer milk.’’
Carden said the idea for the products came after evidence from a technologist working on the deer farm.
‘‘The technologist, who works outside in the elements all year had very rough, dry and callused hands. After cleaning the filters at the end of deer milking each day, she noticed how soothing the deer milk felt on her hands. After just two weeks of milking, she said her hands became noticeably softer and her nails were stronger as well.’’
