African potato, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, is not a potato at all. It is a hardy grassland plant indigenous to the eastern summer-rainfall regions of South Africa, from KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga to the Eastern Cape, the Free State and Limpopo, and it grows from a large, dark corm that is bright yellow when cut. It is also known as star flower, or yellow star, for the bright yellow, star-shaped flowers it carries through summer.
One of the four names on every label
Look at almost any Africology bottle and you will find the same four botanicals: marula, African potato, rooibos and aloe. They are the base actives of nearly every formula in the range, chosen for how well they work together on the skin. African potato, listed in our formulations as hypoxis, is the least known of the four, and arguably the most quietly hardworking.
What it brings to a formula
African potato is rich in plant sterols and sterolins, compounds that are close in character to the lipids skin relies on to stay comfortable. In skincare it is valued as a soothing, antioxidant botanical. It helps defend the skin against free radical damage, calms skin that feels reactive or over-stimulated, and supports softness and hydration.
That versatility is why it appears at almost every step of an Africology routine: in a cleanser, a toner, an exfoliator and a masque, and in the body butter and oils that follow.
Where it grows
African potato makes its home in open grassland and woodland. Its stiff, arching leaves appear in spring, and through early and late summer slender stems rise above them, each carrying a cluster of yellow star flowers that open with the morning and close by midday. In isiZulu it is known as inkomfe, and it has been part of traditional practice in South Africa for centuries.
Africology products with African potato
- Hydrating Cleansing Lotion, with rooibos, marula and cacao butter, for dry, normal and sensitive skin
- Tonic Anti-Reactive, with sage, rooibos and witch hazel, to balance oily and reactive skin
- Exfoliating Cream, where it soothes the skin as biodegradable jojoba beads polish
- Clay Masque, blended with bentonite clay, marula and aloe ferox
- Body Butter, with marula, rooibos and aloe, scented with neroli
- Tissue Oil, a soothing oil for dry and irritated skin
Read about its companions on the label, marula, rooibos and aloe ferox, or see all the botanicals Africology formulates with.