Mashpi Lodge Rescues Botanical Species from Extinction: Magnolia Mashpi Body Products
Mashpi Lodge in Ecuador introduces Magnolia Mashpi personal care products for guests scented with the quintessence of Magnolia mashpi species
Amenities created through partnership with fragrance
company MANE and The Red List Project aim to
protect threatened botanical species and generate funds
for long-term conservation
Guests of Mashpi Lodge in Ecuador wear support for the preservation of endangered botanical species right on their skin with new Magnolia Mashpi body products. The personal care products scented with the quintessence of the Magnolia mashpi species — including shower gel, shampoo, and body lotion — are now available as amenities in the Lodge guest rooms and for purchase at the Lodge boutique. The Magnolia species was first described for science in 2016 and is known to grow only within Mashpi Lodge’s private 3,000-hectare cloud forest reserve close to Ecuador’s historic capital of Quito.
The body products are also available as amenities for guests at Casa Gangotena, a boutique hotel overlooking San Francisco Plaza in Old Town Quito, and soon for guests aboard Metropolitan Touring’s yachts La Pinta and Isabela II exploring the Galapagos Islands and at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel, the only beachfront hotel on Santa Cruz Island.
Personal care products are now available as amenities in guest rooms
A Body Care Product with Purpose
If ever a body product had purpose beyond personal care, it’s Magnolia Mashpi. The personal care products are the fruits of a partnership formed in 2024 between Mashpi Lodge, the renowned global fragrance giant MANE, and The Red List Project (TRLP), a nonprofit organization that works to rescue botanical species worldwide from extinction. Fostered by the Lodge’s Research & Biology team, the alliance created a circular nature-based solution to threats of extinction within areas of the Andean Chocó bioregion beyond the borders of the Lodge’s reserve.
A supporter of TRLP since 2022, MANE performed a one-time extraction from just a few fragrant flowers of a Magnolia mashpi tree that were harvested using Mashpi Lodge’s Dragonfly cable car, which more commonly transports guests across 1.2 miles of the reserve for bird’s-eye views of the stunning forest. The fragrance company then recreated a quintessence of the species’ fragrance using 100% biodegradable materials, ensuring the Magnolia mashpi continues to thrive in its natural habitat.
Reinvested into the Mashpi Reserve as Conservation Action
As with similar fragrances from MANE, the company is committed to sharing a percentage of profits earned from its sales of fragrances containing Magnolia mashpi’s reconstituted essence. As a result, the beautiful flower scent found only in the forests around Mashpi Lodge could be used in various consumer products, from perfumes to detergents.
Meanwhile, income derived from the Mashpi Lodge-MANE-TRLP alliance makes its way back to the forests of the Mashpi Reserve as conservation action. For example, funding a project for the Lodge’s Research & Biology team to identify other Magnolia populations outside the Reserve, the better to strengthen in situ conservation of various species and their long-term survival.
All that and a fresh, clean, sweet-scented experience to enrich guests’ skin in the comfort of their guest room is now available with Magnolia Mashpi body products at Mashpi Lodge.
