January 29, 2025 (Quito, Ecuador) – 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.
NOTE: MASHPI LODGE AND METROPOLITAN TOURING ARE WINNERS OF THE PRESTIGIOUS SATW PHOENIX AWARD
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 Pintaand Isabela II exploring the Galapagos Islands and at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel, the only beachfront hotel on Santa Cruz Island.
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.
For more information about Mashpi Lodge, please visit www.mashpilodge.com
About Metropolitan Touring
Metropolitan Touring is one of South America’s best-known and most well-respected travel companies, acting as a trusted operator in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Established in Ecuador in 1953, it is regarded as the heritage brand of the Galápagos, pioneering cruises across the fabled islands for more than 50 years. Today, this legacy lives on through its trio of expedition vessels La Pinta, Santa Cruz II, and Isabela II and its beachfront hotel on Santa Cruz Island, the 27-room Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel. Its holding group has also grown and evolved with its own unique hotel offerings on Ecuador’s mainland, including the 24-room Mashpi Lodge and the 31-room Casa Gangotena, as well as an ever-expanding selection of carefully curated tours, all of which allow visitors to truly get off the beaten track and under the skin of the destination.
By traveling with Metropolitan Touring, travelers offset their individual carbon emissions through its holding group’s carbon-neutral initiative, which calculates an offset fee per traveler. Through the Fundación Futuro, these funds are invested directly in protecting and expanding forest reserves in Ecuador’s highly-biodiverse Andean Chocó region, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2018.
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