Top and bottom cult cream arrives in NZ

Sophia Rowe uses Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter as an anti-ageing cream and daughter Emelyn has also benefited from it. Photo / Richard Robinson

A baby bottom cream that has had UK mothers stampeding stores so they can apply it to their own faces has arrived on New Zealand shores.

Baby Bottom Butter, produced by British supermarket chain Waitrose, has been hailed for apparent anti-ageing qualities discovered after mothers began using it on their own ... er ... cheeks.

Gourmet supermarket Nosh is stocking the product, and expects the 18 cartons ordered as a trial to disappear from its shelves quickly.

The long standing Waitrose cream was reformulated in 2008 to remove parabens and chemicals and was lauded as an all-natural baby cream with soothing vanilla, olive oil and camomile ingredients.

Soon after, popular childcare blog mumsnet.co.uk began lauding the product as a face cream for mothers and the product, priced at less than 3 ($5.74), sold out in all stores and became subject to huge waiting lists.

According to overseas news coverage, the cream was so popular women were "stampeding" stores to get their own tub.

"It is so much better than all the expensive face creams I have tried — including Creme de la Mer," the Daily Mail quoted one mother as saying.

Creme de la Mer is a luxury skincare brand that retails for around $175 for 50ml.

One columnist for the Guardian was such a fan she was sceptical about giving the cream coverage in case it made it harder for her to buy.

"[It] really is the holy grail," she wrote.

"The downside is that last time it got this kind of publicity ... you couldn't buy a pot for love nor money.

"So, sorry if you were one of the poor unfortunates I elbowed out of the way on the baby aisle yesterday, but the secret's out and I'm afraid it's every woman for herself."

Nosh marketing manager Saatchi Goldwater said the store had long received requests to stock the popular product.

"People from the UK were ringing and asking 'have you got it? Have you got it?' and we have read the same media coverage so we wanted to see if it got the same reaction here."

The cream is priced at $8.99 for a 125ml pot at Nosh, the product's exclusive rights holders for New Zealand.

A youthful complexion as smooth as a baby's behind

For six years, Auckland mother of three Sophia Rowe has imported her own stash of baby bottom cream — to use on her face.

The British expat has lived in New Zealand for more than a decade and was sent her first tub of Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter by a UK friend.

"I got it as a gift when my first son was born and it sat in my drawer for months until one day I ran out of moisturiser and just chucked that on.

"It was absolutely fantastic," she said. "People say I don't look like I am going on 40, but I am not sure if that's proof it is anti-aging."

The 38-year-old gets the cream sent by family and friends, and has packed some in her suitcase on return trips.

"I actually tried to have it shipped over here but it would have cost more than the cream, so I would get my mum, mother-in-law or friends to send it over."

Her children have also benefited from the cream, she said. Cameron (6), Hayden (3) and 15-month-old Emelyn have all had the cream to soothe nappy rash.

"I have just got a pot this week and have been using it on my little girl, she's teething and had a sore bottom and it clears it up immediately."

The fact it was affordable and chemical-free made it even more attractive, she said.