Posts Tagged ‘Nine Naturals Ingredient Story’

Nine Naturals Ingredient Story: Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil

At Nine Naturals, we’re on a mission to make beauty simple, smart and safe for moms and moms-to-be. Integral to that is understanding our ingredients’ science and benefits. Today’s Nine Naturals Ingredient Story Series featuring Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil is part of on ongoing series featuring the natural, plant-based ingredients behind our high performance beauty products.

It’s an underappreciated fact that the healthy oils responsible for an avocado’s rich flavor can also be harnessed to impart some of that richness to your skin. Similar to olive oil, but containing a different profile of fatty acids, avocado oil is particularly useful in cosmetics for its moisturizing and soothing properties.

The Science & Extraction of Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is extracted from the fruit of the plant (rather than the seed), which can yield up to 35% of its weight in oil. Once the meat of the fruit has been separated from the skin and seed, it is dried and crushed into a paste. The final step in the extraction process is to separate the oil from the water by centrifugation, producing a brilliant green oil.

The green color is due to high amounts of carotenoids and chlorophyll in the purified oil. Avocado oil is also quite rich in vitamin E, particularly the alpha-tocopherol form which is preferentially absorbed by our bodies. As for the oil itself, it’s mainly comprised of moisturizing monounsaturated fats with small amounts of polyunsaturated and saturated fats rounding it out.

Avocado Oil‘s Benefits for Skin

Avocado oil has many benefits for skin health which is why it’s such a star ingredient in beauty products. The fatty acids moisturize by helping your skin retain water and have anti-inflammatory properties benefitting both dry and irritated skin that usually comes with pregnancy. Vitamin E is also present in large amounts in the oil, working to promote skin healing and regrowth and helping to minimize stretch marks. Oleic acid, the primary fatty acid in avocado oil, helps the skin to absorb the oil, which amplifies the potential benefits of all its other beneficial ingredients!

Why Nine Naturals Loves Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is packed with great active ingredients that Nine Naturals loves. Given avocado oil’s dual benefits for skin care as a moisturizer and a promoter of healing, it’s included in our Citrus + Geranium Soothing Body Wash. It’s part of a moisturizing formulation that keeps our body wash gentle enough for daily use, even on sensitive skin. Avocado oil couldn’t do it alone though, and you can learn more about all our ingredients in our Ingredient Glossary.

Nine Naturals Ingredient Story: Mongongo Oil

NN_Ingredient_Story_MongongoOil

At Nine Naturals, we’re on a mission to make beauty simple, smart and safe for moms and moms-to-be. Integral to that is understanding our ingredients’ science and benefits. Today’s Nine Naturals Ingredient Story about mongongo oil is part of an ongoing series featuring the natural ingredients behind our high performance beauty products.

Mongongo oil, also known as manketti oil, is a rich, versatile ingredient. It has been used for centuries by the !kung people of the Kalahari desert as a dietary staple and to protect skin from the harsh climate of the region. While the southern African mongongo trade remains active to this day, mongongo oil is now also recognized worldwide for its protective and moisturizing effects on hair and skin.

The Science & Extraction of Mongongo Oil

Mongongo oil is extracted from the nut of the tree Ricinodendron rautanenii using a cold press technique. The nut is first separated from the pulp of the fruit in which it grows and then subjected to intense pressure. A traditional hand press can yield up to 28% of the nut’s weight as oil while a modern hydraulic press approaches a 40% yield. Mongongo oil is rich in moisturizing poly-unsaturated fatty acids, in particular linoleic acid. It also contains extremely high concentrations of vitamin E in the form of γ-tocopherol. The tocopherol has the interesting and useful property of stabilizing the oil, acting as a natural preservative for many months.

Mongongo Oil’s Benefits for Hair and Skin Care

Mongongo oil packs a powerful combination of moisturizing and protecting skin and hair. In addition to linoleic acid, mongongo oil contains a number of other fatty acids that blend to make a potent cocktail that both hydrates and aids in repair.

Why Nine Naturals Loves Mongongo Oil

What’s not to love about a nutrient-rich ingredient that works to both moisturize and repair skin? Given this it should be no surprise that Mongongo Oil is one of the key ingredients in our Repairing Body Balm. In fact, the ingredient is so effective that it creates a truly versatile product that you can use in many different ways! We hold all of our ingredients to this high standard, and you can learn more about the others by checking out our ingredient glossary.