10 African Ingredients For The Natural Formulator By Liz Ayling
- Rhassoul clay
- Shea butter
- Argan oil
- Baobab oil
- Marula oil
- Buchu plant extracts
- Resurrection plant extracts
- Mongongo oil
- Mafura butter
- Honeybush plant extracts
INCI: Moroccan Lava Clay / Moroccan Stevensite.
Characteristics: a light pink to deeper red colour,
Rhassoul clay is a pure, natural mineral product in dry powdered form. It has a
Stevensite crystalline structure and its main component is Magnesium silicate.
African Ingredient Credentials: Rhassoul clay is sourced
only from beneath the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and has been used for its
skincare and wellness benefits since ancient times.
Rhassoul Clay Benefits: Rhassoul is rich in minerals and
nutrients that were once sea water deposits. It is an excellent, gentle, well
tolerated exfoliant that is used in body and face masks and spa treatments for
skincare benefits that are both topical and therapeutic.
We start our tour of African ingredients with clay sourced from the North
of the continent, Morocco. Rhassoul – also called Ghassoul, red or Moroccan
clay – is rich in minerals and nutrients. It was formed from sea mineral
deposits millions of years ago and has long been a favourite of spa treatments
both professional and at home. Rhassoul when mixed and applied in masks and
scrubs has an exceptionally gentle, softening effect on the skin and scalp.
Mixed with water or a hydrosol of choice, Rhassoul gently exfoliates the skin
absorbing excess sebum to leave the skin appearance toned and more radiant.
Don’t leave masks on to dry hard though as this can stretch the skin.
Clays are best offered as a dry product for customers to mix with water or
hydrosols on demand as they are notoriously hard to preserve without using a
very efficacious, strong natural preservative system. Clays must be
kept away from moisture and humidity in an air-tight container to avoid
microbial contamination.
2. Shea Butter
INCI: Butyrospermum parkii
Characteristics: From white and creamy white to mild
yellow and deep gold in colour depending on origin, production methods and
whether it is refined or not. The unrefined butter has a mild nutty to deep,
earthy, sometimes pungent scent while refined, it has virtually no scent.
African beauty credentials: Known also as Karité Butter
as it comes from the nuts of the Karité tree which grows in the Sehel region
stretching from East to West Africa. Top producing countries are Nigeria, Mali,
Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo. Shea butter is a rich
emollient that has been in use in Africa for centuries to protect the skin and
to alleviate the effects of strains and aches.
Shea butter is a very familiar natural skincare ingredient but it can be
tricky to work with and also comes in a bewildering array of grades. Shea
butter has among the highest percentage of unsaponifiable compounds (vitamins,
phytosterols, minerals and so on) of all vegetable oils and butters. These give
it its rich emollient properties.
Shea butter is harvested in a traditional way, and has been called
‘women’s gold’ for two reasons: African women have known of its emollient
properties for centuries; and it is still mainly women who produce it.
The UN estimates Shea butter production directly and indirectly
employs some 3 million women across Africa who work mostly in organised
cooperatives. Shea production is carried out to traditional methods with women
working long, hard hours harvesting and crushing the nuts to extract the
precious butter, which is boiled, cleaned and packaged for local and export
markets.
It is important to find out about the supply chain of any Shea butter you
buy. Ethical suppliers will be sourcing Shea from cooperatives and wholesalers
who pay a Fair Trade living wage. Also, decide which quality you prefer working
with. Unrefined Shea varies from a pleasant nutty scent to quite pungent; an
acrid strong scent may indicate poor quality processing or roasting during
processing or that the butter is rancid.
3. Argan Oil
INCI: Argania spinosa
Characteristics: golden yellow colour with a mild nutty scent.
If it’s too pale, it might have been diluted with other, cheaper vegetable
oils. Scent and its strength depends on how it is processed or if it is
filtered or refined.
African Ingredient Credentials: Native to Morocco, the
small, spiny Argan tree fruit was used by the country’s indigenous Berbers. It
has centuries of use in Morocco in both cooking and for cosmetics.
Argan is a relative of the Karite’ (Shea) tree, and its nut harvesting and
oil bear many similarities to Shea production. Women’s cooperatives are also
the prime harvesters of Argan nuts and produce the oil using age-old methods.
It is a costly oil not only on account of the manual labour involved but also
because it takes around 3kg of the kernals to produce 1kg of oil. As with
Karite’ suppliers, we recommend doing your homework to ensure you source argan
from ethical, sustainable producers. Ask your supplier, if in doubt.
The oil is exceptionally light, non greasy and yet emollient with a nice
skin feel and absorption rate. It has a unique combination of fatty acids (high
monounsaturated oleic acid and polyunsaturated linoleic acid) which give it
excellent skin nourishing and emollient abilities. It is also rich in vitamin
E, squalane, carotenes and antioxidants. This makes argan a useful oil in
anti-ageing formulations and as a well tolerated oil it is ideal in products
aimed at sensitive skin. Argan is very popular in hair preparations and cuticle
oils and for massage
4. Baobab Oil
INCI: Andansonia digitata
Characteristics: Golden yellow with a light nutty scent
which can have mild floral undertones. The flower of the tree though has a
pungent, indolic scent which attracts pollinators. The Baobab is an iconic
African tree and associated with the continent’s dramatic landscapes.
African Ingredient Credentials: The Baobab grows across
Africa though is native to other regions (Australia, Madagascar, Arabian
peninsula) and is known as ‘the tree of life’ as it can live for thousands of
years.
With its unusual crown, which looks like roots, the Baobab tree is also
called the upside-down tree and is the largest succulent botanical. Its oil has
an interesting, balanced combination of fatty acids with an almost even ratio
(around 32%) of oleic and linoleic acids. Its palmitic acid gives it a long
shelf life of over two years, if stored properly, and means it can solidify at
lower room temperatures. Baobab oil is another Africa oil that is easily
absorbed and highly versatile in formulations. Its Omega 3,6, and 9 fatty
acids, range of vitamins and powerful antioxidant properties (it has around
twice the amount found in pomegranates or goji berries), make it of
particularly beneficial in skincare aimed at mature and/or sensitive skin.
Baobab is in valuable in working on the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles,
scarring and hyperpigmentation. It may be a more expensive oil, but it imparts
an incredible number of benefits to your cosmetic formulations.
5. Marula Oil
INCI: Sclerocarya birrea
Characteristics: light yellow with a mild fruity-floral,
nutty scent. The oil can be extracted from the nuts, seeds and fruit of the
Marula tree.
African Ingredient Credentials: From the sub-Saharan tree
known as the King of African trees, Marula oil – ‘miracle oil’ – is highly
prized in Africa. Although a less widely known one, has been used for centuries
in Africa for it emollient skincare benefits. In folklore, the tree’s bounties
were said to foster happy marriages and longevity. Its fruit are a distinctive
lemon yellow and grow up to golf-ball size.
Marula oil is a premium and somewhat newer oil on the market outside
Africa and is valued for its exceptional antioxidant properties and for its
high (70% on average) oleic acid profile. Along with a range of vitamins,
Marula has a lesser known antioxidant in the form of the phytochemical epicatechin.
This, along with Marula’s other antioxidant components and its vitamin E, has
been found to demonstrate good in-vitro anti-ageing activity. Its fatty
acid make up includes palmitic, stearic, oleic, and myristic acids, which have
emollient and moisturising benefits. It is a light, well absorbed and
tolerated, highly versatile and novel oil in the formulator’s store. Marula is
equally at home and beneficial in anti-ageing formulations as in skincare for
oilier skin types, acne-prone skin and for hair and nails. One wonders if its
ability to work on the visible signs of ageing may be the reason for its
folkloristic uses! Certainly, its antioxidants give it a long, stable shelf
life.
6. Buchu Plant (diosphenol CT)
INCI: Agothosma betulina (leaf)
extract (also Barosma betulina)
Characteristics: Buchu essential oil has a sharp minty-fruity
(blackcurrant type) scent. The powdered leaf extract is a Matcha-green tea
colour.
African Ingredient Credentials: The plant is a small,
evergreen shrub native to South Africa where its leaf extracts (essential oil
and powdered leaf) have been used in traditional medicine. Dutch settlers used
it for a brandy tincture.
The small, shrubby Buchu plant grows wild on mountain slopes in western
South Africa and bears small, white flowers. It is part of the Rutaceae family
of which citrus are members. The leaves are steam distilled to produce an
essential oil which on account of its sharp scent has been used traditionally
as an insect repellent. The oil is known for its antiseptic and
anti-inflammatory properties but is not used in aromatherapy and needs to be
used carefully according to your supplier’s MSDS and COA stated dermal limits.
Its high limonene content gives it the distinctive scent. It contains pulegone
which is considered heptotoxic (can cause toxicity in the liver) and is to be
avoided in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
By this point, you may be wondering why Buchu essential oil is of any
interest to the natural skincare formulator. But used within the recommended
limits, it has a useful role to play in mainly rinse-off body care products
such as shower gels and liquid soaps. Its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory
properties and its sebum-mitigating effect see it used in cleansers, masks,
anti-blemish and mattifying formulations. We have seen it in under the bonnet
in the INCI lists of both high-street, mainstream and high-end cosmetics
brand products such as Fenty, Sephora, Origins, Lush, and The Body Shop.
While a more unusual and less common essential oil, it is one to research and
think about. The Tisserand ‘Essential Oil Safety’ (USA Amazon store
link) has excellent research and advice on using Bachu oils. You can listen to
Robert Tisserand talk about essential oil safety in general on one of our
podcast episodes.
Essential oil safety with Robert Tisserand
7. Resurrection plant
INCI: Myrothamnus flabellifolia
Characteristics: Unremarkable in appearance, the African
genus of the resurrection plant is a woody small shrub that grows singly or in
colonies and dessicates in drought periods only to spring to life very quickly
after the first rains.
African Credentials: As the common name suggests, the
resurrection plant has great spiritual value in many cultures and has been
imbibed with various supposed magical properties over the centuries. One such
belief is that the shrub can pass on its reviving abilities to the sick.
The Resurrection plant is perhaps the most incredible of all the natural African skincare ingredients we list here. It looks quite boring but its appearance belies a unique botanical makeup that allows the plant to revive from its dried and seemingly dead state during African droughts. Furled up and desiccated, the resurrection plant lives up to its name as within few hours of rainfall, it appears fully back to life. This feat has of course aroused the interest of scientists. The subject of continual research, the resurrection plant has already yielded some significant properties of great interest to cosmetic science.
Almost unknown in veined botanicals, the resurrection plant contains
significant amounts of trehalose, a sugar or carbohydrate. Trehalose appears to
protect the plants’ cell membranes from drought damage helping them to
rehydrate in tact. The plant also contains arbutin, which is a melanin
inhibitor decreasing tyrosinase activity. Arbutin helps reduce the oxidative –
or environmental – stress on the plants’ lipids.
Finally, resurrection has a high level of tannins which not only deter
animals from eating it, but which appear to prevent fungal growth on the plant
during drought. As you can guess, the chemical compounds that help the plant
survive its harsh environment have been investigated and harnessed in bioactive
skincare ingredients. Preventing oxidative stress, enabling hydration and
evening out skin tone (reducing hyperpigmentation spots) are just what
formulators are looking to include to help prevent the signs of prematurely
ageing skin.
The bio-prospecting and commercialisation of such plants as the
resurrection bush, which were for centuries sustainably and informally wild
harvested, is the subject of much debate. We hope it will prove a plant that
can bring sustainable benefits to local communities.
8. Mongongo Oil
INCI: Schinziophyton rautanenii
Characteristics: Light yellow with a nutty (hazelnut)
scent. The fruit of the mongongo tree are the size of small eggs, wrinkled and
deep yellow to light brown.
African Credentials: Mongongo oil from the tree’s fruit
kernals is another oil used traditionally in Africa to protect the skin. After
eating the fruit, local gatherers in the Kalahari desert would extract the
kernal oil and rub it on their skin.
Mongongo, or Manketti tree oil is a relative newcomer to north American
and European skincare but it is another versatile, light, protective and
emollient oil to explore. A tree endemic to savannahs and Namibian deserts, it
has, as you’d expect from a plant designed to survive harsh conditions,
properties that help protect the skin from water loss and protect its barrier
function. It has a substantial amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (around an
average of 50%): linoleic, alpha-linolenic and oleic fatty acids along with a
range of vitamins including vitamin E. The high percentage of linoleic acid
makes monongo especially valuable in formulations to reduce signs of premature
ageing and dry and mature skin. As it is light, non greasy yet nourishing, it
can be used standalone to moisturise and protect the skin and hair or as a
massage oil. In formulations, it is good all rounder.
9. Mafura butter
INCI: Trichilia emetica
Characteristics: Light brown and solid at room
temperature. A delicious caramel, nutty scent.
African Credentials: A beautiful, large iconic tree whose
fruit and cold pressed oil has a long use in local medicine. Drunk as a tea it
induces vomiting, as the ’emetica’ in its name suggests. The oil is used in
cooking.
Mafura butter from the Cape or Natal Mahogany tree is being touted as the
environmentally-sound alternative to palm oil even if not as cheap to produce.
The tree grows across Africa, in particular in the Zambezi river plain in
Zambia and Mozambique. It has large round fruit pods bearing bright orange-red
seeds which can be boiled up to release the oil which is skimmed off. The seeds
are fat rich and for this reason in the mid 20th century, Mozambique mafura
butter was produced and exported to Portugal for soap making. It is very
moisturising and therefore ideal for body care products like butters and
creams, as well as lip and body balms and also hair conditioning formulations.
It is rich in fatty acids, absorbs well into the skin and is said to have
antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties
10. Honeybush plant
INCI: Cyclopia spp
Characteristics: The Honeybush is an evergreen shrub
native to southern Africa (Eastern and Western Capes) and is named after its
bright yellow, sweet-fragranced flowers.
African Credentials: First documented by a European
botanist visiting the Cape in the early 1700s, honeybush has traditionally been
used for medicinal purposes and as a tea.
A member of the same species as the more famous Rooibos, the honeybush
plant has been typically seen as a tea. However, research has been carried out
on honeybush extracts for their potential as a skincare ingredient. In one
research study, honeybush extracts were tested in a solid formulation and shown
to have antioxidant activity and to improve skin smoothness (anti
scaling effect). Another study concluded that use of a fermented honeybush
extract in a test group had showed a decrease in trans-epidermal water loss
from the skin and had also had an effect on improving skin wrinkles,
elasticity, and hydration. Rich in polyphenols, honeybush has also been
researched for and shown some success in its potential to provide photoprotection and
guard against oxidative-induced skin damage.
While there may be more powerful natural African skincare ingredients in
our list to work on the visible signs of premature ageing and photo damage to
the skin, one thing is for sure about the honeybush; it a fabulous perfumery
ingredient. The whole plant is fragrant giving off a sweet honey scent. In
perfumery, the Cyclopia intermedia variety is sought out.
The leaves are distilled, or better still subjected to supercritical carbon
dioxide extraction which is gentler as not conducted at high temperatures.