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Archive for the ‘Ingredients’ Category

Ingredient Profile: Avocado Oil

Posted in Ingredients, tagged , , on July 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

The avocado (Persea Americana) is a fruit native to Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Its name comes from the Nahuatl (Aztecan) word ahuacatl, meaning testicle. This is due to its similar shape and uses for fertility. It is a large berry with an equally large seed that is also referred to as vegetable butter, pear butter, [...]

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How to Identify Petrochemicals in Your Cosmetics

Posted in Greening Your Bathroom, Ingredients, The Bad, tagged , on June 25, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Petroleum – love it or hate it? I’m guessing that most of you hate it. The sad fact is that as much as we resent this commodity, it is unavoidable unless you are living with wolves. The latest catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico has put many of us over the edge in our disdain for [...]

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Ingredient Profile: Rose Absolute

Posted in Ingredients, tagged , , on April 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

There are only a few species of roses that have the fragrance sought after by perfumers and aromatherapists. The most popular choice is Rosa damascena, also known as Damask rose, Pink rose, or Oil-bearing rose.  It is a perennial shrub with pink flowers native to Europe and the Middle East that is a member of the Rosaceae family. Turkey is [...]

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The Role of Antioxidants in Skin Care

Posted in Ingredients, skin care, The Good, tagged , , on March 3, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Antioxidants are essential to an anti-aging skin care routine.  They play an important role in fighting and preventing free-radical damage, a process in which a molecule missing an electron attacks healthy skin cells. It is believed that free-radicals are the cause of all aging and age-related diseases. Antioxidants scavenge for free-radicals and basically kill them. Antioxidants [...]

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Ingredient Profile – Shea Butter

Posted in Ingredients on February 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Shea Butter comes from the Shea or Karite Tree, indigenous to drier parts of west and central Africa. It is extracted from the shea nut in a lengthy process that includes harvesting, cracking, crushing, roasting, grinding, separating the oils, and collecting and shaping the butter. This is a job traditionally performed by village women who [...]

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Is there such a thing as a natural preservative?

Posted in Ingredients on February 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

In the natural/organic skin care industry preservatives are always a concern. When minimizing a customers’ exposure to toxins becomes a priority, formulating a safe product with a long shelf life is a challenge.  The formula must have an antimicrobial that kills or inhibits growth of bacteria and an antioxidant to prevent the product from going [...]

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Skin Nutrients in Plant Oils

Posted in Ingredients, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I have been doing some ingredient research in the last couple of days and have noticed a lot of misinformation online (I know, shocking) about the the levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in plant oils. It seems that people are drawing  from the nutritional data of the entire plant rather than just the oil. [...]

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Ingredient Profile – Cocoa Butter

Posted in Ingredients, tagged , , , , on February 2, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Cocoa butter, also known as Theobroma Cacao (translation: food of the gods), is a creamy brown coloured fat that is solid at room temperature. It is the base for all chocolate and has been consumed in Mexico for over 3000 years. Benefits to the Skin Creates a barrier to protect sensitive skin from the environment [...]

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