We call our newly launched Sunset Citrus Ultimate Whipped Body Butter the "ULTIMATE" for good reasons. This article will explain the incredible benefits from the 5 fresh-squeezed citrus ingredients in our butter along with their history and unique chemistries. I never cease to be amazed at what nature provides us.
Organic Mango Butter
The botanical name for Mango Butter is Mangifera indica. It's often the name you'll see on a product label. Mango Butter comes from a native tree in India. It's pressed from the large kernel of this beautiful fruit. The chemistry of Mango Butter gives it a lovely soft texture as it supports and nourishes the skin. Mangiferin, a polyphenol specific to mango, provides antioxidant, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Mango butter contains a fair amount of natural and stable vitamin C along with saturated and unsaturated fatty acid content. Simply put, this means Mango Butter is able to moisturize, repair and revitalize the skin layers with its wound healing properties as well as UV ray-protective capabilities. The tannins in the oil create a dry-feeling butter, providing astringency with a light feel on the skin.
Organic Apricot Oil
The botanical name for Apricot Oil is Prunus armeniaca. This oil is very similar to almond oil but has a lighter, softer touch. It's linoleic acid content is higher than almond, making up to 34% of the oil helping to protect and moisturize skin. Apricot kernel oil is exceptional for mature skin due to its emollient softening and skin nourishing properties. Apricot Oil boasts a generous amount of vitamin E content providing free radical protection from oxidation of cell membranes. It's also an anti-inflammatory, soothing irritation and supporting the protective barrier function of the skin. An apricot kernel has another notable property. It possesses the highest concentration of nitrilosides in the plant world. What's a nitriloside? It can also be called vitamin B-17 or laetrile, promoted as a cancer-preventative plant compound. In skin products, it shows promising benefits for treating cancer related conditions.
Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil
On a label, you may see this rich and elegant oil listed by its botanical name as Punica granatum. It’s a plant native to Iran. Pomegranate oil is particularly good for mature complexions supporting collagen production and providing protection from environmental exposure like sun and weather damage. The oil is pale in color, has little scent but has a luxurious feel and many benefits for the skin like its highly nutritious fatty acids, able to balance pH and condition the skin’s surface and helping increase elasticity. It’s anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and cell regenerating. It's structure with conjugated double bonds cause the oil to feel thick and rich on the skin. Also of note, researchers have conducted studies of pomegranate seed oil on cancer tissues and breast tissues with promising results.
Organic Sweet Orange Oil
Sweet Orange Oil or Citrus sinensis, has a fascinating history and even a mythical background, recognized for its properties hundreds of years ago. Nostradamus wrote about how to use its blossoms and fruit to make cosmetics. Hercules so valued it that he stole the golden fruit from Hesperides, who protected it as the primary food for the ancient Roman and Greek Gods.
Interestingly, sweet orange does not occur as a wild plant anywhere in the world. Orange essential oil is cold-pressed from the outer peel of the common orange fruit you eat for breakfast. Possessing a citrusy, fresh squeezed tart aroma with floral back notes, orange oil uplifts your emotions while having a direct effect on the brain’s olfactory system helping to lift mood and reduce anxiety with its calming properties. There's more! One of the biggest benefits in orange peel oil is its ability to help exfoliate skin. It’s high in AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), which allow it to work as an exfoliator and minimize the effects of sun damage on skin. In cosmetics, AHAs also function as water-binding agents (humectants) to help preserve the moisture of your skin and prevent flakiness and dryness. It helps strengthen and thicken the outer layer of skin, smooth fine lines and soften wrinkles.
What else can amazing orange oil do? It has virus and bacteria fighting abilities along with anti-cancer fighting properties largely due to the presence of limonene. There are now over 200 research articles on limonene, supporting its effective chemo-preventive agents. A 2010 study found that Orange oil’s PMFs (flavonoid antioxidants) have been shown to halt cancer proliferation and trigger cancer cell death.
Organic Grapefruit oil (Citrus x paradisi) was found in West Indies records during the 18th century and Florida was home to the first planted grapefruit trees in 1820. Grapefruit oil has been used for centuries to help fight inflammation, weight gain and sugar cravings. It’s signature taste and smell is clean, fresh and a little bitter, just like the actual fruit. Researchers reported in a 2002 study that grapefruit oil significantly affected brain activity and relaxation. Adults who inhaled the oils experienced improved mood and reduced feelings of stress.
My Alchemy Skin Care is pleased to be able to share these organic citrus fruits and plant oils with you. I can't emphasize enough how good and healthy Sunset Citrus Body Butter is for your entire body. Close your eyes and picture a sweeping sunset in these breathtaking colors - pomegranates with shades of red-purple-pink, ripened mangos with hues of yellow-red-orange, sun-ripened sweet oranges and blushing pink apricots. Just as the sunset provides a personal breathtaking moment of awe, we hope our Sunset Citrus Body Butter provides a therapeutic experience as this incredible body butter deeply hydrates, enlivens your senses and melts into your skin.
Reviews are calling it “indescribable” and “nothing like it”. Experienced skin care expert and beauty and spa authority, Joyce Robinson who is a CIDESCO Diplomate Master Esthetician complimented, “It’s the best I’ve ever tried!”
Being without words to describe this heavenly product, do you see why we included "ultimate" in its name? Our Sunset Citrus Ultimate Whipped Body Butter is truly "the ultimate"!
Written by Rebecca Adams
Co-founder of My Alchemy Skin Care, Cancer Survivor, Certified Essential Oil Coach
Resources:
Power of the Seed by Susan M. Parker
Essential Oils Ancient Medicine by Dr. Josh Axe, Ty Bollinger, Jordan Rubin
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070571/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26328444
https://www.skincarelab.org/citrus-aurantium-dulcis-orange-peel-oil/