Ingredient Highlight: Sweet Almond Oil

Ingredient Highlight: Sweet Almond Oil

 

~SWEET ALMOND OIL~

Today our ingredient highlight stars an all time favourite across the world, The Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis). This light and emollient oil has been long used to nourish and soothe delicate and dry skin.

So where does it come from?
The almond tree (Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis syn. Prunus dulcis) is native to the Caucasus region. After the domestication of this plant, humans spread it throughout Northern Africa, Middle East, Southern Europe and recently to the United States. Scientists think a genetic mutation at some point thousands of years ago, created the sweet type of almond we know today, and this separation allowed humans to start cultivating the tree at least as early as the Bronze Age. Almonds are now grown in many of the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Portugal, Morocco and Spain (Where we source our sweet almond oil from).

Historically the nourishing oil has been used for centuries in Greek, Ayurvedic, Iranian, and Chinese traditional medicine. The oil was used to soothe the skin, treat minor wounds and cuts, treat dry skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema and to prevent pregnancy stretch marks.

So what makes this oil so special? Let’s have a look at its key properties:

VITAMIN A: The healthy content of retinol in vitamin A has the ability to stimulate the production of new skin cells and smooth fine lines.

VITAMIN E: High levels of Tocopherols helps to protect the connective elastin and collagen fibres within your skin cells.

OLEIC ACID: The high level of oleic acid in almond oil is good for keeping the skin supple and acts as a moisturiser.

LINOLEIC ACID: The 19% linoleic acid content protects skin from UV radiation, adds moisture and soothes skin.

PALMITIC ACID: Palmitic acid supports the skin barrier to protect us from external influences.

ZINC: An essential nutrient for healing acne or other scars.

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