The Natural Ingredient Low-Down!
April 18, 2007 by Teri Cosenzi
Filed under Cosmetics, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Skin Care
I often wonder where these natural ingredients come from, and why they are used in products. I have been doing some research, and have found the following information for the most popular ingredients used in natural beauty products, and what their purpose in the product is.
Glycerin, often found in soaps and cleansers, is made from vegetable oil, and is used for cleansing.
Vitamin E is from the Soybean, and is used for conditioning and moisturizing.
Jojoba Oil comes from Jojoba seeds and is used for moisturizing.
Olive Oil comes from Olives, and is also used for moisturizing.
Rosemary extract is used as a preservative and fragrance, and it comes from Rosemary leaves.
Coconut Oil comes from the Coconut, and it is used as a skin conditioner.
Peppermint Oil comes from the leaves of a Peppermint, and is most often used as a refreshing scent.
Wheat Protein is often used as a moisturizing ingredient, and is derived from wheat.
Sodium Chloride, is used to thicken a product, and this comes from sea salt.
Coco-Glucoside is also used to thicken a product, but this comes from both Corn Starch & Coconut Oil.
Chamomile Oil is used to balance the smell from natural ingredients while not producing a scent. It comes from Roman chamomile flowers.
If you find a natural ingredient and wonder about it’s source and purpose, please let me know. I would be happy to try to find out the information for you.
There are lots of natural ingredients coming from the Amazon rain forest that most of us have not had a chance to know.
Just to name a few: Guaraná, Cupuaçu, Andiroba, Jaborandi, Buriti, Karité, Açai, etc.
Buriti is from the “carotenoids” family and is one of the major sources of Pro-Vitamin A in the world and has strong anti oxydating properties.
Karité has a high concentration of Vitamin E and also has strong anti oxidating action.
Guaraná has “guanaÃna” which has the property to activate blood circulation, and it is a powerful energetic. I heard some people say tha Guarana contains “caffeine”, but again, is “guanaÃna”.
Some manufacturers, such as Vita Amazonia (www.vitaamazoniausa.com), which has a strong pharmaceutical backgroud (23 years) and it is the leader in professional skin care and hair care in Brazil, are just arriving to the US market with lots of high quality products made with unusual natural ingredients and latest dermatological technology.
The last Test Tube of New Beauty magazine was including some samples of Vita Amazonia Revitalizing Cream with 5% DMAE and Renewal Cream with Matrixyl.
I have been using Vita Amazonia Hair Products for the past year, and I Love them! The problem is that they are very hard to find. I use to go to Spa Vita, but they are no longer there. Please send me a specific web site. I live in Boca Raton & do not want to travel to Miami. Desperately Seeking!
I have never heard of Vita Amazonia. Is it readily available here yet?
Yes, you can find it online at Amazon.com or the manufacturer web site: http://www.vitaamazoniausa.com.