8 Ways Star Ingredient Babassu Oil Can Save Your Skin

Babassu Oil

Babba – WHO? Babassu! Move over coconut oil, there’s a new oil in town. Babassu oil is the latest ingredient to pop up in natural skincare formulations, and green beauty formulators are gaga! It's incredibly moisturizing, but unlike coconut oil, doesn’t leave your skin feeling slick and greasy and is virtually non-comedogenic, meaning it doesn’t clog pores. To add to the raves - it’s lightweight, absorbs easily and doesn’t carry that lingering, heavy coconut scent that might not always appeal.

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

The Babassu palm tree grows wild in tropical areas of Brazil. The tree produces hard-shelled nuts that display in bunches of as many as 600. The nuts are collected and broken open by local Brazilian women known as Babassu breakers. The nuts contain kernels comprised mostly of oil. Much like coconut oil, Babassu starts out as a solid and melts down when heated or just by the warmth of your skin. Babassu oil is increasingly being used as a substitute for coconut oil in cooking, and in the soap and cosmetic industries.

WHAT'S IN IT THAT MAKES IT SO GOOD?

Babassu oil is packed with vitamin E, antioxidants and fatty acids with a high concentration of lauric acid which offers anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to lauric acid, it is also composed of other fatty acids including myristic, oleic, stearic and palmitic acids. Due to the healing properties, Babassu is used for medicinal purposes. According to NCBI, the mesocarp derived from the Babassu tree is used among communities of Babassu nut breakers for the treatment of different diseases such as rheumatism, ulcers, inflammatory conditions and for treating wounds.

8 Skin Benefits

Fights acne - because of its natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, Babassu targets acne. The nourishing oil helps to promote healing of acne-related scarring.
Brings relief to dry and itchy skin irritations such as eczema and psoriasis.
Soothes scalp – alleviates dandruff and brings relief to dry, itchy scalp.
Softens cuticles and cracked heels.
Conditions hair – add to hair conditioner or use as a leave-in for dry ends.
Reduces inflammation and redness from bug bites, mild burns, rashes and rosacea.
Relieves sunburn - Babassu is naturally cooling, making it a great after-sun exposure treatment.
Used in the preparation of treatments for toenail fungus and athlete’s foot.

We first learned about Babassu Oil from our friends at 28 Litsea, who use it as a staple in their formulations. While Babassu is quickly becoming a chosen ingredient in many natural skincare products, it can also be purchased by itself and used directly on skin and hair. If you make your own beauty products, Babassu can replace coconut oil in the preparation of soaps, creams and conditioners.