Ingredients

You have likely heard this prickly plant called "aloe vera", as it is used in so many cosmetic products around the world, and often used as a home remedy for an array of soothing purposes. For good reason, too!

Aloe vera is contained in all Honeyskin Organics products. Also, you may have noticed that it is the first ingredient listed in all of our ingredient lists. That means that it is the predominant ingredient in all of our products.

So what exactly is aloe vera? And why it is such a popular ingredient in the skin and hair care world? We hope to answer those questions for you!

Aloe vera is a type of plant called a succulent. It grows in most tropical climates worldwide. It is usually relatively small, and it has thick, serrated, spiky leaves that are filled will a clear gel-like organic material (pictured below). These leaves, and the gel contained within, are filled with a plethora of vitamins and nutrients we love so much.

Australian Cehami is an Australian-native herb related to the daisy family. It grows along the Murray River in Australia, or generally anywhere there is water. It is easily identified by its unique leaves and minty, pine-like scent. 

We are huge coconut oil fans here at Honeyskin. There are many reasons why this versatile tropical oil is used in so many cosmetics products worldwide, and why we insist on using it in both our skin and hair care product lines. 

But first, a little information about coconuts themselves!

Coconuts are a type of fruit called a "drupe". They are produced by a tree fittingly referred to as the "coconut palm", or the Cocos nucifera tree, which grows in primarily tropical climates.

The oil is produced by quickly drying out the shell of the coconut, then pressing out the oils. The oils are then lightly heated for a short time to remove moisture, and then filtered. This method creates a thick oil without losing any of the valuable nutrients contained in the raw coconut.

Coconuts, and the benefits of their oil have been enjoyed by natives hailing from tropical islands for centuries. From hair care to skin protection, to cooking and consumption, coconuts have been used for a variety of healthy purposes.

Shea butter is a nutritious, buttery fat that comes from the nut of a tree called the Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii*), which grows almost exclusively in the dry savannah belt of West Africa.

The traditional method of preparing unrefined shea butter in Africa is done by first removing the outer layer of pulp from the vitellaria fruit, then separating the nut within from the outer shell. 

To make the shea nuts into the coveted butter, they are then crushed, traditionally with a pestle and mortar.

Next, the crushed shea nuts are roasted in a pot or vat over an open flame, where they must be constantly stirred to avoid burning, then they are ground while water is gradually added to create a paste. 

The paste is then kneaded in large containers while more water is gradually added to separate the oils. The oils are then removed and excess water is squeezed out. The oils are melted, again in a pot or vat over an open flame, evaporating any remaining water. 

The shea butter is then scooped out and cooled, which finally forms what we know as shea butter!

* INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) still refers to shea butter as Butyrospermum parkii, which is why it appears as such on our ingredient lists.

Cocoa butter is one of nature's greatest products. It works wonders for skin and hair, and it's also used to make chocolate! 

The Theobroma cacao tree is native to the deep tropical regions of Central and South America. Cocoa butter is derived from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree's fruit pods (pictured left).

The name "Theobroma" is derived from the greek words "θεός" (theos), meaning "god", and "βρῶμα" (broma), meaning "food". Meaning literally "food of the gods."

So how do these little seeds become the "food of the gods?"

It is made by taking whole cocoa beans, which are the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, and fermenting them, roasting them, and then separating them from their hulls, and crushing them to a paste. The majority of the leftover residue is cocoa butter, which is what is used in cosmetic products like ours, while everything else leftover is used to make chocolate!

Whether you wish it was chocolate or not, we assure you that you will be glad that Cocoa butter is in our products!

The flowers of the plumeria tree, also referred to as "frangipani", are known for their beautiful, tropical scent. Using plumeria extract in our products allows us to avoid the use of perfume or artificial fragrances, which we know many people are sensitive to. Thanks, plumeria!

But there is more to this tropical flower than its scent; it also works as a powerful skin moisturizer, used in oil form by massage therapists around the world to smooth out tough, dry skin during a massage.

Orange oil, sometimes called "sweet orange oil" or "orange peel oil", is a sweet, citrus essential oil derived from the rind of the Citrus sinensis fruit, commonly know as the "orange".

This delicious fruit has been used for a huge variety of reasons. From orange juice to skin care, oranges are very popular, and for good reason! 

All we're concerned about here, though, is the skin and hair care benefits of orange oil.

The most important thing about orange oil is its massive vitamin C content. 

Vitamin C promotes collagen production, which is a protein abundant in the human body. Collagen production begins to slow down as the body ages, causing the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin. An increase in collagen production increases the potential for higher skin elasticity, and helps replace dead skin cells.

It also helps limit the damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. Ultraviolet rays from the sun cause premature signs of aging, such as wrinkles and age spots.

Oranges also contain citric acid, which is a gentle, natural fruit acid that promotes skin peeling and regrowth, which is the process used in anti-aging products to make skin appear young and healthy.

Blue-green algae is the name of a group of simple, primitive, plant-like organisms that grow and live in Earth's oceans, lakes, and ponds. They use sunlight as their primary source of energy, and the process they use to do so, called "photosynthesis", produces oxygen as a byproduct.

When dried out and ground into a powder for use in cosmetics like ours, blue-green algae, specifically the spirulina strain of algae, possesses impressive beauty benefits.

Hemp seed oil is pressed from the dried out seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp seed oil does not contain the active THC compounds found in Cannabis sativa leaves. What it does contain, though, is very good for you!

Hemp seed oil contains all 21 of the known amino acids, and contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids. 

We use finely ground walnut shells in our scrub products as a gentle, but effective, exfoliant. Our ground walnut shells are smoothed and rounded to avoid causing skin-damaging microtears.

Walnut shell powder is an organic, moral alternative to the dangerous plastic microbeads almost all cosmetic manufacturers use in their facial scrubs and body washes, which are incredibly harmful to our planet's delicate ecosystem.

They end up in our lakes and oceans, where they can absorb harmful toxins like pesticides, flame retardants, motor oil, and much more. These plastic microbeads are often eaten by the native marine life, causing the absorbed toxins to transfer into the marine life's tissue or blood stream.

Marine life is often eaten by humans in the form of fish, sushi, or other seafood, causing humans to absorb the same toxic waste that the marine life was subjected to by eating these terrible beads.

Plastic microbeads are responsible for killing countless marine plants and animals, which is why you will never find a plastic microbead in a Honeyskin Organics product.

Citrus limon, commonly known as the "lemon", has has been a part of human culture as early as second century A.D., during ancient Roman times. For years it was used for primarily culinary purposes, but over time people began to notice the cosmetic benefits of lemons, and now it is a staple of the organic cosmetics industry.

Similar to its cousin, the orange, lemons are extremely rich in vitamin C.