BABASSU

INCI Name / Latin Name

Orbignya Barbosiana (Babassu)

Botanical family

Arecaceae

Cosmetic benefits

Highly fluid and penetrating, babassu oil is used in cosmetics for its nourishing, hydrating and softening properties. It is also an active ingredient effective against cutaneous ageing and dry skin.

Origin / Cultivation

The babassu palm is native to the Amazon Rainforest and also currently grows in the Caribbean and Florida. It can reach heights of 20 metres and its fruits which look like small coconuts grow in large clusters. These nuts contain seeds that are cold-pressed to obtain a light-yellow oil very high in lauric acid (a saturated fatty acid) that has a subtle nutty odour. For over four centuries, the women of Maranhão (a community in eastern Brazil) have been nicknamed "quebradeiras de coco" or "nut breakers", harvesting and then processing babassu oil.