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Zit ender oil by any other name….

…it’s just as sweet. And gentle on your skin.

Ultra Clarifying Blemish Oil

Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Salicylic Acid, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Foraha) Nut Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Fruit Oil, Bisabolol, Retinyl Palmitate, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Coleus Forskohlii Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, Thioctic Acid, Beta Carotene, Alpinia Galanga Root Oil, Cedrus Deodara Oil.

The idea behind the product

That acne is a complex problem with several components. Work on all of them and you can take control of your skin.

  1. Discourage and/or kill acne bacteria
  2. Keep pores open (no anaerobiosis here!)
  3. No food for you, nasty acne bacteria
  4. Decrease inflammation!
  5. Antioxidants to keep whatever lipids from oxidizing and blocking pores.
  6. Don’t dry the skin or remove essential lipids with ethanol or similar alcohols!

The ingredients by activity:

Shift fatty acids away from acne bacteria’s preference: Rosehip Seed Oil, Linseed Seed Oil, Foraha Nut Oil, Seabuckthorn Fruit Oil, Pomegranate Seed Oil

Skin renewal and opening pores: Salicylic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate

Anti-inflammatory: Bisabolol, Alpinia galanga root oil, Docosahexaenoic acid

Antibacterial: Coleus forskohlii  essential oil, Alpinia galanga root oil, Cedrus deodara (Himalayan cedar) oil.

Antioxidants: Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, Thioctic Acid, Beta Carotene

 

Bisabolol α-(-)-

This natural chemical is an unsaturated monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, partly responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect of chamomile essential oil. Bisabolol will not lead to sensitization or allergic reactions. Useful in the treatment of acne, may also help with rosacea. Bisabolol is well absorbed and also facilitates the absorption of other ingredients. When applied to skin that has been damaged by laser treatment, bisabolol increased skin hydration, surface lipids, skin elasticity, and decreased TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss, i.e. increased the integrity of the skin barrier). The anti-inflammatory effect of bisabolol is comparable to corticosteroid compounds, with the clear advantage that it lacks the side effects that should make the use of corticosteroids like hydrocortisone or dexamethasone a last resort.

Cedrus deodara. The inner wood is distilled into essential oil;  it’s used as insect repellent on the feet of horses, cattle, and camels. It’s also used in skincare products for its antioxidant antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity. Other activities: antifungal, immunomodulatory, analgesic. Contains aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and alcohols;  the most abundant chemicals are thujopsene, α-cedrene, cedrol, (+)-cuparene, and β-cedrene.

Coleus forskohlii (synonym Plectranthus barbatus) is a member of the mint and lavender family (Lamiaceae) that has seen centuries of use in Ayurvedic Medicine. Synonyms include C. barbatus Benth., Plectranthus forskohlii Willd., P. barbatus Andr. and P. comosus Willemse. This species is a perennial herb with fleshy, fibrous roots that grows wild in the warm sub-tropical temperate areas of India, Burma and Thailand. In India, the plant is even cultivated for use as a condiment. The essential oil is obtained from the fresh root material by hydrodistillation. One of its many components, sesquiphellandrene, provides a pleasant, woody aroma and is valued for its diverse biological benefits including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. In vitro, this essential oil was found to effectively inhibit the growth of skin pathogens including: 1) Propionibacterium acnes – a microorganism associated with acne and other skin infections, 2) Staphylococcus aureus – a bacterial strain found in infected wounds and skin eruptions including acne, 3) Staphylococcus epidermidis – a bacterial strain occurring in a variety of opportunistic bacterial skin infections and in acne, and 4) Streptococcus mutans – a bacterial strain associated with the progression of dental caries.

 Flax seed oil. Linseed oil, essential fatty acids. The oil extracted from the Linum usitatissiumum seeds goes rancid rapidly, because it is so rich in unsaturated fatty acids. A typical composition is about 50% triply unsaturated α-linolenic acid, less than 10% saturated acids like palimitic acid and stearic acid, 20% of monounsaturated oleic acid and about 15% doubly unsaturated linoleic acid. Flax oil has the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acid among plant oils.

Galangal essential oil. Alpinia galanga. A plant related to ginger, it is used as a spice in Arab and Thai cuisines. The main components of the essential oil from its rhizome are 1,8-cineole, alpha-fenchyl acetate, camphor, (E)-methyl cinnamate and guaiol This is an antibacterial essential oil without the (allergenic ascaridole) present in tea tree oil. Please note that there are other plants also called “galangal”.

Retinyl palmitate Anti-wrinkle anti-acne, regulator of skin renewal. Vitamin A is absorbed through the skin and increases the rate of skin turnover, and gives an increase in collagen resulting in a more youthful appearance.  Retinoids (retinoic acid, retinol, retinyl esters) inhibit synthesis of matrix proteases, increase collagen synthesis, stimulate division of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and stimulate synthesis of extracellular matrix by fibroblasts.

Sea buckthorn berry oil. Hippophae rhamnoides. Ayurveda, Chinese and Tibetan traditional medicines used sea buckthorn to cure a variety of ailments, including healing of stomach ulcers, skin cancer, healing of burns, etc. Some of these uses are backed by scientific evidence showing that the plant contains chemicals valuable for human health. The oil pressed from the pulp of the fruit cotains palmitoleic (16:1n-7), palmitic (16:0) and oleic acids as the major fatty acids, plus many antioxidants including alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). This oil promotes wound healing, also acts as UV protectant and retards ageing proces.  Sea buckthorn seed oil has been shown to change on the fatty acid composition of skin glycerophopholipids of patients with atopic dermatitis, increasing the proportion of docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) and decreased the proportion of palmitic acid (16:0).

Salicylic acid Exfoliant, acne control, corneocyte dequamation, anti-inflammatory

This weak acid (called beta hydroxy acid in the skin care industry “just because”), is used in exfoliation and to control acne. It is frequently dissolved in alcohol, drying the skin, but better formulations (like what we use in Skin Actives) avoid alcohol and allow salicylic acid to benefit the skin.

Tamanu oil (also called foraha or doomba oil) is pressed from nuts of the Calophyllum tacamahaca (or ati) or Calophyllum inophyllum tree. The nuts yield 70–75% of the greenish-yellow inedible oil. The oil originates in Polynesia where it continues to play an important cultural role. Typical fatty acid composition of tamanu oil: linoleic acid (38%), oleic acid (34%), Stearic acid (13%), palmitic acid (12%). Composition varies with environmental conditions but, in general, there is a majority of unsaturated fatty acids. Also present are phytosterols, mainly stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol.

References

Madhavan, Bindu Nair (1999) Final report on the safety assessment of bisabolol. International Journal of Toxicology, 18(Suppl. 3):33-40.

Stanzl, Klaus; Vollhardt, Jurgen. (2001) The case of alpha-bisabolol. Editor(s): Barel, Andre O.; Paye, Marc; Maibach, Howard I. Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology, pp.277-284.

Fisk, W. A., Agbai, O., Lev-Tov, H. A., & Sivamani, R. K. (2014). The use of botanically derived agents for hyperpigmentation: A systematic review. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 70(2), 352–365. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2013.09.048 

Andersen, FA (2003)  Safety assessment of salicylic acid, butyloctyl salicylate, calcium salicylate, C12-15 alkyl salicylate, capryloyl salicylic acid, hexyldodecyl salicylate, isocetyl salicylate, isodecyl salicylate, magnesium salicylate, MEA-salicylate, ethylhexyl salicylate, potassium salicylate, methyl salicylate, myristyl salicylate, sodium salicylate, TEA-salicylate, and tridecyl salicylate, Int. J. Toxicology, 22: 1-108, Suppl.: 3,  DOI:10.1080/10915810390239487

Baltazar, M., J. Dinis-Oliveira, R., A. Duarte, J., L. Bastos, M., & Carvalho, F. (2011). Antioxidant Properties and Associated Mechanisms of Salicylates. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 18(21), 3252–3264. doi:10.2174/092986711796391552 

J.J.J. Fu, G.G. Hillebrand, P. Raleigh, J. Li, M.J. Marmor, V. Bertucci,_P.E. Grimes, S.H. Mandy, M.I. Perez, S.H. Weinkle and J.R. Kaczvinsky (2010). A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide⁄peptide⁄retinyl propionate product regimen vs. a prescription 0.02% tretinoin product regimen. British J. Dermatology, 162: 647–654. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09436.x

Vereshchagin, A. G.; Novitskaya, Galina V. (1965). The triglyceride composition of linseed oil. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society. 42 (11): 970–974. doi:10.1007/BF02632457. PMID 5898097.

Yadav, R. K., Singh, M., Roy, S., Ansari, M. N., Saeedan, A. S., & Kaithwas, G. (2018). Modulation of oxidative stress response by flaxseed oil: Role of lipid peroxidation and underlying mechanisms. Prostaglandins & Other Lipid Mediators, 135, 21–26. doi:10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2018.02.003 

Santos, N., Mariane, B., Lago, J., Sartorelli, P., Rosa, W., Soares, M., … Pascon, R. (2015). Assessing the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils from Brazilian Plants—Eremanthus erythropappus (Asteraceae), Plectrantuns barbatus, and P. amboinicus (Lamiaceae). Molecules, 20(5), 8440–8452. doi:10.3390/molecules20058440 

Chen, Y., Chi, L., Liang, X., Shi, Y., Wu, T., Ye, M., … Du, Z. (2020). Essential Oils of Cedrus deodara Leaves Exerting Anti-inflammation on TPA-induced Ear Edema by Inhibiting COX-2/TNF-α/NF-κB Activation. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, 12–21. doi:10.1080/0972060x.2020.1756427 

 Zeng, W.-C., Zhang, Z., Gao, H., Jia, L.-R., & He, Q. (2012). Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oil from Pine Needle (Cedrus deodara). Journal of Food Science, 77(7), C824–C829. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02767.x 

Saab, A. M., Gambari, R., Sacchetti, G., Guerrini, A., Lampronti, I., Tacchini, M., … Efferth, T. (2017). Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of essential oils from Cedrus species. Natural Product Research, 32(12), 1415–1427. doi:10.1080/14786419.2017.1346648 

Claims on this page have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease.