This refers to the I.N.C.I. name of thepequi vegetable oil. This tree, native to Brazil, produces fruits with a spiky skin, making them difficult to eat. In cosmetics, its oil is primarily used in hair care products for curly or even kinky hair, to redefine curls.
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What is "Caryocar Brasiliense Fruit Oil" and what is its utility?
Summary
- The Pequi, a shrub that comes directly from the Amazon
- The benefits of pequi vegetable oil for hair, what are they?
- The virtues of pequi vegetable oil for the skin?
- Sources
Published March 15, 2022,
updated on February 5, 2024,
by
Maylis, Chemical Engineer
—
5 min read
The Pequi, a shrub that comes directly from the Amazon.
Also known as Piqui, this shrub belongs to the Caryocaraceae family and produces a fruit with a thick, spiny green skin, filled with thorns. Even though it's difficult to eat, local Brazilian populations incorporate it into homemade liqueurs and certain regional culinary preparations due to its nutritional contributions. Indeed, it is particularly rich in lipids and can even be used as a substitute for butter.
Pequi oil is obtained through first cold pressing followed by physical filtration from the pulp of the fruits . In Brazil, in traditional medicine, it is recognized as effective in treating certain respiratory diseases (cough, bronchitis, asthma) and healing wounds. It is also commonly used by farmers to treat their injured animals.
The benefits of pequi vegetable oil for hair, what are they?
Pequi oil is particularly recommended for curly or even kinky hair. These types of hair are generally affected by malnutrition, as sebum is more difficult to distribute along the lengths. It is therefore crucial to provide the hair with the necessary lipids to prevent breakage and tame frizz.
Several studies have proven the effectiveness of pequi oil on redefining curls, making styling easier and rendering the hair shinier. Moreover, pequi oil has a high concentration of provitamin A as well as oleic and palmitic fatty acids. It thus nourishes dry ends and brittle hair deeply.
Due to these benefits, pequi oil is present at a concentration of 5% in our rich hair oil. This treatment nourishes and restructures the hair fiber, protecting it from heat. The hair becomes soft, shiny, and manageable.
The virtues of pequi vegetable oil for the skin?
Particularly concentrated in antioxidant species such as zeaxanthin, vitamins E and A , and phenolic acids, pequi oil protects the skin from free radicals. As a reminder, these are reactive oxygen species naturally produced by the body. However, when cells are faced with a stress, they produce them in excessive amounts. The sources of stress are numerous, the main ones being exposure to UVA, pollution, smoking, a diet too rich in fats and/or sugars. Free radicals are particularly unstable molecules due to their single electron. They tend to react with other molecules to form an electron pair, and thus cause damage to cells, DNA, and proteins in the body. Aging is thus accelerated and wrinkles appear on the skin surface. The molecules present in pequi oil have the ability to donate electrons to free radicals to stabilize them and thus make them less harmful to the skin.
Furthermore, pequi oil contains approximately 60% oleic acid (omega-9) and 35% palmitic acid. These fatty acids provide nourishment and elasticity to the skin; they prevent dehydration by strengthening the barrier function of the epidermis. As a reminder, the hydrolipidic film enhances the resistance of the stratum corneum against external aggressions and limits insensible water loss. Thus, pequi vegetable oil is described as relipidating, it is recommended for taking care of dry and dehydrated skin.
Sources:
Aguilar EC, Jascolka TL, Teixeira LG. Paradoxical effect of a pequi oil-rich diet on the development of atherosclerosis: balance between antioxidant and hyperlipidemic properties. Braz J Med Biol Res. (2012).
Battermann M, Hippe T. Hair treatment agent useful for treating keratinous fibers comprises pequi oil, silicone comprising e.g. alkoxylated silicone, dimethicone, volatile silicone and/or sugar-containing silicone, and aqueous- or aqueous-alcoholic carrier. (2014).
Andréa Madalena Maciel Guedes & al., Pequi: a Brazilian fruit with potential uses for the fat industry, OCL, (2017).
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