A welcome development in the beauty industry in recent years is the addition of natural ingredients in skin and hair products.
Products with argan oil, tea tree oil, or muramura butter now flood the market, and are selling fast.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) learned more about these nature-based beauty elements from Karen Ibanez and Dani de Leon of Unilever Philippines' Research & Development department during the launch of the company's newest brand, Love Beauty and Planet, last January 16.
Argan Oil
This Moroccan-based planet oil is "one of the top tiers in the world," according to Dani.
She said, "If you actually look at argan oil, you will see that it covers most of the benefits you want in hair—damaged hair, weak hair, rough hair, dry hair, dull hair. That's why it's called liquid gold."
Karen added, "It gives many benefits, among them is moisturization. It is also nourishing, so it makes your skin and hair softer."
Argan oil, which contains vitamin E, is also good for hydrating the skin.
Tea Tree Oil
Dani described this Eastern Australian-based plant oil as the "most popular one" of the bunch.
She said that "its detoxifying, purifying properties" make it a popular choice for skin care.
"It has a lot of antioxidants in it, which basically means it would throw out sort of the baddies in your skin and hair.
"It would help you get that deep cleanse, detox, so it would help you that healthy, clean look."
For hair, tea tree oil helps wash off the dirt and grime.
Murumuru Butter
Similar to the benefits of shea butter, murumuru butter gives "soft and smooth skin while giving a radiant glow," Dani said.
"It also helps maintain the vibrant colors of your hair.
"Shea butter is known more, especially in skin care, as something that gives you a kind of shine or gloss.
"It's quite similar, but the murumuru is more recently found. It is also not necessarily better than shea butter."
The only difference, Murumuru comes from the murmuru nut, which is found in the Amazon rain forest, while shea comes from the African shea tree.