Hippophae Rhamnoides Leaf Powder, commonly known as sea buckthorn leaf powder, is obtained from the dried and ground leaves of the Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea buckthorn) plant. This powder is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to improving skin health and protecting it from environmental damage. It is primarily used in cosmetic formulations for its soothing, regenerative, and protective properties.
Chemical Composition and Structure
Sea buckthorn leaf powder contains a wide range of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. The flavonoids in the leaf powder offer antioxidant action, helping to protect the skin from free radicals while promoting cell regeneration and reducing signs of aging.
Physical Properties
This compound appears as a fine powder, light green or green-yellow in color. It is water-soluble and can be used in various formulations such as face masks, scrubs, and cleansers due to its ability to provide nutrients and protection to the skin. The powder also has mildly exfoliating properties, helping to remove dead skin cells and purify the skin.
Production Process
The leaf powder is produced by drying the harvested leaves and grinding them into a fine powder. This low-temperature drying process preserves the nutrients and bioactive compounds in the leaves. After grinding, the powder is purified to ensure the quality and purity of the final product.
Harvesting the Leaves: Leaves of Hippophae rhamnoides are harvested from mature plants. It is essential to follow sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the quality and biodiversity of the plant.
Cleaning: After harvesting, the leaves are cleaned to remove dirt, residues, and impurities. This step is crucial to ensure that the final powder is of high quality.
Drying: The cleaned leaves undergo a drying process to remove moisture. This helps preserve the active properties and facilitates subsequent grinding.
Milling: The dried leaves are then ground into a fine powder using mills or grinders. This process allows for a uniform consistency, enhancing the bioavailability of the active compounds present in the leaves.
Filtration: The resulting powder may be sifted to remove larger particles and achieve a finer powder, if necessary.
Quality Control and Packaging: Finally, Hippophae rhamnoides leaf powder undergoes quality control checks to verify its purity, composition, and compliance with standards. After analysis, it is packaged for distribution and use in dietary supplements and cosmetic products.
Applications
Skincare: Thanks to its antioxidant and regenerative properties, sea buckthorn leaf powder is used in masks and scrubs to revitalize and purify the skin, improving its elasticity and radiance.
Soothing Products: The anti-inflammatory and calming properties of the powder make it ideal for treating irritated or sensitive skin, reducing inflammation, and soothing irritation.
Exfoliating Products: The slightly abrasive texture of the powder makes it suitable for use in scrubs to gently exfoliate the skin, removing dead cells and promoting skin renewal.
INCI Functions:
Antimicrobial agent. This ingredient is able to suppress or inhibit the growth and replication of a broad spectrum of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses by making the stratum corneum temporarily bactericidal and fungicidal.
Humectant. Hygroscopic compound used to minimise water loss in the skin and to prevent it from drying out by facilitating faster and greater absorption of water into the stratum corneum of the epidermis. The epidermis is the most superficial of the three layers that make up human skin (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis) and is the layer that maintains hydration in all three layers. In turn, the epidermis is composed of five layers: horny, the most superficial, granular, spinous, shiny, and basal. Humectants have the ability to retain the water they attract from the air in the stratum corneum and have the function of moisturising the skin. They are best used before emollients, which are oil-based.
Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss. Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.
Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.
CAS: 90106-68-6 290-292-8
Health and Safety Considerations
Safety in Use
Sea buckthorn leaf powder is considered safe for use in cosmetics and does not pose significant risks of irritation or sensitization. It is well tolerated by most skin types and can be used in facial and body care products. Major regulatory authorities, such as the European Union and the FDA, approve its use.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions to sea buckthorn leaf powder are rare. However, it is recommended to perform a patch test before use, especially on sensitive skin.
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity
It is considered a safe and beneficial ingredient for skin health due to its antioxidant and nourishing properties.
Environmental Considerations
Sea buckthorn leaf powder is produced from a renewable and sustainable resource. The sea buckthorn plant is grown with minimal pesticide use and thrives in harsh environments, reducing its environmental impact. Additionally, the drying and grinding of the leaves are low-impact ecological processes.
Regulatory Status
Sea buckthorn leaf powder is approved for use in cosmetics by major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA in the United States. It is widely used in skincare formulations, particularly in regenerative and soothing products.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Studies
From the leaves and berries of the sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is extracted chloroform and n-hexane, components with intense antibacterial activity (1).
It is a rich source of vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids, amino acids, sterols, triterpenols and isoprenols (2) with an antioxidant activity.
The berries produce an oil containing carotenoids, palmitic, palmitolic and oleic acid, while the seed oil is composed of linoleic, linolenic and oleic acid as main components (3) .
This oil has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and for the treatment of dermatological problems including wounds, gastritis, peptic ulcers, uterine erosion and inflammatory disorders of the genital organs (4).
Sea buckthorn has significant cardioprotective activity and a positive effects on the healing of the cardiovascular system, including inhibition of platelet activation (in particular platelet aggregation), reduction of cholesterol concentration, blood pressure and antioxidant action (5).
In this study, a positive evaluation of the topical effects on atopic lesions as it improved the severity of dermatitis by reducing epidermal thickness (6).
The results of this study on the extract of Sea buckthorn, provide a basis for affordable, low side-effect therapy for the treatment of psoriasis (7).
Cosmetics
It produces a regenerating effect on the skin produced by carotenoids, vitamin E and unsaturated fats contained in the pulp and seeds.
Other applications
It is placed in foods, candies, to give a particular taste.
Sea buckthorn studies
