Hippophae Rhamnoides Husk Powder, derived from the husk of the sea buckthorn fruit, is a natural powder rich in fibers, vitamins, and antioxidants. This ingredient is particularly valued for its exfoliating and regenerative properties, which help remove dead skin cells and stimulate cell renewal. Due to its nutrient-rich profile, sea buckthorn husk powder can also provide protective and nourishing benefits to the skin.
Chemical Composition and Structure
Sea buckthorn husk powder is rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamin C, and essential fatty acids, all known for their antioxidant and regenerative properties. The carotenoids protect the skin from oxidative damage, while flavonoids and vitamin C help brighten the skin. Additionally, the husk contains fibers that act as gentle exfoliants, promoting the removal of dead skin cells and encouraging skin regeneration.
Physical Properties
This powder has a fine texture and a color ranging from yellow to deep orange. It is easily incorporated into exfoliating scrubs, face masks, and cleansers. Its natural texture provides gentle yet effective exfoliation, improving the appearance of the skin.
Production Process
Sea buckthorn husk powder is produced by drying and grinding the fruit's husk after pressing. This process preserves the nutrients present in the husk, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which are then transformed into a fine powder for use in cosmetic formulations.
Harvesting the Husk: The husk of Hippophae rhamnoides is collected from ripe fruits. It is essential to follow sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the quality of the plant material.
Cleaning: After harvesting, the husk is cleaned to remove dirt, residues, and impurities. This step is crucial to ensure that the final powder is of high quality.
Drying: The cleaned husk undergoes a drying process to remove moisture. This helps preserve the active properties and facilitates subsequent grinding.
Milling: The dried husk is 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 husk.
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 husk 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
Exfoliating Skincare: With its natural exfoliating properties, sea buckthorn husk powder is widely used in scrubs and facial masks. It helps remove dead skin cells and promote cell renewal, leaving the skin smoother and more radiant.
Regenerative Products: The rich content of antioxidants and regenerative nutrients makes it an excellent ingredient for treatments that aim to enhance skin renewal and reduce signs of aging.
Cleansers: The husk powder can be incorporated into cleansers for a gentle daily exfoliation, helping to purify the skin without irritation.
INCI Functions:
Abrasive agent. It contains abrasive particles to remove stains or biofilm that accumulate on the stratum corneum or teeth. Baking soda, kieselguhr, silica and many others have abrasive properties. Peeling or exfoliating products used in dermatology or cosmetic applications contain abrasive agents in the form of synthetic microspheres, however, these microspheres, or abrasive particles may not be biodegradable and create pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
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 husk powder is considered safe for use in cosmetics. It is well tolerated by most skin types and does not pose significant risks of irritation. Major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA, approve its use in skincare products.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions to this powder are rare, but as with any natural exfoliant, it is recommended to perform a patch test before use, especially for individuals with sensitive skin.
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity
It is considered a safe and beneficial ingredient for the skin due to its antioxidant and regenerative properties.
Environmental Considerations
Sea buckthorn husk powder is a sustainable byproduct of fruit extraction. The collection and processing of the husk reduce waste and contribute to an eco-friendly and circular approach in cosmetic production.
Regulatory Status
Sea buckthorn husk powder is approved for use in cosmetics by major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA in the United States.
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
