African Oils; Exotic and in Demand

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          “As part of an industry wide shift from chemical formulations to those based on botanical ingredients, many beauty companies are turning to Africa to find buzz-worthy ingredients. Among them are Clarins, which uses katafray, a tree extract from Madagascar, in its Double Serum; Patyka, which added prickly pear oil from Morocco to its Supreme Defense Fluid; and Colbert M.D., which relies on yangu, argan and marula oil for its Illumino Face Oil.”

         The beauty world is following in the footsteps of programs like Toms Shoes and Lauren Bush’s FEED bags, the purchase of which include donations to needy children in Africa.

·         Jergens created a video about the women of Ghana who collect the shea nuts used in Jergens products.

·         Lush released a YouTube video about getting its shea butter from the 400-member Ojoba Women’s Collective in northern Ghana.

      “According to a Nielsen study, the number of American consumers willing to pay more for products from socially responsible companies jumped from 36 percent in 2011 to 44 percent in 2013. “This is not just a fad, this is a global trend,” said James Russo, a senior vice president for global consumer insights at the Nielsen Company.”

Source: The New York Times