Açaí for Eco-Beauty: Noah’s Naturals, Sweet Beauty and Ikove
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve certainly heard of açaí. With 57 percent more antioxidants than pomegranate or blueberry, plus amino acids and polyphenols galore, it’s no wonder this purple superberry of the Amazon seems to be popping up in everything from Frappuccinos to cocktails. But what does it do when we smooth it on our skin?
Research shows that the oil of this fruit is an ultra-rich emollient, high in skin-softening and hydrating omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids. For centuries, açaí oil has cemented a reputation as an effective treatment for dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. In the Amazon and beyond, açaí also is used to treat acne, reduce swelling and ease muscular aches and pains.
No surprise there, considering that açaí berry oil is rich in anthocyanins and phenols, making it a powerful antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory. In fact, studies show that açaí is 10 to 30 times higher in antioxidants than red wine. This puts açaí at the top of the list of effective protections against free-radical damage and potential cancer cell formation.
When it comes to skin care, açaí and its rainforest neighbor, chocolate, seem to be a natural match. Sweet Beauty organic chocolate spa products are so divine we can barely resist a nibble: We especially crave the heavenly smelling açaí-based Berry Pretty Facial Scrub and Face Mask.
Another fabulous—and, sadly, inedible—line of chocolate-açaí beauty products comes from Ikove. Their complete lineup of USDA certified-organic everything from makeup remover to shampoo is heavily endowed with the oil’s skin-renewing fatty acids and essential omegas.
Wal-Mart may seem worlds apart from the Amazon, but its launch of Noah’s Naturals new decadently scented Açaí Body Care line brings the body-nourishing benefits of the exotic berry to the masses. These luscious lotions and creamy body washes are free of Big List offenders: parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, petrolatum, artificial colors, artificial fragrances, and animal ingredients and testing. And the prices, like the skin-protection benefits, just can’t be beat.
Now there’s no excuse not to get juiced!
—Spirit Demerson
Spirit Demerson is the President and Founder of Spirit Beauty Lounge, an online boutique specializing in luxury organic beauty and eco-lifestyle products. A recovering product junkie, eco-activist, former model and beauty school dropout turned “eco-preneur,” Spirit has spent over a decade searching for effective organic beauty products. Frustrated by the less-than-luxurious selection available at natural foods markets and misleading labels at department stores and drugstores, she sharpened her expertise, spending hours obsessively researching ingredients, often mixing up batches of lotions and potions in her kitchen or importing products and ingredients from around the world to treat the skin conditions of friends and family. In 2007, Spirit began hosting and producing elite Organic Spa Parties in New York City and San Francisco with organic facials, pedicures and cocktails to promote the green and glamorous life. Her Spirit Beauty Lounge webstore was developed of bringing the Organic Spa Party home! Spirit and/or Spirit Beauty Lounge have recently been featured in Natural Solutions, 944, Boho, Family Circle, Vegetarian Times and Lucky magazines.
