All About Andiroba

The Amazon region is rich with natural plants that produce a myriad of beneficial ingredients. Andiroba is one of those; it’s a plant in the mahogany family, which is sometimes referred to as Brazilian mahogany, Crabwood, Candiroba or Carapa guianensis. For centuries, its bark, leaves, and oil have been used to make traditional medicines.

What is Andiroba?

Although it’s been little known outside of its native region, andiroba is slowly becoming more familiar in the world of natural skin care. Although its bark and leaves are commonly used as medicinal treatment, the seed oil is highly effective for skin care uses.

• Visual Properties: Light yellow oil from mahogany-toned wood
• Flavor: Extremely bitter
• Origin: Trees in the mahogany family that grow in the Amazon region
• Location: Amazon, Central America and the Caribbean
• Uses: Traditional medicine, insect repellant, skincare

Producing this oil takes some time; the andiroba tree nuts are boiled, then fermented for about 25 days. Then the nuts’ pulpy insides are removed and left out for a few weeks as the oil naturally seeps out. One of the distinct benefits of andiroba oil is that during this process, no chemicals are added so it’s 100% organic and natural. Andiroba oil is also sometimes called crab oil.

Benefits of Andiroba

As an ingredient in natural skin care products, andiroba seed oil benefits the skin, joints and muscles due to its anti-inflammatory, conditioning, and rejuvenating properties. Its vitamins and minerals promote the growth of new skin cells, so it is highly beneficial for speeding up the healing of skin after injury, rash and skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

Andiroba oil also contains a collagen booster that plumps skin and improves firmness, so it works very well as a treatment for fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. The oil penetrates the skin easily to deep-treat dry skin and rejuvenate skin cells.

Some of the vitamins and minerals that make andiroba seed oil so effective include andirobin, Vitamins A, C, and E, in addition to linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, and more. Andiroba oil is rich in fatty acids as well, providing highly effective antioxidizing properties.

Ways to Use Andiroba

Traditionally, andiroba has been used for its medicinal properties. The bark and leaves have been used as a tea to treat conditions such as fevers, herpes and worm infections, or as a topical treatment for sores and ulcers. Andiroba produces oil from both its fruit and its seeds; andiroba fruit oil has been used to treat coughs, while the seed oil has many uses for skin care and treatment of skin issues including wounds, rashes, arthritis/inflammation and other joint aches and injuries.

As a skincare solution, andiroba seed oil is used to:

• Protect skin from the elements
• Heal dry, cracked skin
• Treat chronic skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis
• Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Condition and smooth the skin
• Treat inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, and muscle pain
• All-natural insect repellent
• Promote natural and healthy hair
• Stimulate healthier hair growth by stimulating the flow of blood to the scalp

Andiroba is an ingredient in a couple of our proprietary antioxidant-rich superfruit elixirs:

1. RainforestYouth Elixir™ used in our Anti-Pollution Facial Mist, breathing fresh life into your skin while hydrating, reviving and protecting to create a natural, youthful glow.
2. RainforestRestoration™ Elixir, as an important element of our moisturizing in our Beauty Butter that conditions and nourishes your skin from head to toe.

Love yourself, find your joy, share your passion.

Cheers, Val