Buriti Fruit: Health and Beauty from the 'Tree of Life'.

Buriti—pronounced boo-ree-CHEE—is a rich, smooth oil that I’ve loved for years. It is sustainably harvested from a palm tree that grows all over the tropical forests of my homeland of Brazil – generally in wetter areas near rivers and streams. We Brazilians know the Buriti palm as the “Tree of Life,” and with good reason. This oil has been used for millennia to keep skin looking youthful and add moisture and shine to hair.

In Brazil’s dense forests, Buriti can grow up to 130 feet high. Local women collect the fruit from the naturally-grown trees, soak the fruit and remove its outer casing so it can be used in a variety of ways. During the harvest, the women are careful to protect the health of the trees to make sure they will keep producing fruit. This sustainable approach is part of what we adore about Buriti!

We Brazilians love Buriti as a natural fountain of youth; but the trees are important in several other ways. Buriti is helping to boost small local communities in Brazil by creating a new source of jobs, and ensuring that forests and trees are worth more standing than cut. In addition to harvesting the oil for hair and skin care, people often use the fallen leaves and stalks in crafts, to weave ropes and to make things like handbags, toys and rugs.

Many Brazilians also consider Buriti fruit a superfood. High in antioxidants, vitamins, calcium, iron and protein, it can be eaten raw or used to make delicious juices, desserts and liquors. Buriti fruit has become a popular snack throughout Brazil. If you visit, you can usually find it in desserts or added to drinks in markets all over the country.      

So, why is Buriti such a powerful ingredient for skin care? Why do we consider it an Amazon beauty secret? For a couple reasons: First, the rich oil is packed with pro-vitamin A, which has amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Buriti also provides rich moisturization, helping to keep skin hydrated, healthy and young, and giving hair lots of hydration and shine, but with a very light non-greasy presence.

These properties make Buriti a “Tree of Life” for your hair and skin. That’s why in Brazil you’ll often see it listed as a key ingredient in several types of hair and skin care products:

Anti-aging. Since Buriti oil is packed with pro-vitamin A and other powerful antioxidants, it acts like a natural anti-aging elixir, increasing the skin’s elasticity and keeping cells moist. When it’s used in facial lotions and moisturizers, Buriti can help to erase fine lines and wrinkles.

Sun care. Thanks to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties and super high concentrations of beta-carotene (more than carrots), Buriti is also perfect for sunscreens and after-sun care. The soothing oil helps to reduce any inflammation, which has a calming effect on the skin—because, after all, inflammation of sun-damaged cells is exactly what makes a sunburn so uncomfortable. Buriti also protects skin from sun damage by helping to block UVA and UVB rays, which is good news for all of you summer time beach bums. 

Sensitive skin care*. Buriti’s anti-inflammatory ability also lends itself to sensitive skin and baby care products. As anyone with sensitive skin knows, the slightest dab of a harsh ingredient can cause redness, inflammation, itchy skin and even peeling. And that’s especially true for infants. Thanks to its rich pro-vitamin A, Buriti brings a soothing, cooling sensation to sensitive skin and baby care products and keeps inflammation away.

Moisturization. Smooth Buriti oil is also ideal for moisturizers for the lips, face and body, plus hydrating shampoos and conditioners. In hair care products, its healthy moisture can help prevent split ends, extend the life of hair color, and keep hair soft, shiny and manageable.   And due to the anti-inflammatory properties, many people find a noticeable reduction of flakiness - since I started using Buriti, I can wear black again. 

These are some of the reasons we adore Buriti, and know you will too, as such, it is one of the KEY ingredients we have added in our Brazilian Glow Skincare collection, our Brazilian Radiance Haircare collection, you may also want to check out other amazing rainforest superfruit ingredients included in all of our products, as well as our RAW by TEADORA Do-it-yourself line of toners, scrubs, clays and oils to learn about other Brazilian rainforest superfruit ingredients. 

*For those of you with sensitive skin, it is important to note that Teadora uses NO synthetic fragrances. Teadora also uses only organic Buriti oil sustainably harvested under the strictest guidelines to ensure the highest quality, conservation progress, and local community economic development.