Why Tamanu's exotic properties make it perfect for the luxury facial cleanser

One of our most popular products is our Tamanu Luxury Facial Cleanser. We include Tamanu Oil as an essential ingredient due to its anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antimicrobial properties. It absorbs quickly into the skin and promotes the formation of new tissue and the regeneration of skin cells. Perhaps you’ve used the product yourself, but do you know what tamanu oil is? Ever wondered why we use it (and why others don’t)?

The tamanu tree is native to Southeast Asia. It has black bark and shiny leaves and blooms twice a year with white, fragrant flowers that produce a fruit that looks like an apple, but contains a large nut like an avocado. To make tamanu oil, workers harvest fruit that has fallen from the tree and then sun-dry it for several months until it produces a thick, sticky oil. The nuts are then cold-pressed to produce the oil, which resembles olive oil. 

This process requires 100 kilograms of tamanu fruit to produce just 5 kilograms of oil. That’s almost five times the amount of fruit as it takes to make the same amount of olive oil. Because of the amount of fruit needed to make the oil, this is one of our more expensive ingredients. While some other skincare companies might skip using Tamanu Oil as an ingredient because of its cost, we feel like its benefits are worth every penny.

Traditional Polynesian cultures believed the Tamanu tree was sacred and that gods hid in its branches, offering them protection. For centuries, Southeast Asians have used Tamanu Oil as a topical healing agent, easing the symptoms of scrapes, cuts, burns, insect bites, sunburns, and even eczema. The oil is also used as a protectant against sunburn, high humidity, and harsh ocean winds. Today, Tamanu Oil continues to be hailed for its remarkable skin-healing qualities and also for its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties.