Many premium cosmetic brands boldly claim to use only “100% Natural Ingredients.” While this certainly sounds great, not to mention official, what does it really mean? It may surprise you to learn that there is no official US government regulation for the term.
As an example, let’s take a look at Vitamin E, which everyone knows is a great moisturizer for both skin and hair.
“Vitamin E” is actually a family of 8 different naturally occurring substances that can be found in very high concentrations from sources such as almonds, avocado, and mango. Eat any of these foods and you’ll get a great dose of this beneficial nutrient. Sounds simple enough!
It gets more complicated when we take a look at an ingredient called “Vitamin E Oil”. The 8 substances that make up the Vitamin E family are indeed oils, so it’s reasonable to assume that Vitamin E Oil is just that - a mixture of these 8 naturally occurring components. Unfortunately, a quick google search shows us that this is not the case. Here is the ingredient list of a popular brand of Vitamin E Oil:
- Sunflower seed oil
- Safflower seed oil
- Tocopherol (Vitamin E) acetate
- Rice bran oil
- Avocado oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Apricot kernel oil
- Wheat germ oil
- Benzaldehyde
- Lecithin
Benzaldehyde? Cool.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the worst synthetic chemical in the world (it’s actually the flavoring ingredient in imitation almond extract). But the question remains - why? The answer? Money - it’s a cheap source of almond-like fragrance. I suppose there are worse things you could be applying to your skin and hair, but can you really call something made by chemical methods on an industrial scale “Natural?”
ManBeast Beard Oils contain only what we refer to as “Naturally Sourced Ingredients.” This means ingredients that are harvested in whole from naturally occurring plants using the most gentle methods possible (cold-pressing for carrier oils, steam-distillation for essential oils). We never use anything that is industrially synthesized.
So, how do we go about making a beard oil that is exceptionally high in Vitamin E, without including a Vitamin E Oil supplement? It’s simple - we look at the vitamin content of all the carrier oils available to us, and formulate a blend with the highest amount of Vitamin E possible while still optimizing for a fast absorption rate, lightweight feel, and maximum shine. While not the most cost efficient process, we believe it leads to a superior product.
Our Santa Barbarossa blend is prepared from carrier oils known to be high in Vitamin E (as well as some essential fatty acids, but that’s for another post). This is why we call it our “Extra Nourishing” blend. If you have drier than average skin or hair, we hope you’ll check it out! Not sure if Santa Barbarossa is the right blend for you? Check out our product selector quiz.
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