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Odacite Ba+S | Eye Contour Baobab Sarsaparilla Serum Concentrate

Odacite
Ba+S | Eye Contour Baobab Sarsaparilla Serum Concentrate

Highly nutritive serum specially formulated for the delicate, thin skin of the eye contour.
Uploaded by: nlj on

Ingredients overview

*Highest grade cold-pressed wild crafted virgin oil **Organic

Odacite Ba+S | Eye Contour Baobab Sarsaparilla Serum Concentrate
Ingredients explained

Adansonia Digitata (Baobab*) Seed Oil - goodie
Also-called: Baobab Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient

Baobab is a really big, iconic tree native to Africa (here is a nice image of it). It's the largest succulent plant in the world and almost all parts of it have traditional medicinal uses in Africa. 

The seed oil, similar to other plant oils, is loaded with things that are good-for-the-skin: it contains skin regenerating vitamin A, antioxidant vitamin E, and vitamin D3 that helps with calcium absorption. It's rich in nourishing fatty acids oleic (30-40%), linoleic (24-34%) and palmitic (18-30%).

Its moisturizing benefits are impressive, it absorbed into the skin quickly and might even improve skin elasticity. A great oil for drier skin types and excellent for eczema and psoriasis. 

Hemidesmus Indicus (Sarsaparilla) Root Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Cymbopogon Martini (Palmarosa) Leaf Oil
Also-called: Palmarosa Oil;Cymbopogon Martini Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender**) Flower Oil - icky
Also-called: Lavender Essential Oil;Lavandula Angustifolia Oil | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, perfuming

We have to start by writing how fascinated we are by the amazing lavender fields of Provance and we do love pretty much everything about lavender: its look, its color, its scent.... but, when it comes to skincare, lavender is a questionable ingredient that you probably do not want in your skincare products.

First, let us start with the pros: it has a lovely scent, so no wonder that it is popular as a fragrance ingredient in natural products wanting to be free from synthetic fragrances but still wanting to smell nice. The scent of lavender is famous for having calming and relaxing properties and some smallish scientific studies do support that. Inhaled volatile compounds seem to have a soothing effect on the central nervous system and studies have shown that lavender aromatherapy can improve patient's anxiety and experience in hospitals.   

Another pro is that lavender oil has some nice antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It also has some local pain relieving and muscle relaxing magical powers. Lavender oil is also often claimed to have anti-inflammatory properties. We have found a study confirming this but it was the essential oil of the leaves and not the much more commonly used flowers and the two differ in their main chemical compounds very much. (The main components of the flower essential oil are linalyl acetate and linalool [around 80% the two together] while it is 1,8-Cineole [around 65%] in the essential oil of the leaves.)

Now, let us look at the cons: similar to a bunch of other essential oils, the main components of lavender oil are potentially irritating fragrant components. The two main components are linalyl acetate (about 50%) and linalool (about 35%) and both autoxidise on exposure to the air forming strong contact allergens. To make things even worse, lavender oil seems to be cytotoxic from concentrations as low as 0.25% (concentration up to 0.125% were ok). 

There is also an often cited Japanese study that made patch tests with lavender oil for 9 years and found a huge increase in lavender oil sensitivity in 1997 (from 1.1% in 1990 to 8.7% in 1997 and 13.9% in 1998). This was the year when using dried lavender flowers in pillows, wardrobes, and elsewhere became fashionable in Japan, so it seems that increased exposure to lavender results in increased risk of sensitivity.

Overall, it makes us sad to write bad things about such a lovely plant, but when it comes to skincare, you will be better off without lavender. 

Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Wood Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Vanillosmopsis Erythropappa (Bisabolol) Wood Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium**) Flower/​Leaf Oil - icky
Also-called: Rose Geranium Essential Oil;Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf/Flower Oil | What-it-does: perfuming, antimicrobial/antibacterial

The essential oil coming from the leaves and flowers of Rose Geranium.  It has a lovely scent with a mix of rose and citrus. 

Like most essential oils, it contains antioxidant and antimicrobial components, but the main ones are fragrant constituents (like citronellol and geraniol). Be careful with it, if your skin is sensitive.

Citrus Aurantium (Neroli**) Flower Oil
What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Flower Oil - goodie
Also-called: Roman Chamomile Flower Oil | What-it-does: soothing, perfuming

The essential oil coming from the second most common type of chamomile, the Roman Chamomile. It also contains the biologically active anti-inflammatory components, bisabolol, and chamazulene, but less than the more commonly used German Chamomile.  It's not clear what Roman Chamomile knows that the German one does not. 

Tocopherols (Vitamin E) Oil - goodie
Also-called: Vitamin E;Tocopherol | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0-3 | Comedogenicity: 0-3
  • Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
  • Significant photoprotection against UVB rays
  • Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection
  • Has emollient properties
  • Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive
Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>

You may also want to take a look at...

what‑it‑does emollient
A nourishing and moisturizing plant oil coming from the big, iconic Baobab tree. It's loaded with vitamin A, E, and D, as well as fatty acids (oleic 30-40%, linoleic 24-34%). [more]
what‑it‑does antimicrobial/antibacterial | perfuming
Lavender - essential oil with a calming scent and antimicrobial properties. Contains fragrant components (linalyl acetate - 50% and linalool - 35%) and might be cytotoxic from 0.25%. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming | antimicrobial/antibacterial
The essential oil coming from the leaves and flowers of Rose Geranium. It has a lovely scent with a mix of rose and citrus. Contains antioxidant and antimicrobial components, but the main ones are fragrant constituents. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does soothing | perfuming
The essential oil coming from the second most common type of chamomile, the Roman Chamomile. It also contains the biologically active anti-inflammatory components, bisabolol, and chamazulene, but less than the more commonly used German Chamomile. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant
irritancy, com. 0-3, 0-3
Pure Vitamin E. Great antioxidant that gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays. Works in synergy with Vitamin C. [more]
We do a Best of INCIDecoder email once a month with the most interesting products and ingredients we bump into.
*INCI is a list of the standardized and internationally accepted names used in the declaration of ingredients on cosmetic and personal care products. It is published by the Personal Care Product Council.
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