Ingredient

Fair Trade Olive Oil

Olea europaea

Olive oil moisturises and protects skin and hair as well as improving the strength. Containing some of the most powerful antioxidants in the world, it definitely helps to maintain firm and glowing skin.

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is part of the large Oleaceae family, which includes jasmine and lilac. The trees have a thick trunk and gnarled grey bark and can live for thousands of years. They can grow fairly tall, but they are often pruned to a shorter height for ease of harvesting. The leaves of the tree have silvery grey undersides and are used for teas, decoctions and extracts.

Harvesting the green fruits usually involves shaking them from the trees using poles, after which the best olives are selected and processed. Though laborious compared to mechanical labour, hand-harvesting remains the popular method.

The oil is so full of benefits for health, skin and hair that it would be difficult to summarise it in one page. Here are a few important facts though, especially when used in cosmetics: olives, olive leaves, and olive oil have been proven to have anti-tumour action and protect against cancer. They contain a lot of antioxidant compounds such as vitamin E, hydroxytyrosol (a plant polyphenol) and oleic acid, which will help to fight free-radical activity on the skin and therefore help to keep it firm and bright. Moreover, the oil contains squalene, a compound that can also be found in the human sebum, meaning the oil will help to restore skin’s moisture and be easily absorbed.

Fair Trade olive oil found in Lush products comes from the women-led cooperative Sindyanna of Galilee in the northern region of Israel. It was founded by Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel to provide access to markets for Palestinian farmers, as a demonstration of peaceful cooperation and to empower women.