Ingredient

Organic Cold Pressed Passion Seed Oil

Passiflora Edulis

Also called maracuja, passion seed oil is a great example of revaluing waste by creating a high-quality cosmetic ingredient.

Where do we get it?

Lush UK purchases this cold-pressed oil from a Peruvian NGO and social enterprise called Candela. To avoid reliance on only one crop, they sell a variety of oils and butters, many of which can be found in Lush products (e.g. murumuru and cupuaçu). They work with a network of around 600 small-scale suppliers of the Amazon and the Andean highlands.

With seven manufacturing sites across the globe, this information may vary depending on where your Lush products were made.

What are the benefits for people and the planet?

Candela is based on the values of fair trade, a love for the Amazon rainforest and the Andes, and the promotion of biodiversity. For 30 years, they’ve maintained and nurtured a strong and sustainable value chain that uses environmentally-friendly practices.

The idea of adding passion fruit seed oil to Candela's catalogue was born out of the growing popularity of the fruits in the juice industry. Juice production generates a lot of waste (peels, seeds, etc.) that can cause pollution issues if not disposed of properly. Passion fruit seeds are full of precious oils, so wouldn't it be a shame to let them rot? It seems much wiser to collect and press them.

What are the benefits of passion fruit seed oil for the skin?

• Emollient
• Vitamin C-rich
• Antioxidant-rich

Antioxidants are compounds found naturally in our bodies, plants and animals. They help our cells fight against oxidation, a natural process that increases with age. It is believed that having an antioxidant-rich diet and cosmetic routine is beneficial to our health. In skincare, they are said to encourage the skin to stay firmer and brighter.

Unique stories

The family Passifloraceae includes many climbing plants producing flowers of complex beauty and sometimes round, egg-shaped fruits of various colours and tastes. The Passiflora edulis was first described by Spanish missionaries of South America in the early 16th century. They saw symbolic references to the Passion of the Christ in the flower and named the plant accordingly.