Neem Oil: The Underrated Ingredient in Your Beauty Products
Photo by Tiara Leitzman on Unsplash
Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree, which has been used since ancient times from everything from a medicinal treatment to dry skin. Here’s why it is such an important ingredient that packs numerous benefits for your skin.
What is Neem Oil?
The neem tree is native to India, but it also grows in other tropical places like West Africa, Indonesia and Australia. The tree itself is pretty impressive – it grows quickly, as much as 20 feet in just three years and can grow in areas with minuscule rainfall. Ancient Siddha medicine (Indian) have even used neem as a vaccine against small pox.
Neem Oil Beauty Benefits
According to a review published in the journal Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, neem oil has numerous benefits and has been dubbed the “wonder plant”. The journal highlights its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory abilities.
Today, neem oil can be found in superior skin care products, like facial moisturizers. Studies have shown it has powerful benefits for dry skin, wrinkles, to stimulate collagen production, and minimizing the appearance of acne.
A 2013 study performed by the Department of Pharmaceutics at the P. Rami Reddy Memorial College of Pharmacy in India, researchers set out to investigate neem oils ability to improve the skin in those with acne, pimples and issues with skin elasticity. After three weeks, the researchers were able to conclude that neem oil “satisfactorily produced an antibacterial action on acne microbes” and “successfully prolonged treatment of acne”.
In a 2017 study performed on mice by Koren researchers from the College of Life Sciences, topical application of neem leaf was shown to be very effective against wrinkles. Researches concluded that neem leaf extract was a promising anti-aging candidate for topical therapy.
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