Beauty Ingredient 101: Sea Buckthorn

Wondering why you haven’t seen sea buckthorn berries alongside raspberries and blueberries at the  market? These exotic orange berries originate in the Himalayas, making them precious and hard to obtain. But they’re well worth the trouble to seek them out, for both their inner and outer beauty benefits!

The original Latin name for sea buckthorn means ‘shiny horse,’ because sea buckthorn leaves and berries were said to make the coats of the horses who ate them strong and shiny. Tiny sea buckthorn berries are a fantastic source of antioxidant vitamins A, C & E, beta carotene and lycopene, as well as the powerful antioxidants quercetin and zeaxanthin.

These berries are also rich in Omega 3,6,9– and the lesser-known Omega fatty acid: Omega 7. Omega 7 hydrates skin and tissue, enhances skin elasticity and works as a strong antioxidant to prevent signs of aging.

One fantastic brand to check out for a sea buckthorn beauty boost is Sibu Beauty, a company that started with a tart and tasty sea buckthorn-based liquid supplement for skin and hair, and recently branched out with a few hard-working natural skincare products packed with sea buckthorn. Anyone with rosacea, eczema, acne or otherwise inflamed, sensitive skin will benefit from Sibu’s sea buckthorn line, which includes eye cream, day cream, body cream and facial soap. My favorite product is the simplest in the lineup: Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil, which you can pat onto clean skin at night or apply to individual dry patches or wounds. The result is calm, healed skin in the morning!