No. 172

All Ingredients: Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Oil

• Incidecoder Rating: Goodie
• EWG Rating: 1 (Best)
• PETA Rating: Cruelty Free & Vegan
• Origin: Cold pressed from tamanu nut kernels, sustainably grown in India.

Honest Research

A green-yellowish oil coming from cool places like Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the island of Polynesia. Similar to other more common plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids (oleic acid: 30-55%, linoleic acid: 15-45%, palmitic acid: 5-20% and stearic acid: 5-25%). 

The special thing about Tamanu oil, though, is that it contains the totally unique fatty acid called calophyllic acid that is suspected to give the oil its amazing healing and regenerative properties. The traditional uses of Tamanu oil range from using it for all kinds of rheumatism (inflammation in joints) to burns, wounds, skin rashes, and chapped lips and modern studies do confirm the wisdom of the old Polynesians. In fact, the wound healing properties of Tamanu oil is so strong that it produces visible improvements even for old (older than 1 year) scars during a 6-9 week period. 

According to a manufacturer, Calophyllum Inophyllum Oil also has significant SPF boosting and antioxidant properties. This latter one is probably due to its significant vitamin E content with delta-tocotrienol (236mg/kg) being the main form in the oil.

Overall, Tamanu seems to be an amazing oil for skin that is in need of some regeneration and protection. 

Some Proof

• Dweck, A. C., and T. Meadows. "Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum)–the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea." International journal of cosmetic science 24.6 (2002): 341-348.
• Léguillier, Teddy, et al. "The wound healing and antibacterial activity of five ethnomedical Calophyllum inophyllum oils: an alternative therapeutic strategy to treat infected wounds." PloS one 10.9 (2015): e0138602.

When to use

Early in the morning.

How to apply

Apply 2-3 drops and wait for 3-4 minutes for your skin to absorb. Repeat this until you find excess on your skin. Use a damp cloth to remove the excess.

Frequency of use

Once every day, even when you’re spending indoors or during winters.

Safe to use during

• Spray tanning
• Acne breakouts
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Use with other products

Mix 1-2 drops of every product and apply the mixture. The product is a natural moisturizer, so avoid using another. The effect of the product is NOT reduced by swimming or perspiring, so no need to re-apply.

Best practices

• Keep away from children. However, you can apply this to your children.
• Patch test before use.
• For external use only.

Consult your doctor

For frequency of use, if you are being treated for

• Third-degree burns
• Skin cancer

Afterlife

Re-use the bottle, or empty the glass bottle and place in the recycling bin.