I've been looking into substituting some of the oils I use for other oils that would offer more skin care benefits and enhance the quality of my products. I've also been looking at creating products that contain more tropical ingredients because I want to tie everything into the name of my company.
One of the oils I came across is called babassu oil (Orbignya martiana). It comes from a palm tree in Brazil and can be used in place of palm or coconut oil in cosmetics. I like that it can be used in place of palm oil in soap, but I will admit, I haven't tried that yet. According to what I've found, babassu oil is good for all skin types. It is can be used on dry/damaged, mature, and even oily skin! It is so versatile that people are using it in all of their products.
I decided to try it in a lip balm. I substituted the hydrogenated soybean oil for babassu oil and I LOVE the feel of the lip balm. Soybean oil makes a good lip balm, but I have found that many of my customers were questioning whether it was non-GMO soybean (I was assured by the supplier that it was). Soybean is a good oil for normal skin, but doesn't offer that many extra skin care benefits. It really is a good, skin-softening oil, but I want to find some that are better.
The lip balm with the babassu oil has the same consistency, which I really like. It goes on just as smooth and stays on for a long time. However, my lips really do feel softer when I'm using that one! I use several different ones throughout the day, so I notice the slight difference between the new formula and the old.
The only lip balms currently made with babassu oil are my Orange Cream lip balms, but as I make new batches of the others, I will be substituting babassu oil for the soybean oil!
I can't wait to see how it feels in lotion!
