Where Coconut Oil Works in Our Formulas

Coconut oil is in more of our formulas than almost any other oil except Kalahari melon seed. It gives our hand wash and body wash their lather, adds cushion to our hand and body creams, carries the salt and sugar in our Lava Body Caviar, and, as monoi de Tahiti, brings a faint floral warmth to our Royal Kalahari Face Serum. We use it for what it does well, which is softening and lathering, and keep it out of places where it would feel too heavy. Here is where it shows up, product by product, and why.

Why we reach for it

Coconut oil has three qualities that matter to a maker. It lathers beautifully when made into soap, thanks to lauric acid, the fatty acid that makes up a little under half of it. It softens skin and helps slow the loss of water from the surface. And it is stable: as a mostly saturated oil it resists going rancid, so it keeps well in a formula made in small batches and used over months.

In our liquid soaps: the lather

Our Hydrating Hand Wash and Replenishing Body Wash are true castile-style liquid soaps, made by saponifying plant oils the traditional way rather than thickening a detergent. In both, coconut oil is the one that gives the lather its lift. Jojoba, a light liquid wax, leaves skin feeling soft; organic aloe vera adds a fresh, comfortable feel; and a touch of Kalahari melon seed oil finishes the blend.

Because coconut soap on its own can feel a little drying, it never works alone in our washes. The other oils balance it, so hands and skin feel comfortable rather than tight, even when you wash many times a day.

In our face wash: a rinse-off home

Coconut oil is one of the oils most often linked with clogged pores when it is left on the face. In a cleanser, it does its job and goes down the drain. Our Rose Face Wash Cream is a creamy wash made with rosehip seed, argan, coconut and Kalahari melon seed oils, with shea butter, oat and calendula for a gentle feel. It melts on damp skin, spreads like a lotion and rinses clean without the squeaky feel of an ordinary face soap.

In our hand and body creams: cushion

Our Hydrating Hand Cream and Rejuvenating Body Cream are built on Kalahari melon seed oil, a light oil that helps skin hold moisture. Coconut oil joins sunflower, jojoba and avocado oils to cushion the surface, while aloe leaf juice and glycerin add a fresh layer of hydration and argan and borage oils add suppleness.

Coconut's job here is texture. It gives the creams a dense, soft body and leaves skin feeling conditioned, while the lighter oils keep them from feeling greasy. The hand cream sinks in quickly enough that you can pick up a pen or a phone straight away.

In the Lava Body Caviar: slip for the scrub

A scrub without oil scratches. In our Hawaiian Black Lava Body Caviar, sea salt and organic sugar sit in a blend of oils that includes coconut, passion fruit and Kalahari melon seed. The oils let the grains glide over wet skin rather than drag, and when you rinse, they leave a soft, moisturized layer behind. Charcoal powder gives the scrub its black color. It is for the body only, never the face, which is exactly where coconut oil is most at home.

In GRR Oil: for the beard and the skin beneath

Our GRR Oil Beard Oil blends coconut with jojoba, Kalahari melon seed, avocado and castor oils. A few drops warmed between the palms spread easily through the hair, leaving the beard softer and easier to comb and the skin underneath moisturized, without a greasy shine.

As monoi de Tahiti: a small part of our face serum

Monoi de Tahiti is coconut oil in which Tahitian tiare flowers have been steeped, giving it a soft, creamy floral scent. It appears in our Royal Kalahari Face Serum and our Royal Kalahari Under Eye and Lip Serum Roller Oil. In the serum it is one of several oils, alongside Kalahari melon, baobab, camellia, passion fruit, mongongo and tamanu, so the blend stays light and sinks in without a greasy feel. The serum has no added fragrance; the faint warmth you notice comes from the oils themselves.

Where we leave it out

We do not make a pure coconut face oil. If your skin is oily or you want something almost weightless, our Squalane Face Oil or Rosehip Face Oil will suit you better than anything coconut-based. Every ingredient we use, and every product it is found in, is listed in our Ingredient Library.

Questions about coconut oil in our products

Which of your products contain coconut oil?

Our Hydrating Hand Wash, Replenishing Body Wash, Rose Face Wash Cream, Hydrating Hand Cream, Rejuvenating Body Cream, Lava Body Caviar and GRR Oil, plus the Royal Kalahari Face Serum and Under Eye Roller through monoi de Tahiti.

Is monoi de Tahiti the same as coconut oil?

It is coconut oil with tiare flowers steeped in it, which gives it a gentle floral scent. If you avoid coconut, avoid monoi too.

Why use coconut oil in soap?

It gives one of the quickest, fullest lathers of any soapmaking oil. We balance it with jojoba, aloe and Kalahari melon seed oil so the wash feels comfortable rather than drying.