Why Tamanu Oil Is in Three of Our Face Formulas

Tamanu oil is in three of our face formulas: The Royal Kalahari Face Serum, The Royal Kalahari Under Eye and Lip Serum Roller Oil, and The Midnight Youth Potion. In each it is one oil in a blend, not the lead. Tamanu is a thick, rich, deep green oil with a strong nutty scent, and in small amounts it brings a deeply conditioning feel that comforts skin that looks dry or weathered, while lighter oils such as Kalahari melon seed keep the finish fast and clean.

What tamanu brings to a blend

Tamanu oil is pressed from the nuts of Calophyllum inophyllum, an evergreen tree that grows along the coasts of Polynesia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean islands. The nuts are cracked, and the kernels are dried for weeks before they are pressed. What comes out is unlike most seed oils: dark, viscous and strongly scented, with a resinous fraction that makes up roughly a tenth to a fifth of the oil.

Its fatty acids are a rich mix: oleic acid at around 40 percent, linoleic acid at 25 to 30 percent, and a larger share of stearic and palmitic acids than lighter oils carry. That higher share of saturated fats is why tamanu feels dense and stays on the skin rather than vanishing into it. A small amount of phytosterols and vitamin E rounds it out.

On its own, raw tamanu is a lot to wear: heavy, slow to sink in, and with a scent that dominates. Blended, it adds depth and comfort without taking over. That is how we use it.

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum is the formula our brand is known for, and the winner of People's Star Beauty Award for Best Facial Care Product. It is a cold-pressed blend led by Kalahari melon seed oil, a light, fast-absorbing oil rich in linoleic acid that helps skin hold moisture. Baobab and camellia seed oils cushion and soften dry skin, passion fruit seed oil helps skin look brighter and more even, and tamanu comforts skin that looks dry or stressed. Mongongo, monoi de Tahiti, vitamin C and vitamin E complete it.

Warm four to six drops between your fingertips and press them into face and neck, morning and night. It sinks in without a greasy feel. With daily use, skin looks smoother, brighter and more even. It has no added fragrance.

The Under Eye and Lip Roller

The Royal Kalahari Under Eye and Lip Serum Roller Oil is built from the same family of oils as the face serum. Kalahari melon, baobab, mongongo, passion fruit, camellia, grapeseed and tamanu are joined by castor oil, which adds a soft, glossy cushion, and monoi de Tahiti for a faint floral warmth. Vitamin E keeps the oils fresh and vitamin C adds brightness.

The cool steel ball massages as it deposits, so you can trace a line under each eye and over your lips in a few seconds. Under the eyes, skin looks brighter, smoother and softly hydrated; on the lips it leaves a soft, nourished gloss. Here tamanu's richness is especially welcome, because the skin under the eyes and on the lips is thin and dries first.

The Midnight Youth Potion

The Midnight Youth Potion is the oil we make for evenings. Thirteen botanical oils, tamanu among them with grape seed, avocado, babassu, flax, jojoba, rosehip, marula, carrot seed, passionfruit, baobab, camellia and Kalahari melon, are blended with niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate and a vitamin C ester into one lightweight oil-serum. Light oils such as grape seed and passionfruit carry the blend, while avocado and baobab add cushion. Press four to six drops into clean skin as the last step of your evening routine.

Why tamanu stays in the supporting cast

Each of these formulas is built so that the lighter oils lead and the richer ones add comfort. A heavy, strongly scented oil at the top of the list would make a face serum slow to absorb and hard to wear every day. In small amounts, tamanu gives a blend more depth on dry or weathered skin while the overall texture stays light. All three are made by hand in our Williamsburg workshop in batches of 50 to 100, so what reaches you was made recently.

You can read about tamanu and every other oil we use in our Ingredient Library.

Questions about the tamanu in our formulas

Which tamanu formula should I use in the morning?

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum works morning and night, and the roller can be used any time. The Midnight Youth Potion is made for the evening, as the last step of your routine.

Is there tamanu oil in your body oils?

No. Imperial Jade Body Oil is mongongo, Kalahari melon seed, marula, grapeseed and argan oils with vitamin E. Tamanu appears only in our face formulas.

I have a nut allergy. Should I avoid tamanu?

Tamanu is pressed from a nut, so people with tree-nut or peanut allergy should avoid it or patch test with care. Ask a clinician if you are unsure.