The Story Behind Imperial Jade Body Oil: Five Plant Oils, Blended by Hand

Imperial Jade Body Oil is a body oil made from five plant oils, mongongo, Kalahari melon seed, marula, grapeseed and argan, finished with vitamin E and a scent from our own perfumery. We built it that way so it would glide on like silk, sink into damp skin without a tacky film, and leave shoulders, shins and elbows looking polished and feeling soft for hours. This is the story of why each of those oils is in the bottle, and how the bottle gets made.

A short list on purpose

Most body moisturizers are creams or lotions, which means they are mostly water held together with emulsifiers and thickeners. Imperial Jade went the other way. There is no water in it, no heavy butters and nothing waxy. Apart from the scent, every ingredient on the label is an oil, plus vitamin E to keep those oils fresh.

That choice shapes how the product behaves. Without water to evaporate, the oil stays where you put it until skin takes it in. Without butters or waxes, it never drags or sits in a film. And because nothing in the bottle is there to bulk it out, a few drops cover more skin than people expect.

The name sets an expectation, and the formula is meant to meet it. Jade is prized for its smooth, polished surface, and that is the finish we wanted on skin: smooth to the touch, softly luminous, never greasy.

The five oils, and what each one adds

Each oil was chosen for how it feels and what it leaves behind. Two of them come from the Kalahari region of southern Africa, and a third from the savannas nearby.

Mongongo oil

Mongongo, also called manketti, is pressed from the kernels of a nut tree that grows in the Kalahari woodlands. The people of the Kalahari have used the oil on skin and hair for generations. It contains a rare conjugated fatty acid, eleostearic acid, and it has a dry, silky touch that absorbs fairly quickly and leaves a soft finish. It is the reason Imperial Jade feels silky rather than slick.

Kalahari melon seed oil

This is the oil our brand is built on. It is cold-pressed from the seeds of a wild melon that grows in the Kalahari and stores water through the dry season. The oil is light, dry to the touch and rich in linoleic acid, and it helps skin hold moisture without feeling greasy. It is also the lead oil in our Royal Kalahari Face Serum, so Imperial Jade carries the same ingredient from face to body.

Marula oil

Marula is cold-pressed from the kernels inside the stone of the marula fruit. It is rich in oleic acid, which gives the blend its nourishing, cushioned side, yet for an oleic oil it is surprisingly light and sinks in quickly.

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed oil is pressed from the seeds left over after winemaking. It is very light and thin, absorbs quickly with almost no residue, and keeps the whole blend easy to spread over large areas like legs and back.

Argan oil

Argan comes from the kernels of the argan tree fruit in south-western Morocco. It is balanced between oleic and linoleic acids and leaves skin feeling smooth and supple, with a soft, non-greasy finish.

Vitamin E

Tocopherol, the skin's own oil-soluble vitamin, finishes the blend. It adds antioxidant care and helps keep the oils fresh in the bottle.

You can read every one of these ingredients, as it appears on the label, in our Ingredient Library.

Why these oils work together

On their own, each oil has a different weight and speed. Grapeseed and Kalahari melon are light and fast. Marula is richer. Mongongo and argan sit in between, with a dry, soft finish. Blended, they behave like one oil that spreads easily, absorbs at an even pace and leaves skin feeling moisturized without a coat on top.

The balance of fatty acids matters too. Kalahari melon seed and grapeseed bring linoleic acid; marula brings oleic acid; argan sits between the two. The result feels light on a warm summer morning and still comforting on a dry winter night.

Three scents from our own perfumery

Imperial Jade comes in three scents, each built by Marianella, who still makes every formula and every fragrance we sell:

• Hawaiian Black Lava, musky and woodsy, with saffron and cedarwood.
• Moroccan Fig and Bergamot, fresh and bright, opening with apple and grapefruit.
• Violet and Bergamot, a luxurious floral with mint and green tea.

The scent is meant to be close to the skin rather than loud. It opens as the oil warms in your palms and settles into a soft trace once the oil has sunk in. If you prefer citrus and woods, a separate blend, the Rosewood and Litsea Cubeba Imperial Jade Body Oil, uses its own mix of oils built around that scent.

How it is made

Imperial Jade is made by hand in our workshop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in batches of 50 to 100. Each batch is blended, hand poured, hand labeled and hand packaged by the same people who made it, which lets us check how the oil feels and how the scent opens before a bottle leaves the bench. We make what is needed rather than filling a warehouse, so the oil that reaches you was made recently. The bottle and label are designed by David Foote, Marianella's son and our Creative Director.

Where it fits in a body routine

Imperial Jade was designed for the minute after a bath or shower, when skin is still damp. A few warmed drops spread in seconds, and the oil helps seal in the water that is already there. It is lovely on its own. When skin is very dry, it layers well over our Rejuvenating Body Cream, which shares its Kalahari melon seed and argan oils. Once or twice a week, our Lava Body Caviar scrub can come first, to polish rough patches before the oil goes on.

Questions about how Imperial Jade is made

Is Imperial Jade Body Oil made by hand?

Yes. It is blended, poured, labeled and packed by hand in our Williamsburg workshop, in batches of 50 to 100.

What is mongongo oil, and why is it in a body oil?

Mongongo is a nut oil from the Kalahari woodlands of southern Africa. It has a dry, silky touch and absorbs fairly quickly, which is what gives Imperial Jade its silky rather than slick feel.

Does it contain the same Kalahari melon seed oil as the face serum?

Yes. Kalahari melon seed oil is one of the five oils in Imperial Jade and the lead oil in our Royal Kalahari Face Serum. It is light, rich in linoleic acid and helps skin hold moisture.

Why is there vitamin E in it?

Vitamin E adds antioxidant care and helps keep the plant oils fresh in the bottle. Apart from the five oils and the scent, it is the only thing in the bottle.