What are the benefits of nopal for the skin?

Also known as the prickly pear, the nopal is a heat-loving tree that thrives in the tropical and Mediterranean regions of the world. It belongs to the cactus family. As it typically grows wild, it requires no specific maintenance. This variety of plants adapts to almost all types of soil and contains many essential nutritional elements for the body and skin.

Externally, the Prickly Pear cactus is covered with a spiky and dry skin. However, the interior is made up of tissues that store a significant amount of water, essential for the survival of this plant typically cultivated in arid zones.

The nopal cactus yields an edible fruit known as the prickly pear. Cold pressing its seeds results in an oil with numerous cosmetic benefits. Its comedogenicity index of 0 makes it compatible with all skin types. Its I.N.C.I. name is "Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil".

From the nopal, it is also possible to extract native cells that have numerous benefits for the skin. They are referenced under the I.N.C.I. name "Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract".

This vegetable oil is renowned in skincare due to its biochemical composition which endows it with excellent benefits: Vitamin E, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, sterols... It is suitable for all skin types but is particularly recommended for caring for mature, dry, dehydrated and flaky skin. Its virtues are manifold:

• Rich in antioxidant actives (sterols and vitamin E), it protects the skin from free radicals. As a reminder, these are reactive oxygen species naturally produced by the body. However, when cells are subjected to stress, they produce them excessively. The sources of stress are numerous, the main ones being exposure to UV rays, pollution, smoking, and a diet too rich in fats and/or sugars. Free radicals are particularly unstable molecules due to their unpaired electron. They tend to react with other molecules to form an electron pair, thereby causing damage to the body's cells, DNA, and proteins. This accelerates ageing and wrinkles appear on the skin's surface. Therefore, prickly pear vegetable oil is an excellent ally in preventing premature skin ageing;

• Rich in omega-6 and omega-9, it also providesnutritionandelasticityto the skin, andprevents dehydration by strengthening the barrier function of the epidermis. The hydrolipidic film improves the resistance of the horny layer against external aggressions and limits insensible water loss. Prickly pear vegetable oil is thus qualified asrelipidating, it is recommended for taking care of dry and dehydrated skin;

• It is also recommended forrevitalising dull and tired complexionsthanks to its composition of unsaturated fatty acids that restructure the skin to give it more luminosity;

• Itshealing propertiesare of excellent aid in reducing the appearance of stretch marks or small scars left by blemishes or acne outbreaks.