Opuntia ficus Indica, nature makes you beautiful

What is the plant with large, green and … thorny leaves? It is Opuntia ficus Indica, known as the Prickly Pear, a real concentrate of beneficial properties useful in cosmetics and beyond. Its cladodes, or the broad spiny leaves, fruits and seeds, are sources of vitamins, minerals and acids from which we have obtained our natural cosmetic creams with powerful soothing, moisturizing and anti-aging actions. A mine of health and nourishment that comes from nature for our skin.

From Mexico to Sicily, Opuntia ficus Indica is a plant with large thorns that since 1400 was appreciated for its high content of Vitamin C present in its fruits. To date, Opuntia ficus Indica represents a fundamental ingredient for the creation of cosmetic creams, oils and natural products that favour and support the normal functionality and structure of the skin.

What is Opuntia ficus Indica and what are its properties

The prickly pear, whose scientific name is Opuntia ficus Indica is a succulent plant, a cactus of the Cactaceae family spread in the Mediterranean, recognizable by its colorful fruits, by spiny blades called cladodes, thick and fleshy but above all resistant to drought or in more arid areas, such as in Sicily, where it grows wild.

Opuntia ficus Indica represents in the world of cosmetics a real concentrate of important beneficial properties for the skin.
From the cladodes it is possible to obtain an extract rich in mucilage and pectins that promote the healing of wounds and burns as well as having an emollient and soothing action like the most famous Aloe. Its fruits, called tuna, in addition to being highly appreciated for their bright colors and organoleptic characteristics, are particularly rich in sugars, amino acids, vitamin C and vitamin E and especially antioxidant components.

Opuntia seeds also contain an oil rich in vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are used in the formulation of creams and other protective cosmetics with anti-aging, moisturizing and soothing action. In fact, Opuntia ficus Indica oil is highly appreciated in the cosmetic industry as a source of hair nutrients (such as shampoos and conditioners to keep hair strong, voluminous and shiny), as well as in preventing the formation of wrinkles and stretch marks on the skin.

Opuntia ficus Indica oil: processing and benefits

Out of 2000 kilos of the Opuntia fruit, about 200 kilos of wet seeds are extracted. The latter are left to dry for a long period of time and once they have lost all of their liquids they reach a weight of just over 100 kilos. Once dried, cold pressing is carried out under pressure: the result is 1 kilo of Opuntia ficus Indica oil which is carefully filtered from impurities and bottled.
The prickly pear seed contains 62% linoleic acid and 20% oleic acid and is rich in vitamin E, a natural antioxidant which, together with the minerals, sterols and essential fatty acids present, protect the skin from free radicals and help fight skin dryness, they are a natural remedy useful for sensitive and acne-prone skin, support hydration and slow down skin aging, avoiding the annoying and unsightly formation of spots.

It is no coincidence, in fact, that Opuntia oil is an important ally for beauty in women who use it as an anti-wrinkle serum and against the signs due to excessive exposure to sunlight, overcoming the powerful and appreciated properties of the most famous Argan oil.

Opuntia ficus Indica is an elixir of properties useful for skin imperfections which, if used daily, will give the skin vitality and softness. This is why Dolcepura, exploiting the beneficial properties that nature makes available, creates highly specialized natural and cosmetic products that are delicate for the skin, for pure and authentic beauty.