Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s
“The baobab fruit contains more calcium than two pints of milk, more vitamin C than six oranges, and more iron than red meat,” says Simon Jackson, extolling the virtues of the skincare ingredient that’s shaping up to be beauty’s next breakout star. A doctor of pharmacognosy, or the study of medicines derived from natural sources, Jackson has traveled to far-flung corners of the planet like the rainforests of the Amazon and Indonesia in the service of his research. So what exactly led the British-born scientist on a skincare expedition to the roots of the baobab tree? The fact is, women across the continent have been tapping into the healing properties of the seed oil to protect their skin and hair from the harsh environments for centuries—something that Jackson noticed on his trips to Africa. He ultimately poured baobab into his own winning line of Dr. Jackson’s Natural Products face oils and supermoisturizers.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s
Harvested across Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, baobab seed oil—which is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin A (the key ingredient in retinol-based face creams)—boosts skin elasticity and encourages cell regeneration. And it isn’t the only African superextract that Jackson poured into products like his nourishing day and night cream, which arrive in dark brown glass vintage pharmacy-style bottles (now available stateside on net-a-porter.com) that preserve their active extracts. Locally known as the sausage tree for its long and bulbous shape, the region’s Kigelia fruit is often used as a skin brightener. For those who suffer from hyperpigmentation, its naturally occurring melanin inhibitors are a welcome alternative to harsh bleaching agents. Shea butter and marula oil round out the list of Dr. Jackson’s ingredients, while arnica and calendula are anti-inflammatory; a tiny pot of 100% organic coconut oil, which melts with the heat of your fingertips, provides a dose of extrarich hydration to lips, cuticles, and dry patches. [Fashion Accessories]
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s
Jackson’s overarching mission for the line is hardly what you’d call skin-deep: With funding from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for his pioneering work, he’s now collaborating with rural communities on a tree-planting program to promote indigenous species like the baobab, with a percentage of the proceeds going back to conservation and education. “The current number of households employed by this industry on the continent is around half a million, but it has the trade potential to more than triple,” he says. “Now even kids who were cutting down the baobab to make room for foreign crops like tobacco are learning how and why they should nurture the plant they call the tree of life.”
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