Sea buckthorn
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
An orange berry from cold coasts, unusually rich in the fatty acids skin uses to stay comfortable.
Sea buckthorn grows on windswept dunes and mountainsides across Europe and Asia, and its berries are the point: a rare source of omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) alongside omega-3, -6 and -9, carotenoids and vitamins C and E. The oil is a deep orange because of it.
On skin those fatty acids do what fatty acids do — they sit within the surface layer and help it hold water, so skin feels softer and stays comfortable for longer. The carotenoids and tocopherols add antioxidant support.
In a cleanser it is the reason the wash leaves skin feeling nourished rather than stripped, which is the whole argument for an oil-to-milk formula.
The study
Human studyOver 84 days in 13 healthy volunteers, a 5% sea buckthorn emulsion significantly improved skin hydration and reduced water loss compared with the same emulsion without it. A small study, single-blind.
Khan BA, Akhtar N. Hippophae rhamnoides oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion improves barrier function in healthy human subjects. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014;27(6):1919–1922. PubMed 25362595
Research on the ingredient, not a test of any FOUNDER product. Cosmetic benefits only, and skin varies. These are cosmetics, not medicine.
