Why Papaya? What Papaya? Who is Papaya?

Hello! Hope the second week of January is treating you well! I thought it’d be fun to give you an insight or glimpse of our highlighted ingredient for the month; papaya seed oil and its use in skincare.

Let’s begin:

As it is listed on our ingredient list Carica papaya L. aka Papaya is the specific papaya we use for our formulation in our current line for sensitive skin. There are multiple types of papaya, but the one we know is the Hawaiin one. It is typically seen as a pear shaped, yellow (when ripe) and when opened you can observe its orange-ish pink-ish skin with its dark small black seeds. It is a thing of beauty that is high in benefits both in consumption and topically (when used correctly).

“When papaya was first used as a 'skincare product’”, I asked no one in particular except google. A quick google search led me to discover that papaya (as the fruit) was first recorded to be used as a “skincare product” back in ancient Mayan civilization. They would use it as a paste to heal their skin from rashes or other skin problems. As time went on and its colonization it was known as “the common man face wash”. Afterwards the Spanish explorers ventured out and they brought the seeds to the Caribbean and Southeast Asia by the XVI century.

At the time that I am writing this it is yet to be known when papaya seed oil was first done/used. How it was uncovered that it is a useful ingredient in skincare... Now why is papaya so helpful to the skin? We can thank the enzyme papain! Papain has extraordinary exfoliating properties- this aids in the removal of dead skin, specifically damaged skin. Papaya oils are rich in nutrients, fatty acids and antioxidants. Some of these wonderful antioxidants can assist in providing a person’s skin with moisture and protection. Thanks to this papaya seed oil is used in a lot skincare nowadays.

Con amor 💖,

Fran