Makeup That Makes a Difference

Sometimes life’s not fair, even when it comes to makeup. We’ve all looked at a woman who is completely gorgeous without a stitch of make-up on and thought “Hey! No fair!” Thankfully the rest of us have our foundation, concealer, eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick to help bring out our natural beauty.

But seriously, we should consider ourselves lucky to only be bothered by makeup woes, when life’s really not fair for hundreds of disadvantaged communities around the world. That’s why we developed our Community Trade program. Now, the marula oil in our makeup is helping to make life a little more fair for women in Namibia.

The Stuff of Legend

Marula is one of Africa’s greatest skin care secrets, and Namibian women have used the super-moisturizing oil for generations. It’s rich in oleic acid and antioxidants that help improve the condition of your skin, making it a natural choice for cosmetics. In fact, we’re the first company to ever use it in makeup.

Our skin-loving marula oil comes from the fruit of the marula tree, which is found in the warm, frost-free regions of southern Africa. Regarded as scared in Africa, the marula tree is often the spiritual center of the village, and its wide, leafy branches provide shade for village meetings.

In these tribes, no part of the tree goes unused. The wild-harvested fruit, which has four times as much vitamin C as citrus, can be eaten fresh or made into jams, jellies or sometimes beer. Traditional healers use the kernels as diving dice, while the bark is used to make a red-brown dye. Even the green leaves are eaten to relieve heartburn. It is no wonder that this versatile plant has great uses in our makeup as well.

Our Supplier

We source our amazing marula oil, as well as our melon seed oil, from the Eudafano Women’s Co-operative in Oshakati, northern Namibia. The business is 100% women-owned and women-run, which is very unusual in the traditionally male-dominated society of Namibia. Every one of the 4,800 members produces marula, even the Chair Lady of the Board.

Before they started trading with us in 2000, the women had no opportunity for trading beyond their local market. Now nearly 5,000 women from 12 villages receive a fair, above-average price for their work, giving them greater financial independence for the first time. They have the chance to pay for food and medical care for their families and can send their kids to school.

Best of all, the women now have their very own factory— a beautiful peachy-pink building that stands out from all the grey factories in the area. It is a symbol of progress and woman’s empowerment in a challenging economic and social environment.

How It’s Made

After collecting and juicing the fallen fruit, the ladies then dry the marula in the hot Namibian sun until the skins fall away from the nuts. Every nut is checked for freshness before being broken open, and kernels are picked out and bagged.

The kernels are then taken to Eudafano’s pink factory to be cold-pressed into oil. They are slowly pressed by hand three times to ensure the purest, highest quality marula oil.

Marula is so important to the community that there are even marula festivals. The harvest of the first fruits is known as the “Feast of the First Fruits.”

How it Can Help Enhance Your Natural Beauty

Marula oil is a super-fine moisturizing oil, naturally rich in protective Vitamin E and nourishing essential fatty acids. It helps to keep both your skin and makeup looking naturally beautiful for longer, no matter what your skin type.

The oil is particularly suitable for the delicate skin on the face and you’ll notice the difference in application too. It’s included in nearly all of our makeup products and as a result helps our lip colors glide on like a dream, gives our face powders a smooth moisturizing finish and our eye colors a caring softness.

Marula oil is our own very special secret, and truly makes our makeup different. We know you’re going to love it.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm and is filed under The Body Shop Values & Campaigns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.