Marula oil comes from the fruit kernels of the marula tree, one of southern Africa’s great indigenous fruit trees. This pure oil has long been used as a nourishing skin moisturiser by women in southern Africa, thanks to its unique composition of fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

A natural facial moisturiser
We tend to think of plant oils as carrier oils for use in massage or as nutritional ingredients in skin creams and lotions. Used directly on the face, they can take a while to absorb, leave an oily residue or have a strong smell. The beauty of marula oil is that it’s light, non-greasy, virtually odourless and absorbs quickly. Its easy absorption is due to its high content of oleic acid (70-78%) and linoleic acid (4-7%). This, along with its other nutritional components, makes the oil ideal for use as a hydrating and smoothing facial oil.

Marula oil also contains a high concentration of palmitic acid, which forms a protective coating on the skin’s surface, keeping skin hydrated for a long time.

Anti-aging properties
A major cause of aging in skin is damage caused by free radicals, which come from various sources including pollution, make-up, UV radiation and poor nutrition. Too many free radicals can result in dull, blotchy skin and loss of skin elasticity. Thanks to its composition of fatty acids and nutritional components, marula oil contains high levels of powerful antioxidants that help to protect against these harmful free radicals. The oil has been shown to have free radical scavenging properties higher than most seed oils on the market. These reduce the action of free radicals thus preventing cell damage in the first place.

A very stable oil
Early studies of the oil were conducted by ethnobotanists who were curious about how certain African tribes use the oil to preserve meat for very long periods of time. Their studies revealed that the oil has extraordinary oxidative stability and is ten times more stable to oxidation than olive oil. This stability gives marula oil a very long shelf life and makes it ideal for use as a natural ingredient in cosmetic formulas.

Tissue repair
Marula oil has excellent properties as a tissue oil and African women have traditionally used it during pregnancy to help reduce or avoid stretch marks. The oil contains essential omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids), which maintain the suppleness and elasticity of skin and can help heal wounds and calm itchiness. the oil also works effectively in decreasing redness and helps keep skin smoother by blocking enzymes that cause fatty concentrations in the skin.

We stock a range of Fair Trade marula oil products in our online shop. For more information about marula oil and its special properties, visit the website of PhytoTrade Africa, a trade association for the natural products industry in Southern Africa.

Niaouli essential oil (Melaleuca viridiflora) is extracted from the leaves of the niaouli tree, which grows in abundance in Madagascar. Highly sought after for its medicinal properties, the oil belongs to the same family as tea tree oil and has similar antiseptic, antibacterial and stimulating qualities. Niaouli oil is widely used to help clear infections such as bronchitis, sore throats, catarrh and sinusitis and as a disinfectant for treating acne, cuts and insect bites.

On the east coast of Madagascar, near Manakara, a small rural community is involved in the production of niaouli oil. The people of this community find it extremely difficult to make a living from farming and most barely survive on less than a dollar a day. To make matters worse, the area is subject to cyclones, tropical storms and flooding with often devastating consequences for the inhabitants. So opportunities to generate income from other sources are vital. The locals use the profits from the sale of niaouli oil to buy basic necessities such as rice, kerosene, soap and schoolbooks. The community works in partnership with La Maison Afrique, a Swedish Fair Trade Organisation, which gives economic support through advance payments and interest free loans and strives to place regular orders so that the community can plan ahead.

The local pastor, Martin Rakotosaminanana, organises the rural population so that the leaves from the wild growing niaouli trees are collected and distilled. When orders for niaouli oil are received, about 30 local people are employed three days a week to collect the leaves and distil the oil. Before starting work, the community collaborates with the local branch office of the Ministry for Water and Forests. To ensure environmental sustainability of plant resources, the ministry controls the harvesting of vegetal materials and needs to give their approval before any leaves are collected. This ensures that the trees are not over-exploited, thus ensuring that the resource is available for future generations.

When enough leaves are gathered, they are brought to a small production plant, where the oil is extracted through steam distillation. About 4-5 kg of pure essential oil is produced after about 6 hours. The oil is collected and samples are taken to the laboratory at the IMRA (Insitut Malgache de Recherches Appliquees), a centre for biodiversity conservation and scientific research. The oil is tested and analysed for quality assurance and to ensure that the oil meets international export standards.

Generations of African rural communities have used locally grown plant extracts and oils for nutritional, medicinal and cosmetic purposes. One such plant product is marula oil, which is extracted from the fruit kernels of the marula tree, native to southern Africa. Previously unheard of outside of Africa, the oil is becoming increasingly popular because of its superb antioxidant, nourishing and moisturising properties.

The increasing global demand for marula oil and other seed oils brings enormous potential to local producers in southern African countries. Swazi Indigenous Products (SIP) is a community-owned company that strives to empower rural women in the fight against poverty, generate income sustainably and create high quality natural products using traditional indigenous knowledge. SIP is an accredited Fair Trade Organization and operates in line with the highest standards of Fair Trade. The company operates from a small factory in Mpaka, in the heart of the Swazi lowveld, producing a range of natural cosmetics products using marula oil and other natural plant-based ingredients.

Income Generation
Around 2,000 rural Swazi women generate much-needed income by selling marula nuts at fair trade prices. Many of the harvesters live in extremely poor, drought-stricken areas and have previously relied on UN Food Aid to survive. Through their sales of marula seeds, the women now earn the money needed to buy basic food and clothing, access medical care and pay school fees. With production set to increase, thanks to an increase in consumer demand, local women will be able to improve their situations even more.

Quality Control
SIP staff travel into the rural communities to buy the kernels, weighing and grading them at source to ensure high quality raw material. The kernels are then brought to the factory at Mpaka where they are manually cold pressed to produce pure, natural marula oil. The oil is then tested in the laboratory to ensure that only top quality is produced. SIP then exports the oil to cosmetics companies or uses it in the company’s own skin care oils and natural cosmetics.

Added Value
Instead of just simply exporting the oil as a commodity product to cosmetics companies in the developed world, SIP adds value locally with its own range of pure, simple and natural cosmetics, including lip balms, shower gels and hand lotions. In addition, SIP has gained organic certification for its marula oil, becoming the first Swazi organisation to achieve this.

Environmental Sustainability
Swaziland retains a wonderful biodiversity of indigenous plants and trees and as elsewhere in the world, that biodiversity is under threat. SIP works in harmony with its surroundings and is completely environmentally sustainable. Marula fruit is left to fall when ripe and just 5000 of the two million marula trees in Swaziland are used to meet current requirements. In addition, the company is working with suppliers on community planting of a range of indigenous trees.