Ingredient

Agave

Your vegan pals may have told you this goes great in porridge - but did you know agave syrup can also serve your skin?

What is agave?

Agave is a succulent plant native to the Americas and Mexico. It’s characterised by rosettes of pale green fleshy leaves ranging from a few centimetres (inches) up to 2m50 (8 feet) high. The agave's core is called the piña and can be processed into a syrup, also called nectar.

If you create a succulent garden and mix aloe and agave species, your visitors may not be able to distinguish one from the other. Although they appeared and evolved on two different continents and are not even close relatives, the two plants share many similarities.

What are the benefits of agave syrup?

Agave syrup is often used as a honey substitute, not just in vegan cuisine but in Lush products too. Similarly to honey this ingredient:

• Soothes the skin.
• Conditions the hair.
• Helps retain moisture in the hair and skin.
• Has antimicrobial properties.

A very generous succulent

Sacred to the Aztecs, their mythology states that agave first grew on the tomb of the goddess Mayahuel. Mayahuel was fertile and generous, feeding her four hundred children with her four hundred breasts (beat that, Total Recall!) This metaphorically portrays agave really well, as the plant gives a lot. It is entirely edible – flowers, leaves, stems and sap – but only if cooked or processed in one way or another. Its juice can be fermented and distilled to produce tequila (in the case of the blue agave) and pulque. You can also get syrup from the sap and make rope from the fibres.

Where does Lush source agave?

To find out more about our agave suppliers, browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients and click on the ones you are interested in. This should take you to a page full of details!