Ingredient

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract (Vanilla Extract)

Vanilla planifolia

You think vanilla’s scent is boring? You’ve never smelled real, natural vanilla. Whether it’s a simple infusion or a strong absolute, natural vanilla extracts are a delight to the senses.

There are many ways to extract the beautiful, comforting scent of vanilla pods. The most potent is certainly vanilla absolute, obtained by solvent extraction, which yields a thick, deep-brown, concentrated liquid. But the pods can also be soaked in hot water, oils, propylene glycol, glycerin, and probably more, to achieve a wide range of scent intensities and benefits.

What are the benefits of vanilla extracts in cosmetics?

Depending on concentration, scent and benefits can slightly differ, but generally, vanilla is loved for:

• Its divine, sweet, and spicy fragrance that comforts even the hardest of hearts.
• The uplifting, de-stressing and aphrodisiac effect that it is said to provoke.
• Its soothing and softening benefits to the skin and scalp.
• Its cleansing antibacterial properties.
• The humectant effect of its sugars draws moisture into the skin.

Where does Lush purchase vanilla pods?

The vanilla trade is complex and requires constant adaptation. Luckily, at Lush, we have a team of passionate buyers who try to find the best possible sources, even through crises. We primarily source our vanilla pods from Uganda, except when we specifically need the bourbon variety produced in Madagascar. Our work with two long-standing Ugandan suppliers ensures a reliable supply, allowing us to mitigate potential shortages by diversifying our sources.

The vanilla orchid grows on vines that climb trees and naturally needs shade to thrive, making it a perfect candidate for agroforestry. For instance, it can be cultivated alongside other high-value crops, such as plantain and cocoa trees, enhancing the income streams of Ugandan farmers. In addition, by practising agroforestry and diversifying their crops, farmers contribute significantly to biodiversity.

For the absolute, we purchase the pods from Uganda and send them to Grasse, a city in France known as the ‘world’s perfume capital’. There, they put the pods through a solvent extraction process to produce a high-quality, fragrant absolute.

Spotlights on the benefits of vanillin

Vanillin naturally occurs in the pods and is the main source of the characteristic vanilla scent. It has been studied for decades and has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties when applied to the skin. It also showed antidepressant properties when ingested or inhaled. Since 1858, chemists have been able to synthesise the compound, creating a cheaper alternative to natural vanilla that is still widely used today.

Why is natural vanilla so rare?

Vanilla beans are produced by an orchid that grows in tropical climates near the equator. Not only does it need hand pollination within a few hours of its flowers opening, but the resulting pods must undergo a long, complex process before becoming the dark brown spice we can buy. If proper temperatures and humidity levels are not met, the pods can become sour or mouldy. Like all good things, vanilla requires experience and time.