Why Colombia is the beauty origin to watch

Ask most people in Europe to name a Colombian export and they will say coffee. Ask a cosmetic chemist and the list gets longer, fast.

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country on the planet, and the first by species per square kilometre. The Andes split into three ranges here; the Amazon, the Orinoco plains, the Pacific rainforest and the Caribbean coast each have their own climate. The result is a pharmacopoeia of plants that have been used locally for generations and are only now reaching formulators abroad.

Cacay

Caryodendron orinocense is a tall tree of the Orinoco and Amazon basins. Its nut yields a pale oil that is naturally high in linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and vitamin E. Because of that profile it absorbs quickly and suits combination skin, which is why it is often compared to argan oil. It is also increasingly grown as a reforestation crop — the tree is native, long-lived and productive.

Sacha inchi

Plukenetia volubilis, the "Inca peanut", is a climbing vine whose star-shaped seed pods contain an oil with an unusually high proportion of omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid). In haircare it is prized for dry, curly and textured hair; in skincare it is used as a lightweight, barrier-supporting oil.

Cacao butter and coffee

Both are familiar, but origin matters. Fine-flavour Colombian cacao yields a butter with a gentle, fruity scent, and Colombian coffee extract brings caffeine to eye creams, scrubs and body polishes with the credibility of the country that grows the beans.

Achiote

Bixa orellana — annatto — is the red seed that indigenous communities across the Americas have used for colour and skin care for millennia. In modern formulations it appears as a natural colourant and antioxidant-rich extract.

"Natural" is not a regulated term. What we can promise is the full ingredient list and the origin of each hero ingredient.

What we are looking for

Our beauty department is being curated around three principles: short, intelligent ingredient lists; formulations that meet EU and UK cosmetics regulation with a named Responsible Person; and a clear line from the ingredient to the place it grew. Expect to see it take shape here over the coming months.