There was a time when I had 7 pomegranate trees in my yard. I had so many I readily cracked them open and left them out for the birds to feast on. To me, opening a pomegranate is such a dazzling site! The seeds shine like juicy rubies and one just wants to full on bite into the delectable mess!
Our ancient ancestors were on to this beauty too! They used pomegranates as a natural remedy dating back at least 3000 years ago. It’s documented on Egyptian papyrus after all! Today, it is a well-studied ingredient full of skincare benefits.
I’m going to get a little technical in this post as I think we deserve to know the reasons and studies behind the hype and for those of you who want even more technical info, I’ve linked the studies below.
Pomegranate seed oil, was shown to stimulate keratinocyte proliferation in monolayer culture. Or put in layman’s terms, a mild thickening of the epidermis was observed.
Interestingly enough the same pomegranate seed oil that stimulated keratinocyte proliferation, had no effect on fibroblast function. (fibroblasts are in the dermis) Pomegranate peel extract (and to a lesser extent, the fermented juice) stimulated type I procollagen synthesis and inhibited matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1; interstitial collagenase) production.
In other words, the pomegranate peel and fermented juice promote regeneration of dermis, and pomegranate seed oil promotes regeneration of epidermis. A good reason to look for both in your products!
Look for these ingredients soon in Potioniste products!
In Health and Happiness,
Juline
