Step aside Argan, there’s a new oil in town and that’s homegrown baobab! A good source of antioxidant vitamins A and E, baobab oil also serves up the essential fatty acids that beef up your skin’s barrier function, helping it keep moisture in and irritants out. More plus points? It absorbs fast, won’t clog pores and, due to its aforementioned barrier-boosting abilities, is a nice pick for anyone suffering from inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

There are several local brands selling baobab oil and BaoCare is one of them. I like that they collect their ingredients sustainably while creating employment for women; are vegan-friendly and  get a thumbs up from Beauty Without Cruelty.  While BaoCare sells baobab oil on its own, they also blend it with other natural actives that complement its properties. For example, their ‘Acne blend’ contains mostly baobab oil as well antibacterial tea tree oil and soothing calendula flower extract.

I was given BaoCare’s Radiance blend (R182) that includes hydrating jojoba seed oil and multitasking pomegranate seed extract. The latter is a great antioxidant, can boost your skin’s natural resistance to damaging UVB rays and assist the collagen creation process. Weirdly, BaoCare recommends this to women over 40 but there’s nothing stopping a teenager, or even a toddler, from using it. Essentially anyone wanting to hydrate their skin with an antioxidant-rich natural oil could benefit, especially those who are dry skinned as they could wear it day or night.

Being oily-skinned, I can only wear it to bed and have been using it on nights when I know my face can’t tolerate any more retinol and AHA. While it’s supposed to be scented with natural essential oils, to me it smells like nothing. The next morning, I wake up to skin that feels supple and soothed. To me, this is nice way to hydrate and probably something I’d use on a plane to fend off its murderously drying air con. I wouldn’t rely on this to turn back the hands of time so, if your skincare goals are anti-ageing focused, know that this could be a nice addition to your regime, but isn’t going to replace more potent collagen-encouragers like retinol.

If you’re keen to try BaoCare products you can buy them directly from their site but their delivery fee (R99 for orders under R350) is a little steep. It would be smarter to physically toss it into your trolley in Wellness Warehouse or order online from Faithful-to-Nature where you can buy a whole bunch of stuff, hit their R350 minimum spend with ease and then score free shipping. Also, if you’d rather try before you buy, know that the brand also sells 10ml bottles for R47.

Love, love

Leigh