Prickly pear, a not so spiky fruit
Photos Getty Images
Words Matthieu Morge-Zucconi
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The moisturising properties of its oil are amongst the most sought after.
Prickly pear oil is extracted from cactus fruit. Contrary to what its name might lead you to believe, it will only make your skin smoother due to its world-renowned moisturising action. In fact, prickly pear oil is four to five times more efficient than Argan oil, hence our decision to use it as the central ingredient of our new face moisturising cream.
A rare fruit from warm lands
Prickly pears are mostly harvested in Morocco. Close to a tonne of prickly pears are needed to produce a litre of oil.
As explained above, prickly pear oil is extracted from cactus fruit. Cactus cultivation requires a dry climate, and as such is particularly suited to the Moroccan, Mediterranean and Central American weather conditions. Which is also why the cactus fruit and oil are so complicated to obtain.
Originally, prickly pear cactus plants, or nopal as they are also called, do not come from Morocco, but rather from Mexico. The plant is even featured on the country’s coat of arms and flag. Only later was it exported to Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean coast.
In their homeland, prickly pears are used to produce Tequila, and Sicilians have a very specific prickly pear liqueur they call Ficodi. However, we strongly recommend you abstain from doing shots with our moisturiser.
A multi-purpose active ingredient
Prickly pear oil has several benefits. To put it simply, it’s the most potent vegetable oil in the world. The harvesting of prickly pears has escaped industrialisation, and the fruit is handpicked, so as to preserve its qualities and benefits.
Prickly pear oil also contains significant levels of fatty acids, and consequently has exceptional moisturising qualities. It also has high vitamin E contents - in excess of 100mg per 100g (vs. 65mg for Argan oil) - and sterols. This rich composition enables prickly pear oil to efficiently ward off the negative effect of free radicals, which are the chemical molecules created by your body that cause premature skin cell aging. Because prickly pear oil has an antioxidant effect, it can also be used in anti-wrinkle and anti-puffiness lotions.
We chose to make it the key component of our face moisturising cream.
How prickly pear oil is used in Horace products
The concentration of organic prickly pear oil in our new moisturiser is very high in order to increase the ingredient’s efficiency. Our cream is therefore extremely gentle, suitable for all skin types, with remarkable moisturising qualities.
We chose prickly pear oil because it’s the world’s best moisturising ingredient. Simple as that. Mix it with provitamin B5 and glycerine, and its moisturising effect will be strengthened, ensuring your skin stays protected and smooth in all situations.
For all these reasons, we can humbly say our moisturising cream is the best we’ve ever tried. All thanks to prickly pear oil.