There’s something about unusual and exotic ingredients that captures the imagination and desire of the beauty world. Whether it’s our desire to have something nobody else has…or just to have something that works magically, the fact is…putting exotic ingredients into health and beauty products is not a new trend at all, but a practice that has been with us for centuries. Today, our ability to search the planet for unusual animal, mineral and vegetable resources is giving us some of the most exotic and beneficial ingredients we’ve ever seen. Here’s an overview of these discoveries:

Vegetable Sources
Plants are the most abundant source of exotic ingredients on the planet and we’ve only just begun to tap into the potential of the Amazon forest or the jungles of Southeast Asia, for example. Still, we’ve seen the health and beauty benefits of all sort of new fruits and vegetables, such as Acai berries from Brazil, Maca root from Peru, Maqui berry from the topics, prickly pear from Mexico, Sea Buckthorn and many more from Asia. If you haven’t heard of these yet, you certainly will soon.

For beauty products, the most common exotic ingredient you’ll find these days is an unusual or rare oil. Oils have always been among the most important beauty products throughout history and today, we are seeing oils from all over the world: Argan oil from Morocco, Mango Seed oil from India and Brazil, Acai oil from the Amazon, Macadamia oil from the South Pacific, Shea oil and butter from Africa, Coconut oil from the tropics…the list goes on and on (in fact, our recent article Beauty Trends is all about these new oils).

All oils moisturize and provide nutrients for skin and hair, but some of the more exotic oils have super moisturizing powers (Argan, Mango, Shea) while others have high levels of nutrients (Acai, Argan, avocado). Still others are excellent for protecting us from environmental damage (Acai, Macadamia, avocado).

When it comes to delving into our oceans, there are even more secrets yet to be discovered. Kelp and other seaweeds are now commonplace in skin and hair treatments because of the rich minerals found in these plants. No doubt, we’ll be seeing more exotic ingredients as we delve deeper into the undiscovered regions of our planet and find the trees of life (well, plants of life-enhancement anyway).

Animals Sources
Animals have long been the source of ingredients for beauty products and some of our darkest moments of history have come from the greed associated with harvesting these animal resources. But we’ve come a long way since then (hopefully) and are able to find renewable ways to capture these beneficial ingredients. Some of the more recent highlights include Keratin, which is derived from animal hooves, teeth, horns, and fur. Keratin is the primary building block of hair and nails (hooves). Animal fat has also been highly sought after…and today products like lanolin and tutano, exotic ingredients in many haircare products, come from animal fat or bone marrow. Some people prefer to avoid the use of animal products altogether, but the responsible use of animal resources can fit into our culture without damaging ourselves and our environment.

Mineral Sources
The use of minerals in beauty is on the rise…ever since the mineral makeup explosion in the ’90s. Of course, minerals have long been used for certain products. The ancients even used gold and silver on the skin as a way to enhance their appeal. Today gold and silver are finding their way back into our beauty products, as well as the powder from diamonds and other jewels. Look for more of this in the coming years…especially coming from France and other European beauty markets.

For more on exotic ingredients, see Exotic Cures a column by Edna Sousa.