Koko Bassey skincare range currently carries a small selection of products based entirely on natural ingredients.Since there are different raw materials used in cosmetics and skin care products, e.g sometime natural raw materails may have been treated in some way, this make it rather difficult to define these as 'natural'. That is way we have concentrated in bringing you this limited range.

Information On Raw Materials

Fats And Oils

These are another important ingredient in the manufacture of skin care, soaps, detergents and cooking. Olive oil is used in the Mediterranean, shea butter in West Africa and jojoba oil by the native Americans.

Cocoa Butter

INCI Name: Theobroma Cacao

The Cocoa tree is a tropical evergreen about 5-12 metres high. It is on eof the world's most important cultivated plants and it is grown in South America and Africa. The flowers are connected directly to the stem and from these develop the cucumber like fruits (up to 25cm long) which range in colour from gold to brown. Inside the fruit is hidden 20-40 flat seeds, or cocoa beans. These are fermented to remove their bitter taste, atfer that they are roasted and ground.

The cocoa butter is about 45% of the cocoa bean is extrcted through hot pressing at 60C and it contains mostly mono-saturated and saturated fatty acids and keeps very well. It is yellow, solid fat which melts at 32-35C, i.e at skin temperature. The fat is used in ointments, it is a mild fat and most people tolerate it well. It is especially good for dry skin and it nourishes, softens, soothes and protects the skin.

Coconut Butter

INCI Name: Cocos Nucifera

Coconut Butter is extracted from coconuts grown on palm trees which grow to height of 20-25 metres in Africa and Asia. Coconut butter is solid and melts at 25-28C. The fresh butter is pure white, with its own characteristic slightly sweet taste and smell. Coconut butter is treated to remove the smell. Coconut is used in food production, skin care products such as, creams, sun products , soaps and lotions.

Palm Oil

INCI Name: Elaeis Guineenis

Palm oil comes from the cultivated oil palm Elaesis Guineenis.Every year the tree bears about ten enourmous stand of fruit, each of which contain 200 plum sized fruits with a single 'stone' seed. The oil is present as drops or clumps in the outer fruit pulp (palm oil) or inside the stone kernel (palm seed oil). The oil from the fruit(palm oil) is pressed and is an orange-yellow fat coloured with Carotene. It contains 29mg of d- alpha TE (Vitamin E) per 100g

Palm oil saponifies easily and is used mainly in the saponification process both in the manufacture of solid and liquid soaps. 40% of the oil consists of Palmitic acid is also is Cetin or Cetyl acid.

SHEA BUTTER:

Shea butter is an orangic product that comes from the inside of a shell found in West Africa. Used for many centuries and for its curative properties, it is known in many parts of West Africa as ''dinosaur butter''. Shea butter is enriched with vitamins A, D, and E, fat acids, and is oxygenated, hence it penetrates,nourishes and feeds the skin. Shea butter is valuable for both its cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

It is an excellent product for using to combat the harsh effects of ageing, dry, and mature skins, thus, it is useful as both a moisturiser and night cream and enhances a younger, softer complexion. Shea butter is also excellent for the scalp as it nourishes and feeds the scalp without clogging the hair follicles thus promoting healthy growth. Shea butter is also used in West Africa by mothers to massage their babies skin.

Shea butter is also excellent for those suffering from eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis and helps combat the often irritabla effects of these conditions. However, because shea butter is a natural product, it may not work as quickly as products that are synthetic, i.e, hydrocortisone etc. Used with patience, shea butter not only heals but also minimise the above conditions.

West Africans also mix shea butter with camphor to help combat the effects of arthritis, musclar strains, and sprains. It is also used by athletes before they compete to help make the limbs more supple.