Kahai Oil

A natural history

Kahai, also known as cacay, is the golden oil pressed from the nuts of a tall Amazonian tree that grows along the foothills of the Andes, across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Its nuts have been gathered and treasured by Indigenous and rural communities of the rainforest for generations, long before the wider world discovered the beauty of their oil.

What makes this oil so prized is rare indeed: it is one of the very few plant oils that naturally contains retinol, the renowned form of vitamin A so valued for the look of renewal, alongside an abundance of vitamin E. It is often said to carry more vitamin E than argan, which is why cacay has become treasured as a gentle, naturally retinol rich anti-aging oil.

What it does for your skin

Kahai oil is a light, nourishing oil with a rare natural gift. A cosmetic science evaluation found it exceptionally rich in skin softening unsaturated fatty acids and judged it well suited to cosmetic use.^[1] Further study confirmed its high linoleic acid content and antioxidant, free radical scavenging activity from its natural vitamin E and polyphenols.^[2] Naturally carrying retinol and vitamin E, kahai is prized to support the look of smoother, firmer, more renewed skin. In a formula it is a gentle, naturally retinol rich oil for mature or dull looking skin. Its evidence is largely compositional, and its retinol is gentle, not prescription strength.

References