Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) has been catalogued in Tibetan medicine for over a thousand years. What modern chromatography reveals is what those traditions intuited — a fruit and seed unusually rich in lipids, polyphenols, and rare omega-7 fatty acids.
The four omegas, in one berry.
Most botanicals offer one or two essential fatty acids. Sea buckthorn pulp and seed, pressed together, deliver omega-3, 6, 7, and 9 — a configuration found in almost no other plant. Omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) is the rarest of the four and the one most associated with the look of supple, cushioned skin.
Carotenoids that lend a literal glow.
The deep amber colour is no accident. Sea buckthorn carries one of the highest carotenoid concentrations in the plant kingdom — beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lycopene — which give the oil its hue and its antioxidant profile (Chan, 2024).
Vitamin C, in unusual abundance.
Per gram, the berry contains roughly twelve times the vitamin C of an orange (Koh, 2023). Stabilised in oil, this contributes to skin that looks brighter, more even, and quietly luminous over time.
Chan, M. (2024). Carotenoid distribution in Hippophae rhamnoides cultivars. J. Cosmet. Dermatol. · Koh, T. (2023). Ascorbic acid stability in sea buckthorn lipid fractions. Phytochem. Anal.