Weleda Hydrating Hand Cream (Sea Buckthorn) - 50ml

Vitamin C-packed Berries, Bursting with Sunshine

sea buckthorn is originally a wild plant from Central Asia. Over millennia, it spread naturally across the Alps in central Europe to the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas. The ripe berries of the sea buckthorn have provided vitamin-packed juice for Weleda’s products for almost 70 years. During the Second World War, when scientists were looking for alternative sources of Vitamin C, they came across sea buckthorn in Switzerland and decided to harness the plant’s potential. More recently, Weleda developed rich natural personal care products, certified by NATRUE, based on sea buckthorn oils.

Finest Varieties Thriving

For the last two decades, the berries have been sourced from wild plants found in controlled areas of the Alps. Today the finest sea buckthorn varieties are found thriving in an area of about 100 hectares in San Mario, bringing an annual harvest of 200 tons of fresh, grown berries. The Künzi & Röthlisberger family business presses almost 100 tons of fresh juice from these berries, in a close partnership with Weleda for over ten years.

Kurt Künzi, a traditional plant breeder, began to experiment with cultivating selected sea buckthorn varieties from the Alps in the late 1980s. Selection and breeding of the most suitable varieties is a complex process, which takes time and patience. Breeders increase the amount of plants taking cuttings of small branches from selected parent plants, grown in a special soil-compost mixture.

Kurt eventually moved his farming operation to San Mario in the Pisan Maremma, in Tuscany near the sun-soaked city of Pisa. The growing conditions here are ideal – the soil is nourished with compost and the hours of sunshine are longer even than they are in the southern Alpine valleys. This is important because sea buckthorn needs as much light as it can get to build its valuable vitamin complexes. But still it’s only after three to four years that analysis reveals whether the berries’ juice delivers good enough composition and quality.

Kurt Künzi's team are currently cultivating more than five varieties of sea buckthorn. Some varieties have a rich content of vitamins and trace elements. Others are better at producing nutrient-rich sea buckthorn oil for personal care products, because they have a higher oil content in the fruit’s flesh, like olives, and are valuable to restorative skin care.

For Kurt Künzi and his four employees, sustainability permeates everything they do in San Mario. It begins with the selection of plants, continues in the fields and includes the use of energy-saving processes, smart compost management and herbal and mineral preparations to promote soil vitality. Thus, the plants remain healthy and are not prone to pests and diseases. The management at San Mario matches the ecological criteria that Weleda chooses too. With our own in-house cultivation of plants Weleda uses this method, which is almost as old as the company itself.

Harvesting takes place on the fields by cutting the branches manually – for the berries grow close to the sea buckthorn branches this is the most effective way. For the rest a specially-designed threshing apparatus, the ‘sea buckthorn chameleon’ strips the berries from the branches. Then they go into cold storage, labeled by variety, and are pressed into juice for Weleda in small batches. The juice is gently pasteurized and packed into airtight containers, while a further process step collects the sea buckthorn seed and juice oils.

A Wild Plant Every Year

The wild sea buckthorn plant demonstrates an important aspect of sustainable agricultural philosophy and sustainability for Weleda. Plants that could be collected in the wild are increasingly being cultivated, partly due to the disappearance of habitats through construction, and also due to a reduction in species as a result of intensive farming. Weleda has set a corporate goal of cultivating wild plants every year, sometimes in cooperation with research and cultivation partners, but also in our own biologically-diverse garden. This way, the survival of endangered plant types can be ensured for the future. By safeguarding these plants through cultivation, Weleda also ensures continued access to essential raw materials needed for our uniquely beneficial product ranges.

Dry Skin

By: Articles by a Naturopathic Doctor ( N.D.)

The skin is the largest organ in the body.  Its function is to act as a barrier to the external environment, allow the exchange of water and to modify vitamins.  Dry skin can be simple or complex.

When the skin is deficient in natural oils, it cannot hold adequate water in its cell which causes simple dry skin. Oil is important as it acts as a barrier, protecting the skin from water evaporation in upper layers of the skin while also providing lubrication. Simple dry skin is seen usually in women under 35 years.

Complex dry skin, skin that lacks oil and moisture, usually affects older adults and is associated with aging. Prolonged UV exposure damages the protein in the skin and will lead to the development of fine lines, enlarged pores and brown spots.

Dry skin appears dull, scaly, flaky, chapped or cracked, and develops fine lines and wrinkles more readily than healthy skin.  It may feel tight after washing and be relieved when moisturizer is applied.  It most commonly occurs in areas of the body that are exposed to the elements.  It can be caused by nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, environmental factors (like dry heat, sun or wind), chemical use, cosmetics, excessive bathing and harsh soaps.

To fight dry skin topically, avoid chlorinated tap water for drinking and bathing.  Stay out of the sun.  Use gloves while handling any substance that irritates the skin.  Avoid perfumes and colourings in laundry and personal hygiene products.  Use glycerin and natural soaps to wash your body, face, and hair.  Take oatmeal baths to relieve itching.