LXMI's signature ingredient is Nilotica Reserve™, a rare, exclusive, cold-pressed butter from specific nuts, from specific trees, from a specific region of the Nile River Valley.

Its essential fatty acid content is 25% higher than that of traditional shea butter from West Africa, and it contains high levels of vitamins A and E. It is clinically proven to hydrate, brighten, and even out skin tone, and – perhaps most impressively of all – it does so as a single, organic ingredient that naturally feels like a high-tech emulsified formula.

Yet even with all of these amazing features and benefits, one of the questions we are asked regularly is: "But isn't it just shea butter?" While it is true that Nilotica is a subspecies of Shea (INCI Butyrospermum parkii or Vitellaria paradoxa), it is SO MUCH MORE. Western Shea is cakey, dense, and difficult to rub onto skin. It is almost always heavily refined, processed, and/or combined with chemicals to change its texture. Plus, it has a polarizing odor that formulators mask with more chemicals.

Nilotica, on the other hand, is so luxurious in its pure, natural state that your skin gets to enjoy all the positives without the negatives. It is one of the only substances on Earth that can be cold-pressed into a buttery texture, which most clients prefer to slick oils. And since LXMI sources Nilotica Reserve™, you can count on the best quality possible – creamy texture, optimal nutrients, and impact sourcing methods that #GiveWork to low-income women harvesters. You can even feel the little crystals in our Nilotica for the Reserve distinction; like raw silk, these imperfections show the lack of processing, and therefore, the state of purity.

But here's the point: Shea butter has been a skincare staple since the dawn of the cosmetic industry. It is in $4 formulas and $400 formulas. It is one of the best natural hydrators in existence, certainly preferable to mineral oil. It is almost always at the top of products' ingredient lists, meaning it is added as a large percentage (versus actives added at 1% or less, which show up lower on the list).

And WE FOUND A NEW, BETTER VERSION. One that is beautiful, effective, and ready to use when it arrives from the Nile River Valley. We don't have to touch it. 

So yup, it's "just" shea butter. We're proud it's a subspecies of this cosmetic workhorse, because we can offer something truly impactful for our clients' skin at a percentage that will make a difference. Because while other brands may innovate "below the fold" of ingredient listings, LXMI is revolutionizing at the top.