OUR REASON FOR BEING

Several years ago, our founder Leila came across Nilotica, a rare, heirloom varietal of shea butter that grows wild in Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and parts of Ethiopia, in a local East African market. She was amazed at how this single ingredient, pressed from the nut of the Nilotica tree, transformed her dry skin, and how different it felt from all the expensive skincare products she’d tried.

LXMI was born from this discovery. We source hand-picked, Grade A Nilotica nuts from a single origin in Northern Uganda, and press the nuts into a luxurious skin butter packed naturally with high levels of Vitamin A, E, and catechins, the same powerful antioxidant found in green tea. Our unique sourcing methods and fair-trade and USDA Organic-certified production process create Nilotica Reserve™, a delicate butter unique for its high percentage of olein, a plant-based fat critical to boosting natural hydration and plumpness.

Nilotica Reserve™ is 100% organic, raw, unrefined, unprocessed, and unscented — it’s safe enough to eat, and local women use it as an infant massage cream to protect their newborn baby’s skin.

Experience our reason for being in this single-ingredient skin savior, a nourishing balm-to-oil you can use as an overnight mask, a healing balm after sun exposure or for scar and skin damage repair, or throughout the day as a spot treatment where needed.

But Isn’t This Just Shea Butter?

99% of the shea butters we’ve seen on the market have a thick, waxy texture and can’t be used directly on the skin without heating and melting or adding a chemical emulsifier. Nilotica is a completely different varietal (or sub-species) of shea that only grows wild in the Nile River Valley, in parts of Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia. It’s hard to come by — in fact, the region Nilotica comes from was embroiled in a civil war for much of the last three decades, making export impossible.

Not only is Nilotica scientifically recognized as a different sub-species, it also has a unique terroir. Terroir, used in the wine industry to differentiate different kinds of grape, refers to the quality of the air, soil, water, and sun the plant grows in. Variations in terroir can lead to huge differences in nutrient density — in the concentration of beneficial active compounds for your skin in the plant.

Learn more about varietals, plant science and terroir >>

 

BIOACTIVES IN NILOTICA RESERVE™

PHYTOSTEROLS	- Plant molecules found in nuts and seeds clinically shown to boost skin’s collagen production* - Anti-inflammatory and wound-healing
FATTY ACIDS	- These building blocks of healthy cell membranes help produce the skin's natural oil barrier - Keeps skin hydrated, plumper, and younger looking
ALLANTOIN	- Encourages your skin to shed dead skin cells and grow new ones - Promotes healthy cell development and prevents dull skin, moisturizes, protects, and heals
CAROTENOIDS	- Powerful antioxidants known to naturally protect the skin from free radicals as well as UV and blue light rays (photo-protection) - Clinically shown to improves skin tone, brightness, and firmness**
TOCEPHEROLS (VITAMIN E)	- Thickens and stimulates the dermis (where collagen, elastin and blood vessels are) - Powerful anti-oxidant that fights free radicals and naturally preserves skin

* "The German medical journal "Der Hautarzt" reports a study in which various topical preparations were tested on skin for 10 days. The topical treatment that showed anti-aging benefits to the skin was the one that contained phytosterols and other natural fats. It is reported that phytosterols not only stopped the slow-down of collagen production that can be caused by the sun, it actually encouraged new collagen production."

 

 

 

 

Sources:

* https://www.livestrong.com/article/123621-sources-statins/
** http://www.carotenoidsociety.org/article/04/52