The Cocoon Apothecary Blog

Frankincense extract from the Boswellia tree has always been a prized medicinal, beauty, and perfume/incense ingredient with evidence of it being traded in North Africa and the Middle East for at least 5000 years. The word Frankincense means ‘high-quality incense’. In Arabic, it is called olibanum meaning ‘of milk’ and in Hebrew it is called labonah, a word for white, referring to the appearance. It has been used in temples and churches for thousands of years. It is a medicinal ingredient in both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine known for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, it is grown in...

Vitamin E is another name for the phenolic compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols. They are fat-soluble antioxidants, which means that they absorb into your epidermis to work their magic. They have the ability to quench free radicals that cause damage to your skin by donating a hydrogen atom. They are so potent that we use them to make oils stable in a formula and you will see 'tocopherol' in the ingredients of most creams and oils. They are found in all plant oils pressed from nuts, fruits, and seeds because they are nature's preservation system. They are the reason you...

When it comes to preventing premature aging, we're all about the antioxidants and whole plant ingredients are where you find them, just like in food. Catechins are flavonoid polyphenols found in camillia green tea oil (Rosey Cheeks Cream & Serum) and grapeseed oil (Eyewaken Eye Cream). Catechins scavenge free radicals and slow extracellular matrix degradation induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and pollution, meaning they prevent damage to your skin that create the signs of aging. Catechins also directly affect the skin by activating collagen synthesis and inhibit the production of matrix metalloproteinase enzymes. They are highly effective free-radical scavengers compared...

Let's talk cleansers and all the options out there.  Milk Cleansers - Milks are emulsions, meaning a homogenous mixture of oil and water that have been combined with an emulsifier. Creams and lotions are also emulsions. They clean skin by gently removing impurities. Ideal for normal to dry skin. Our Petal Purity Cleanser  is a milk cleanser. Oil Cleansers - This is oil with an emulsifier added to it so when water is added from your tap to your face, it acts like a milk cleanser. Ideal for dry skin. Cleansing Balms - This is a thicker version of a...

Terpenes are plant chemicals that are extracted through distillation (essential oils), solvent extraction, and cold pressing. Terpenoids is term for terpenes with a functional group. In essential oils, there are monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, which have various actions on skin - antinflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial. Triterpenes are too heavy to make it to essential oil but they can be extracted in lipids. This is why we infuse calendula in oil and why it is so good at repairing dry skin. Squalene, found in olive and argan, is another good example of a triterpene.