The Story
As soon as we launched our first face balm, Tigress, requests poured in for more face balms for more skin types, especially a balm without essential oils that would be appropriate for very sensitive skin. Ava had been immersed in a self-imposed plant butter study for two years by then, so creating a second balm was a matter of narrowing down the list of remarkable ingredients we already had on hand, and creating a focus for this new balm.
Yasuni is based on fruit oils that have particularly high and wide-ranging phytonutrient levels and enzymatic action. This balm works similarly to a retinol on the skin, exfoliating and resurfacing it, but with none of the irritation, redness, or peeling often caused by actual retinol products. It is also an ideal balm for healing acne and reducing blackheads and oil production.
Yasuni is named after the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. Not many people outside of environmentalist circles have heard about this rainforest, but it is one of the most precious natural reserves still left on earth. Many scientists believe that is it the most biodiverse place on the planet, with record numbers of animal and plant species per geographic area. The story of the Yasuni rainforest is heartbreaking, because oil drilling has begun there despite the region's ecological importance. There is currently insufficient international support to help the government of Ecuador to maintain this natural reserve intact. We hope to raise awareness about this area so that we are all reminded to make purchasing and lifestyle choices with our planet in mind.
Benefits
Yasuni is, believe it or not, one step lighter than even the Tigress face balm. As we mentioned above, the star feature of this balm is its enzymatic mild exfoliation from fruit oils alone. This enzymatic action is paired with hydration from a variety of healing nut and seed butters.
Açai oil: Though it exfoliates and resurfaces the skin similarly to a retinol product, açai oil will never overexfoliate or cause redness or intense peeling in the way a true retinol can. The deep green, whole-fruit açai fruit oil we've sourced is also the acne sufferer's dream come true: this very light, extract-like oil heals and dries up acne due to its enzymes and high vitamin C content, and unlike most other effective acne ingredients, it is nonirritating.
Buriti oil: Even more retinol-like action is supplied by the buriti oil, which is exceptionally high in betacarotenes. The enzymes keep sebum oil production in check, so oily skin types become more balanced and are not shiny at the end of the day, and the appearance of blackheads is greatly reduced over time.
Kokum butter: Cold-extracted from mangosteen kernels, the astringent kokum butter supports the açai oil's anti-acne action with its ability to minimize pores, speed healing of acne breakouts, and promote skin firmness.
Cupuaçu butter: This deeply hydrating, vitamin-rich butter is extremely emollient, and hydrates the skin thoroughly to leave it feeling soft, supple, and elastic.
Bacuri butter: The deeply penetrating bacuri seed butter has been used as a traditional cure-all for generations to treat wounds, eczema, and dry, cracked skin.
Raspberry and cranberry oils: Organic, cold-press raspberry and cranberry seed oils contribute a powerful dose of antioxidants. Raspberry seed is known for its ability to correct and protect against sun damage, while cranberry oil has a brightening, revitalizing effect.
The Scent and Energetic Impact
At first impression, Yasuni smells lightly fruity from the raspberry and cranberry oils, but there is also the grown-up element of freshly picked green coffee beans, and hints of fertile soil from the bacuri and of desert wind from the kokum butter. A very light, berry-like, and nonlingering scent overall.
Compare
If you are wondering which face balm is the right choice for you:
We currently offer three face balms, which are all quite different from one another. Yasuni is a very lean antioxidant and enzymatic balm without any essential oils. Yasuni controls oil production in oily skin and decreases and prevents blackheads, while providing a high dose of antioxidants. Its exfoliating properties help resurface the skin in a way comparable to retinol, but without causing redness, irritation, or intense peeling.
Tigress is one step heavier: it is a medium-weight to light "dry" balm for normal and combination to acne and oily skin types. It is healing to skin disorders such as rosacea, and it contains several anti-acne yet nondrying ingredients.
Green Leaves is a "juicy" type of balm that was designed for dry and mature skin with acne. It heals acne breakouts with lemon thyme while preventing acne scars. Its base is melt-on-contact anti-inflammatory and hydrating virgin coconut oil, and the scent of Green Leaves is just irresistible: violet leaf, holy basil, and French lavender.
Yasuni is really the workhorse MVP balm that I feel can go across such a wide range of skin types. . .I definitely turn to Yasuni when I feel like my skin is feeling sensitive, when I feel like it wants something really quite minimal. I’ll do a generous amount of this worked into the skin, and then I’ll finish massaging it in with a toner on top, [and I] wake up with ideal skin: gently resurfaced, looking extremely even, very calm. This will take down redness in my skin, it’s just such a wonderful staple to have.
– Mercedes
Skin Types
For all skin types, including blackhead-prone, congestion-prone, allergy-prone, and sensitive. Oily, blackhead-prone, and combination skin types will benefit from the oiliness-reducing properties. Dry skin types can use Yasuni as an overnight enzymatic exfoliator or as their light summer "moisturizer."
Yasuni also makes a medium-weight firming daytime moisturizer with a few drops of Ruby Face Oil or Magical Babassu Face Oil added to it and blended briefly in a ceramic bowl (choose Ruby if your skin is normal to combination, and choose Magical Babassu if your skin is dry).
Ingredients
Cold-press unrefined Theobroma grandiflorum (cupuaçu) seed butter†, cold-press unrefined Garcinia indica (kokum) seed butter†, cold-press unrefined Platonia insignis (bacuri) seed butter†, cold-press unrefined Astrocaryum tucuma seed butter†, cold-press unrefined Euterpe oleracea (açai) fruit oil†, cold-press unrefined non-GMO Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) seed oil (organic whenever available), cold-press unrefined Rubus ideaus (raspberry) seed oil*, cold-press unrefined Coffea arabica (green coffee) seed oil†, cold-press unrefined Sclerocarya birrea (marula) seed oil*, tocopherol (vit. E from non-GMO sunflowers), cold-press unrefined Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) fruit oil†, Sambucus nigra (elderberry) fruit extract.
*Certified organic. †Responsibly wildcrafted.
Certified cruelty free, vegan, handcrafted, small batch. Gluten free.
Directions
Apply day and night all over the face or just on the more oily, acne-prone, and blackhead-prone areas. Yasuni may be blended with our Farizad's Veil Sun Reflector to add sun protection and to mattify the skin. Yasuni may also be blended with a few drops of a facial oil of choice for a looser, juicier balm.
Your balm may melt in transit, so open the jar carefully upon arrival. If it melts partially or completely, place it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes (just until it solidifies; don't leave it there for too long because then it tends to crack), then store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Texture changes in 100% natural vegan products are natural under fluctuating temperatures, and do not in any way affect the product's performance or shelf life.
Full size 30 ml (1 fl oz); travel/sample size 6 ml (0.2 fl oz).
Due to the very high cost of our ingredients and the labor-intensive (highly time consuming) small-batch production process, we are unable to accept returns of opened or unopened products at this time. But most products have a sample size option for purchase, so we encourage you to buy a sample first to ensure that the product suits your skin's needs and that you enjoy the texture, fragrance, and healing properties.
