Characteristics
- INCI
- Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract
- Ru.
- Prickly Pear, Nopal, Indian Fig
- CAS
-
90082-21-6
This is the substance number in the Chemical Abstracts Service registry. The CAS number uniquely identifies a substance regardless of language, trade name, or synonyms.
- EC
-
290-109-1
This is the substance number in the European chemical identification system (EC number), used in European regulatory databases including ECHA/CosIng.
- Functions
- skin conditioning
Description
Prickly pear is a cactus that’s native to Mexico. It has large, sweet fruit that’s called tunas and has been used as a source of food since pre-Hispanic Mexico. Currently jams and jellies are produced from it and also a traditional Mexican alcoholic drink called colonche.
But what is it doing in our skincare products? Well, according to swiss manufacturer, Mibelle its two main properties are that it soothes and hydrates the skin. And what’s more, they have also created some nice test results both in vitro and in vivo (in the lab tubes and on humans) showing that Opuntia Ficus-Indica can protect skin cells against UV light.
And that’s still not all. An American manufacturer has combined the ingredient with yeast extract and the two together helps to reduce neurosensory irritation caused by the application of topical products such as retinoids (slow reaction), alpha hydroxy acids (fast reaction) or preservatives which induce some type of irritation or inflammation.
The bottom line: though we could not really find independent published research, we definitely think that Prickly Pear’s name sounds cool + it’s a very promising ingredient that seems to have great soothing and protecting abilities.
Evidence & Research on Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract
-
1
International Journal for Applied Science, 2005-11, Soothing Factor from Opuntia Cactus for Sensitive Skin
Products with Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract (227 total)
Most often found in innisfree products (9 items)
