Natural Radiance—Pomegranate

By Evelyn Spence

Pomegranates have gotten lots of good press lately for their nutritional benefits. As a food, they can help prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. They can even reduce erectile dysfunction. Succeeding cultures have prized the pomegranate for thousands of years: In Palestine, for instance, it represented fertility, and some scholars say that the Bible’s notorious apple was really a pomegranate. Could any superfood get more super? Turns out, it can: Pomegranates, packed with antioxidants, also work wonders for your skin. Now you can look for pomegranate lotions, body butters, and balms.
Perhaps results like these account for the fruit’s meteoric rise in the beauty world: A University of Michigan study in the February 2006 Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed that pomegranate seed oil stimulates the growth of keratinocytes, which promote regeneration of the skin and slow down its thinning. Another study in the March 2006 issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology showed that pomegranate fruit extract can actually prevent damage from UVA radiation.

But what part of the fruit has such a strong effect? Antioxidants—the same stuff that makes red wine and green tea so good for us. “When you cut an apple and leave it out in the air, it starts to turn brown because it’s oxidizing,” says Navindra Seeram, the assistant director for the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. “Then think about your skin cells. The same thing is happening. They’re constantly exposed to oxidative stress, which causes wrinkling, aging, and skin cancer.” The potent antioxidants in pomegranates take the form of polyphenols, which are healthy plant chemicals. Anthocyanins make pomegranates red (and blueberries blue). Tannins give them their tart taste. And both neutralize free radicals.

In fact, pomegranate’s multifaceted attributes spurred Ephraim Lansky of the Israel Institute of Technology (and the cofounder of Rimonest, a company with the mission of researching the fruit) to coin a whole new classification for it: a pleiotrope (“ply-oh-trope”), which means having many effects. The pomegranate’s compounds can be separated, then combined into cocktails to prevent and treat diabetes, ulcers, obesity, cancer, atherosclerosis, and various skin problems. “In pomegranates, we’ve found a retinoid-like effect”—retinoids are harsh acids often used to improve aging skin—“without any complication or irritation, and we can make the combinations very specific,” says Muhammad Nadeeem Aslam, a research fellow in pathology at the University of Michigan. “They’re a wonderful fruit—and a way to promote skin repair in a completely natural way.”

Thanks to this story, freelance writer Evelyn Spence will never look a day over 30.


Secret Ingredient Pomegranates

body glow
Pomegranate Body Rosemary Mint Shea & Salt Body Glow
We love how this combo exfoliates and moisturizes at the same time—no post-shower lotion necessary. ($14.50, www.pomegranatebody.com)

mist
Jane Iredale Pom Mist
Got drum-tight skin? White tea, seaweed, and pomegranate extracts make this cool-feeling spritz ultra-refreshing. ($17.50, www.janeiredale.com)

scrub
Pomegranate Health Hand & Foot Scrub
Tired, achy tootsies? Peach stone granules do the scouring; pomegranate seed oil does the soothing. ($11, www.pomhealth.com)

shampoo & conditioner
Burt’s Bees Very Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner
A cheerful, fruity-smelling system of soy (to lift hair) and pomegranate oils (to reduce hair-flattening buildup). ($8 each, www.burtsbees.com)

cleansing bar
Pomega5 Cleansing Bar
Handmade and sun-dried in the Mediterranean, this gentle soap-free bar has pomegranate seed oil, olive oil, lavender essential oil, and a sprinkling of lemongrass for exfoliation.
($18, www.pomega5.com)

body cream
Shea Terra Organics Pink Guava Pomegranate Shea Body Cream
A creamy fruit medley that combines pomegranate seed oil, pink guava essence, and shea butter to make a rich body cream that will delight all skin types.
($14, www.sheaterraorganics.com)

peel
MyChelle Fruit Fiesta Peel
This is a natural take on a chemical peel: Fruit enzymes and alpha-hydroxy acids loosen dead skin cells; extracts of pomegranate, cherry, pumpkin, and raspberry nourish and rejuvenate. ($26, www.mychelleusa.com)

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