Ingredient to Watch: Cacay Oil

Cacay oil from the Columbian kahai nut is a potent anti-aging ingredientWhile facial oils are all the rage these days, there’s one with which you may not yet be familiar. Cacay oil comes from a little known Columbian nut (also known as the kahai nut) that has recently proven to be a potent anti-ager. In fact, it was found to be more nourishing than argan oil, as it contains three times the amount of vitamin C and 50 percent more vitamin E. It is also able to penetrate the skin on account of its high level of linoleic acid, which gives the oil a light and non-greasy feel. Impressed with the nut’s nourishing benefits, Jamie Sherrill, R.N., owner of Beauty Park Medical Spa (Abu Dhabi and Santa Monica, CA), chose to incorporate it into her Nurse Jamie EGF Platinum System. “I was always a fan of retinol and argan oil, and we were initially searching for ways to improve on these two ingredients,” she says. “In our extensive search, we discovered this little known nut in the Amazonian forest. In researching the ingredient, we discovered that the level of nutrients was off the charts for essential fatty acids, omegas-6 and 9, retinol, and vitamin E.” According to Sherrill, the results revealed the highest levels of natural retinol found, including three times that of rose hip oil and eight to 10 times more than argan oil.

Spa-goers can benefit from the nutritious nut with the Platinum Lift Facial ($325, 75 minutes), which incorporates a combination of EGF Platinum products, LED light therapy, as well as microcurrent and ultrasonic technologies. The spa also uses cacay oil in its Collagen Induction Therapy ($350, 30 minutes), a treatment involving microneedling of the skin. “We also recommend cacay oil to our patients for its healing properties post-laser treatment,” says Sherrill.

The nut’s rise in stature is thanks to Alberto Jaramillo, CEO of Kahai SAS, a company capitalizing on the production of the precious oil. And precious it is, based on the high price tag associated with the products that contain it. In fact, those infused with the rare oil can garner $200 an ounce. However, as supply increases, prices should become more affordable. For Kahai SAS products: www.kahai.co. For Nurse Jamie products: www.nursejamie.com.

Stay tuned for our upcoming feature all about facial oils in November.