What is Kigelia Africana?

What is Kigelia Africana? This is a tree cultivated throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and its extract is found in Maria Galland Gentle Exfoliating Cream for the Face 41. But what does it do for the skin? LiveStrong provides the answers…

Trees of the kigelia africana and kigelia pinnata species yield a large sausage-size fruit that the region’s indigenous people have long used for medicinal and cosmetic applications. Many cosmetic companies have acknowledged the fruit’s skin-enhancing properties through the addition of fruit extract to some of their products. Medical research has also uncovered evidence that kigelia fruit extract may be effective in helping to treat melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Antibacterial Properties

Following up on studies that showed the stem bark of the kigelia africana possessed potent antibacterial properties, a team of South African researchers conducted a study to see if the kigelia fruit offered those benefits as well. They prepared crude extracts of both stem bark and fruit using distilled water, ethanol or ethyl acetate. Researchers then tested the extracts against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. In a report on their findings in a 2002 issue of the “South African Journal of Botany,” they reported stem bark and fruit extracts showed significant antibacterial activity against both strains of bacteria. These findings have paved the way for the use of kigelia extract in skin-cleansing agents and other products designed to combat bacterial skin infections.

Helps Firm Skin

A five-member Indian team of scientists undertook a review of the scientific literature covering studies into kigelia’s medicinal and cosmeceutical properties. In their report, published in a 2009 issue of “Natural Product Radiance” — known in 2011 as the “Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources” — they cited studies that found kigelia’s active ingredients include steroidal saponins and the flavonoids luteolin and quercetin. These phytochemicals help strengthen and stabilize the collagen fibers that support the skin, thus having a firming effect. Some studies found that the extract was particularly effective in firming the skin in and around the breasts.

Maria Galland Gentle Exfoliating Cream for the Face 41 cream exfoliator with finely rounded micropearls gently rids the complexion of flaky skin. It can regenerate itself better, the active ingredients in subsequent skin care products are optimally absorbed and the texture of the skin is refined. The exfoliator gives a fresh and harmoniously smooth appearance.