Corsica's Most Precious Asset
Prickly pear seed oil (Opuntia ficus-indica) is one of the rarest and most expensive cosmetic oils in the world. The numbers speak for themselves: it takes approximately one ton of prickly pears and over 36 hours of manual sorting to obtain a single liter of oil. This concentration explains everything — its exceptional richness, its incomparable effectiveness, its price.
The prickly pear has naturally colonized Corsica's arid slopes for centuries. It has perfectly adapted to the island's dry, hot summers, rocky and poor soils, and the salty wind of the maquis. Like all plants that survive in extreme conditions, it has developed a remarkably high concentration of protective active ingredients.
The Richest Composition in the Plant Kingdom
Prickly pear oil is exceptional due to the density of its composition. It concentrates some of the most sought-after active ingredients in anti-aging cosmetics.
Vitamin E — the antioxidant champion Prickly pear oil contains one of the highest concentrations of vitamin E of all known vegetable oils — up to 1,000 mg per 100g. Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals responsible for premature skin aging. It protects the cell membrane lipids and maintains skin suppleness and elasticity.
Unsaturated fatty acids — deep nourishment Rich in linoleic acid (omega-6) and oleic acid (omega-9), prickly pear oil deeply nourishes the skin without weighing it down. These essential fatty acids restore the surface lipid film and strengthen the skin barrier.
Plant sterols — structural anti-aging Its richness in beta-sitosterol and other plant sterols gives it remarkable structural anti-aging action. These molecules stimulate collagen synthesis, improve firmness, and reduce wrinkle depth.
Exceptional Skin Penetration
What makes prickly pear oil truly unique is its penetrating ability. Despite its rich nutritional content, it immediately penetrates the deep layers of the epidermis without leaving a greasy film on the surface. The skin absorbs its active ingredients in a few seconds — a rare characteristic that makes it a choice ingredient for premium formulas.
Corsican Harvest — Artisan Know-How
In Corsica, prickly pear harvesting is still entirely manual. The fruits are picked at optimal ripeness, sorted one by one, then cold-pressed to preserve all their active ingredients. No heat, no chemical solvents.
Cold pressing is a non-negotiable condition — it guarantees the preservation of fragile fatty acids, sterols, and vitamin E. An oil extracted with solvent or heat loses a large part of its active properties. Ours never compromises on this point.
In Our Products
The Prickly Pear is present in our Astringent Purifying Mousse n°1 in the form of hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus Indica extract — its film-forming polysaccharides create a protective veil on the skin that retains water and prevents dehydration. It is also present in our Lavender Mousse P2 for its soothing and repairing properties.
"One ton of Corsican figs for one liter of oil — rarity has an address, and that's Corsica."
