TAHITIAN BLACK PEARL

Black Pearls are rare and sourced from sustainable pearl farms in Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia.

A natural pearl forms when a foreign substance, like a grain of sand, slips into the oyster shell. This causes irritation within the oyster. The oyster tries to ease its discomfort by coating the speck in calcium carbonate which hardens to form a pearl. When farmed, a mother-of-pearl nucleus is inserted into the pearl oysters, before being re-implanted into the lagoon in nurseries for a growth period of at least three years before harvest. The pearls are crushed and micronised into fine particles. This powder is then ionised to ensure an impeccable bacteriological quality.

Tahitian Black Pearls are actually dark shades of grey, green and purple and are formed by a specific type of oyster, the Tahitian black-lipped oyster. The interior of this oyster has a thick dark band where the pearl forms. The pearl absorbs this black colour from the dark band on the oyster lip. Other types of oysters have silver or white nacres producing traditional white pearls.

The matrix of the pearl is similar to that of our bones and is called calcium carbonate or CaCo3. Our body can recognise this and therefore the pearl particles are absorbed more easily. Most of the calcium is found in the outermost layer of the skin and plays an important role in:

  • Skin Immunity – pearl aids the skins the barrier function
  • Skin homeostasis - the natural process of epidermal renewal 28 days (longer in ageing skins)
  • Hydration - pearl contains 18 amino acids which have the ability to hold 30% more water in the skin
  • Collagen and elastin regeneration - amino acids also are used in the cell repair process
  • Even skin tone - pearl acts as a tyrosinase inhibitor which slows down melanin production

Pearl powder is an antioxidant booster and is able to boost the production of glutathione, an antioxidant that your skin produces naturally. Superficially, the pearl powder provides an iridescence and subtle lightening to the skin. Larger pearl powder spheres found in products like the Pearl Peeling Mask provide exfoliation and instantly brighten the skin.