Acai Berry Extract

Botanical Source: Euterpe oleracea

Ingredient Addition Cost: $0.10 - $0.03 per unit

The high antioxidant content found in Acai Berry Extract makes it a highly beneficial ingredient in modern beauty products. Acai berries are a Brazilian “superfruit.” They’re native to the Amazon region where they’re a staple food. However, they’ve recently gained popularity globally and are praised for being particularly beneficial to health and well-being. The high antioxidant content found in Acai Berry Extract makes it a highly beneficial ingredient in modern beauty products. It is extremely high in many forms of plant antioxidants phytochemicals that contribute to slowing or reversing the typical aging processes related to oxidative damage. In fact, the berries are one of the planet's highest sources of antioxidants, with one berry holding ten times the amount of antioxidants as grapes, and two times the amount as blueberries. Chemicals in acai might also reduce swelling, lower blood sugar levels, and stimulate the immune system.

The common name comes from the Portuguese adaptation of the Tupian word ïwaca'i, meaning "[fruit that] cries or expels water". The importance of the fruit as a staple food in the Amazon River delta gives rise to the local legend of how the plant got its name. The folklore says that chief Itaqui ordered all newborns put to death owing to a period of famine. When his own daughter gave birth and the child was sacrificed, she cried and died beneath a newly sprouted tree. The tree fed the tribe and was called açaí because that was the daughter's name (Iaçá) spelled backwards.

Because Acai berries contain pits like apricots and olives, they’re technically not a berry, but rather a drupe. Nevertheless, they’re commonly referred to as berries.