Organic Juniper Berries, Whole
CTFA Name: Organic Juniper Berries
INCI Name: Organic Juniperus Communis (Organic Juniper Berries)
Country of Origin: Albania
Packaging: Biodegradable Bags
Description: Dried berries; piney, sweet, resinous aroma
Applications: Skincare, Soap Manufacturing, Hair Care
Benefits: aromatic, stimulant, purifying, antiseptic, antimicrobial, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, increases circulation, skin brightening
Suggested formulas: facial cleansers, toners, oil balancing body wash, foot creams/lotions, bath soaks, hair serums, scalp treatments
If you live in central or eastern Oregon, you are probably overly familiar with our lovely juniper trees. Juniper grows wild in much of Oregon and it is used in everything from gin to furniture. Organic Juniper Berries are naturally aromatic and astringent, making their extraction into an oil highly beneficial for hair and skin applications.
We carry both Juniper Essential Oil and whole Organic Juniper Berries to allow you to use a higher percentage of powerful juniper in your products. Juniper Essential Oil, like all other essential oils, should be used in 2% or less in skincare and haircare applications, so extracting the whole berries into an oil/water/glycerin tincture, then incorporating that into your formula will allow you to use a much higher percentage. Plus, the whole berries are beautiful to put in bath soaks and soap bars.
If you’re looking to create a skin toning line, organic juniper should be a key ingredient. Juniper Frut Extract has been shown to help tighten pores and balance sebum production. Organic Juniper Berries have a lovely, piney, slightly sweet aroma and they are full of natural oils. This makes them easy to extract into an oil and pull out all the skin cleansing benefits.
National Library of Medicine 2023 study on Juniper Fruit Extract in skincare showed “increases proteasome activity and suppresses lipofuscin accumulation in human epidermal keratinocytes. We found Anthricin and Yatein, which belong to the lignan family, to be major active compounds responsible for the proteasome-activating effect of JBE. In a human clinical study, an emulsion containing 1% JBE was applied to half of the face twice daily for 4 weeks, resulting in increased internal reflected light, brightness improvement (L-value) and reduction in yellowness (b-value) and spot in the cheek area.”
The same antimicrobial and astringent properties make Organic Juniper a key ingredient for good scalp health. Use the extracted berries in hair or scalp tonics, hair serums, shampoo and conditioner bars, and liquid shampoos and conditioners. Juniper Berries have been shown to help reduce scalp flakiness and dryness, and to help improve circulation.
How to use Organic Juniper Berries:
How to extract- you can infuse into an oil or glycerin. Due to the high oil content, organic juniper berries are best extracted into an oil or glycerin. You can extract them into water, but there may be separation issues due to the high oil content.
To extract, you can slight crush the berries to open the skin. Place into a brewers bag/mesh bag, then submerge into your medium of choice. If you’re doing a cold extraction we do suggest allowing it to sit for 4-6 weeks. You can use an extraction machine if you have one to speed up the process. You can also slightly heat the berries before adding to the liquid to increase the absorption rate.
Once you have your extracted oil/glycerin/water you can simply use that in your formulas.
In Soap- If you’re going to use it in soap bars, you can extract into water then use this as the balance of your lye water, or into an oil and deduct this form your total oil. Add the extracted water to your lye solution after the lye has gone through the heat phase to help preserve the silica value. You can also grind down the organic juniper berries and add it to your soap bars as an exfoliant, or use the whole berries as decoration on top of your soap bars.
In Skincare- Use the oil extracted version in facial creams and oils; use the water/hydrosol/glycerin extracted version in serums and toners.
In Haircare- extract into glycerin, water, hydrosol, or oil to create your base. Blend into our Premium Conditioner Base to create a hair mask; use as the oil or water binder in your shampoo and conditioner bars; use in a hair oil treatment.
Organic Whole Juniper Berries are sold in ½- pound biodegradable bags, 1-pound biodegradable bags, 5-pound biodegradable bags, 25-pound and 55-pound sizes. Any orders larger than 250-pounds please email us for pricing.
This information is for reference only. These recommendations have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not mean to treat, cure or remedy any diseases.