Description

A little history of the Quince

The quince is the fruit, which matures in the autumn seasonof a tree A small deciduous tree, the Quince belongs to the Rosaceae family and is native to the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions.

Its scientific name is Cydonia oblonga Mill. Or Cydonia vulgaris or even Pyrus cydonia(as it usually appears in our ingredients). The shape of the Quince resembles that of a elongated apple (or a somewhat squat pear) and is golden yellow in colour.

Known since antiquity as delicious and healthy fruit, was already cultivated 4000 years ago by the Babylonians, considered sacred to Aphrodite by the Greeks and, later, described in many classical Roman texts, including those of Pliny, Cato and Virgil.

Properties and Benefits of the Quince

There are numerous beneficial effects proven qualities of the fruit, but the best known are those given by its food uses. Few, however, know that some extracts are particularly suitable for application on the skin. Let's see, then, what it is good for the Quince.

The most interesting extracts come from the peel, from pulp of this fruit but also from the seeds and the leaves. Specifically, all these parts revealed a high content of phenolic compoundssubstances with numerous effects, which turn into cosmetic propertiessummarised as follows:

• Antioxidant: the quince contains vitamin C (an essential nutrient), caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and quercetin, all three substances of a phenolic nature abundantly present in the skin and also well represented in the pulp, which make this fruit effective against ageingcounteracting the damaging effects of free radicals on cells. Free radicals are dangerous by-products of cell metabolism that cause mutation or cell death. 
• Anti-allergicwith a reduction in dermatitis and similar reactions. Indeed, according to some scientific research, Quince seed extract is effective in improve symptoms of skin inflammation.
• Antimicrobialderived mostly from the skin of the fruit. In fact, according to scientific literature, thequince peel extract would be effective for inhibit the growth of different bacterial strains.
• Anti-inflammatory e soothingas demonstrated by some scientific studies.
• Astringent. The granules of the flesh of this fruit contain astringent compounds known as tanninscatechin and epicatechin.

In summary, thanks to a particular extract from the seeds of Quince, the appearance of the skin is greatly improved, remaining protected, soft and moisturised. In fact, its seeds, thanks to the mucilage contentcontribute to protect against skin dehydration and therefore counteract the onset of wrinkles and loss of tone. Instead, since fruit come from its astringent, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

We cannot fail to mention the pectina very abundant substance in the cell walls of vegetal tissuesies, including those of the Quince.

Pectins are hydrophilic substances (they hydrate easily. Together with other substances, such as mucilage, they belong to the group of soluble fibres. Pectin compounds contribute to regenerate and slow down the skin's ageing process. In addition, the pectin has astringent and soothing properties.

Therefore, some of the main benefits of the Quince, not only in terms of food but also cosmetics, come from its high fibre content, especially pectins, mucilage and tannins.

In short, our dear Quince is a real panacea! What more can you ask of nature?
And we haven't said everything yet...

The 'special' Organic Quince from Officina Naturae

From the production of the Quince, to the use of its extracts for the well-being of the skinthere is a common thread that we at Officina Naturae we follow with particular care: we buy quince ourselves from a small Italian producer, which uses organic farming methodsthus trying to support the economy of small farmers and to shorten the supply chain as much as possible.

In addition, we ourselves turn these precious fruits into laboratorywithout the intervention of third parties, obtaining extracts which then add to the formulas of the Biricco line.

With this we try to give the end consumer the guarantee of cosmetics and detergents with healthy, safe, controlled and certified ingredientsfrom the very beginning.