Ingredients 101: Why I Am Nuts About Pili Oil

In an imaginary scenario where I would think of a Bicolano vendor approaching me to ask, “How would you like your pili-sugar-coated or honey glazed?”

I would politely reply and say, “Ah, I would prefer mine in beauty oil form” with a small, satisfied smile.

Pili, which in Filipino literally means “choice,” is the main ingredient of the pili nut delicacies I used to take for granted, often sold aboard public buses en route to Bicol province.

And in case you’re not updated, the pili’s oil extract just happens to be one of the recent breakthroughs in the beauty market, in fact heralded a “luxury oil.“

PILI FROM THE PHILIPPINES

We have actually been producing pili as far back as the Spanish rule, and while it has become available in regions across Southeast Asia, it’s the ones harvested from Bicol that’s regarded as the best.

THE PILI PROCESS

Pili oil comes from the fruit-bearing pili trees, where the nut is cracked by human hands and a bolo in a process called pagtilad. The oil can then be extracted from the pulp and I read that aside from beauty products, it is also used in cooking, and are fed to pigs and cows (I now have a theory as to why these blessed farm animals have supple skin).

WHAT’S IN A PILI?

Which nut has the richest Vitamin E content of all? You guessed it—it’s the pili. Called “the beauty vitamin,” its primary purpose is to promote hair and skin health, prevent wrinkles (they say E stands for “eternal youth“), moisturize skin, and protect it from the harmful elements of the world, like UV rays we constantly battle every day.

If you’re hard-headed and refuse to eat the carrots on the table, then praise the pili oil. It is rich in beta-carotine, a Vitamin A source, and has high levels of antioxidants (including carotenoids and phytosterols, common ingredients in beauty products) that protect our skin from ghastly pollution our skin cannot really avoid in Manila.

I’m well aware that many other beauty products contain Vitamins E and A, but oils are a unique class of its own. Oils are super effective as it deeply seeps into our skin—so we really make the most of its benefits. And remember how pili’s content is richer like no other!

WHY I PILI (CHOOSE) PILI

Pili is anti-everything (anti-microbial, inflammatory, bacterial, and viral) and can treat serious skin problems like wounds and allergies. So it certainly does a marvelous job at fighting off– not one!—but all the elements that cause impurities on our skin.

And why is that important? Because at the end of the day, skin irregularities aren’t caused by just one thing, but a combination of factors like allergens, pollution, and your own sweat—and pili oil tries to wash away all those sins on your skin.

Text by: Tita Pacita

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