Introduction of Summit and its fabulous ingredients by premier UK natural products expert Janey Lee Grace.
Here at The Summit and in Vanuatu generally, we are fortunate to be able to grow a vast selection of plants which are well known for their skin-loving qualities. They are grown by villagers who use organically natural silviculture methods which have been successful for hundreds of years. These plants benefit from nature’s benevolent supply of rainfall, sunshine, fresh unpolluted air, and organic compost fertilizer. This is particularly so in Tanna where the plants have the added advantage of being close to that great fertilizer factory, Mt Yasur volcano.
All oils extracted from our plants exhibit higher than average qualities when analysed professionally. It is well documented that our villagers have been using these same plants as secret weapons in their fight against diseases for long before the white man’s medicine came to the islands. We at The Summit now want to share this knowledge and our quality ingredients to help you repair, replenish and save your skin from the stresses of everyday living.
Read on about our fabulous ingredients and the processes of creating the highest quality sandalwood and other essential oils-based health and body products at The Summit Vanuatu, and how each one in its own way can help to save your skin.
Tamanu Oil (Calophyllym inophyllum)
Tamanu oil has its origins in the pacific islands. The oil is prepared by sun-drying the nuts, derived from the fruit of the tamanu tree, for between 10-12 weeks. During this period, oil forms in the nuts. The nuts are then cold-pressed to remove the oil. It then goes...
Nangai oil (Canarium indicum, ngali nut)
Nangai trees have been cultivated in Melanesia for thousands of years and are an exceptionally important tree in traditional customary life. Stories, songs and customs dances based on the Nangai tree have been recorded in both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Nangai...
Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austrocaledonicum)
Sandalwood oil is extracted from the heartwood and roots of the sandalwood tree by steam distillation. It is pale yellow in colour, with a buttery, woody aroma, gaining floral tones with age. When used in aromatherapy it induces mind-focussing and emotion-calming...
Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao)
Cocoa butter, also called Theobroma oil, is the cream-colored fat extracted from cacao seeds (cocoa beans). The cocoa beans are harvested from the fruit of the cocoa tree Cocoa butter is obtained from whole cocoa beans, which are fermented, roasted, and then separated...
Virgin coconut oil (Cocos nucifera)
Virgin coconut oil is prepared by opening freshly harvested coconuts, rapidly removing the coconut meat, lightly drying on a warm stainless steel bed at low temperature and then cold-pressing the oil. The oil is then filtered several times to remove any residual...
Green Coffee Beans
Botanically the species of green coffee that we are using is Vanuatu’s own Tanna Coffee bean from the Coffea arabica (catimore species) . Green coffee beans are beans that have been un-roasted and processed cold so that they retain their waxy outer layer. Because...
Sandalwood powder (Santalum austrocaledonicum)
Sandalwood powder is the pure ground heartwood of the sandalwood tree. The Summit sandalwood powder has been analysed as containing 6%+ of the valuable sandalwood oil. It is mid-brown in colour and has the characteristic sandalwood aroma. For skin care, sandalwood...
Sandalwood water, hydrosol or hydrolate (Santalum austrocaledonicum)
Sandalwood water is the distillate produced from the distillation of sandalwood after the oil has been drawn off. It contains the key dissolved constituents of sandalwood oil, plus it is infused microdrops of the sandalwood oil. It is sandalwood oil in a diluted form....