Short answer: five ingredients keep resurfacing across skincare history for the same reason — olive oil, chamomile, rice, frankincense, and tallow are all fundamentally compatible with human skin biology, which is why they outlasted centuries of trends that newer synthetic ingredients rarely do. This post covers what each one actually does, honestly, and how Nana Latta uses them.
What if the secret to glowing, healthy skin doesn't lie in the latest innovations but in the wisdom of ancient traditions? Nature has always provided remarkable skincare ingredients — some backed by real modern research, others by centuries of consistent traditional use. Here are the top 5 ancient skincare ingredients worth knowing, and how Nana Latta uses them in its products.
1. Olive Oil: Mediterranean Beauty's Timeless Staple
Olive oil has been central to Mediterranean skincare for thousands of years. Rich in oleic acid, polyphenols, and fat-soluble vitamins, it nourishes and offers antioxidant protection against oxidative damage. Its high oleic acid content resembles the skin's own lipid structure, which supports good absorption.
In Nana Latta: Olive oil is a key ingredient in our Tallow Essential Body Butter Refresh and Tallow Essential Body Butter Lavender & Frankincense.
2. Chamomile: A Traditional Calming Remedy
Chamomile has been used for centuries across Europe and the Middle East to calm irritated skin. Its active compound bisabolol is a well-documented anti-inflammatory compound in cosmetic chemistry literature. It's traditionally used to help reduce the appearance of redness and is a common ingredient in formulas aimed at conditions like eczema and rosacea — though it's a soothing cosmetic ingredient, not a treatment for these conditions, and anyone with a diagnosed skin condition should still follow their dermatologist's guidance.
In Nana Latta: Chamomile CO2 extract stars in our bestselling Tallow Butter Family Daisy, chosen for CO2 extraction's broader retention of chamomile's active compounds compared to standard steam-distilled extract.
3. Rice: An Ancient Staple for Skin Texture
For centuries, women across Japan, China, and Korea have used rice water and rice powder as skincare staples. Rice contains gamma-oryzanol, ferulic acid, and B vitamins associated with brighter-looking skin and gentle exfoliation without irritation. Fermented rice extracts are also of interest for their potential probiotic benefits to the skin microbiome, though this is a newer area of research compared to rice's long traditional use.
In Nana Latta: Probiotic rice powder features in all our Face Butters, chosen for microbiome-friendly texture refinement.
4. Frankincense: An Ancient Resin, Still Studied Today
Revered in ancient Egypt, Arabia, and India, frankincense (Boswellia) resin has a long history of traditional use for skin, and modern research is examining its anti-inflammatory properties specifically. Honest gap: claims that frankincense "stimulates cell renewal" or reduces wrinkles are common in skincare marketing but go further than the current evidence supports for topical cosmetic use — we'd rather describe it accurately as a traditionally-used, anti-inflammatory botanical than imply a specific mechanism that isn't well established.
In Nana Latta: Frankincense features in our Tallow Essential Body Butter Lavender & Frankincense and Magnesium + Salt Foaming Bath Relax.
5. Tallow: Our Ancestors' Skin Staple
Used across human civilizations for millennia, beef tallow is experiencing a genuine modern renaissance. Its fatty acid composition is the closest match to human sebum of any common skincare oil — a 2017 Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society analysis found tallow shares roughly 55% of its fatty acid profile with human sebum, compared to about 40% for shea butter and 23% for coconut oil. Rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, tallow nourishes and supports the skin barrier.
In Nana Latta: Grass-fed beef tallow is the hero ingredient in every single product we make, from the Tallow Butter Family Daisy to our Minimalist Butter.
Curious what natural skincare can do?
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Get 10% offThe Five Ingredients at a Glance
| Ingredient | Key Compound | Traditionally Used For | Found In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | Oleic acid, polyphenols | Nourishing dry, mature skin | Body Butter Refresh, Lavender & Frankincense |
| Chamomile | Bisabolol | Calming reactive, irritated skin | Family Daisy |
| Rice | Ferulic acid, gamma-oryzanol | Brightening, gentle texture refinement | All Face Butters |
| Frankincense | Boswellic acids | Traditional anti-inflammatory use | Lavender & Frankincense, Magnesium Relax! |
| Tallow | Palmitic, stearic, oleic acid | Complete daily moisturising | Every Nana Latta product |
Why Ancient Ingredients Are Having a Modern Moment
Synthetic skincare dominated the 20th century. But decades of dermatological research have shown that many modern ingredients can irritate skin, disrupt the microbiome, or provide only surface-level benefits. The ingredients above have stayed in use for centuries because they're generally compatible with human skin biology — that's a meaningfully different (and legitimate) category of evidence from a clinical trial, though not a substitute for one where a specific mechanism is being claimed. Nana Latta's philosophy is built on combining that traditional-use case with what current research does and doesn't confirm.
What This Means for Your Skin Type
- Dry and mature skin: Olive oil and tallow both suit richer daily moisturising; tallow alone can often replace a multi-step routine.
- Sensitive and reactive skin: Chamomile-forward formulas like Family Daisy are built specifically for this, with a short ingredient list and no synthetic fragrance.
- Oily and acne-prone skin: Olive oil can feel heavy for this skin type — rice-powder-forward, lighter formulas or the unscented Minimalist Butter are usually a better fit.
- Skin needing extra calm: Frankincense and chamomile-forward formulas (Lavender & Frankincense, Family Daisy) are the ones to reach for, understanding these are soothing traditional botanicals, not medical treatments.
Related Reads
- What Is Tallow? From Origins to Benefits
- Ancestral Wisdom Meets Science: Everything We Know About Tallow
Frequently Asked Questions
What ancient ingredient is best for anti-aging?
Tallow provides fat-soluble vitamins A and E, which support skin barrier function and have documented roles in skin health generally. Frankincense has a long traditional history for skin, though the specific anti-aging mechanism is less well established than tallow's fatty-acid and vitamin profile. Using both together addresses aging from a couple of angles rather than one.
Is tallow really better than modern moisturizers?
For many people, yes. Tallow's fatty acid profile is closer to human sebum than most synthetic alternatives (about 55% shared profile, based on published fatty-acid analyses), which supports genuine absorption rather than just sitting on the surface. It also delivers fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in their naturally occurring form.
Why does Nana Latta use chamomile CO2 extract instead of standard chamomile?
CO2 extraction preserves a broader spectrum of chamomile's active compounds — including bisabolol and chamazulene — than steam distillation. This means a more concentrated, effective extract in a smaller amount of ingredient.
Is olive oil good for all skin types?
Olive oil suits dry, mature, or normal skin well. For very oily or acne-prone skin, lighter alternatives like jojoba are generally more suitable. In our body butter formulas, olive oil is blended with tallow to balance its richness.
What makes rice powder good for the skin?
Probiotic rice powder contains ferulic acid, gamma-oryzanol, and B vitamins associated with a brighter-looking complexion and gentle texture refinement. Its probiotic component is an area of ongoing interest for skin microbiome support, though this is a newer research area than rice's traditional use.
