Sea buckthorn is a thorny, silver-leaved shrub that grows wild on the gravel along alpine rivers. Ours comes from a grower who planted rows of it on the old gravel terraces of the Etsch, at 870 m and about 15 km down the valley from our lab.

The berries ripen bright orange in late summer and cling so tightly to the thorny branches that picking them one by one is close to impossible. So the fruiting branches are cut and frozen, and the berries are shaken off once they’re hard. A cut branch takes time to fruit again, so each row is harvested only every other year.

The oil is pressed from the fruit flesh, not the seeds, which is why it’s so deeply orange. It’s rich in carotenoids and omega fatty acids. We use it at 3% in the Sea Buckthorn Face Oil, in a base of 40% squalane, to soften dry patches and add a quiet glow.

An honest note: the color is real. At higher levels, sea buckthorn oil can tint skin and stain fabric, which is one reason we stop at 3%. Even so, let it sink in before you rest your face on a white pillowcase.