• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum): Also known as Tulsi, Holy Basil is a revered adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine known for helping the body adapt to physical and emotional stress by assisting the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis - the body’s central stress response system. It helps balance cortisol levels and calm an overactive nervous system with compounds like eugenol and rosmarinic acid, which also helps reduce inflammation, making it a powerhouse for emotional resilience. It offers an uplifting, grounding effect, perfect for moments when you're mentally scattered or energetically drained.
• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): Ashwagandha is like a weighted blanket for your nervous system - grounding, steadying, and helping anchor you when life feels unsteady. Known as a rejuvenating adaptogen, it helps regulate stress hormones and calm a racing mind, all while improving your body's response to mental and physical fatigue. It has a deeply fortifying effect on the nervous system by balancing cortisol levels and supporting GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) activity - a neurotransmitter that helps calm nervous system excitation. It contains withanolides, a group of steroidal lactones known for their ability to reduce stress, improve resilience, and promote mental clarity. Ideal for those times when you feel emotionally overwhelmed, restless or mentally foggy from chronic stress. No wonder Ashwagandha is well studied!
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis): Not to be confused with lemon essential oil, Lemon Balm is a calming herb from the mint family, traditionally used to soothe nervous tension, lift low moods and support emotional balance - while lemon oil is more energising and cleansing. Two very different botanicals, each with their own unique magic. That’s why Lemon Balm is perfect for UnFrazzled™ Calm Hand Cream! Containing rosmarinic acid, it’s believed to increase GABA availability in the brain - helping to reduce nervous excitability. It’s often used in herbal medicine to reduce mild anxiety, support restful sleep and calm nervous digestion. It has gentle sedative properties that help relax the body without making you sleepy, creating a peaceful mental atmosphere.
• Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens): Floral, slightly citrusy, and emotionally balancing, Rose Geranium is known for its harmonising effect on mood. It contains citronellol and geraniol, compounds that have shown to support nervous system relaxation and reduce feelings of anxiety. It’s often used in times of hormonal (sometimes a hidden cause of emotional turbulence) or mood instability and reduce irritability, offering a sense of steadiness when emotions feel frazzled and you’re needing emotional resilience on the daily.
• Frankincense (Boswellia carterii): A sacred oil used for centuries in meditation and healing, Frankincense is grounding, centering, and emotionally clarifying. It supports the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest-and-restore mode), helping shift your body out of chronic stress. It contains boswellic acids and incensole acetate, both known for their calming effects on the brain and potential to reduce inflammation in the body and mind. It promotes slower, deeper breathing, easing mental overwhelm and soothing tension in both body and spirit. This oil works quietly but profoundly encouraging nervous system regulation from the inside out.
• Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata): Sweet, exotic, and deeply calming, Ylang Ylang is well-known for its ability to ease anxiety, uplift mood, and soften emotional edges. Thanks to its high levels of linalool and germacrene D, these compound help reduce blood pressure and slow rapid heart rate under stress, supporting both the emotional and physical symptoms of nervous system dysregulation. It's perfect for emotional overload and restoring a sense of ease and sensual calm.
• Bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia): Bergamot is unique among citrus oils in that it’s both uplifting, calming, fresh, citrusy and emotionally supportive, helping reduce feelings of stress, sadness, and mental fatigue. Unlike other citrus oils, it also has relaxing properties - making it perfect for calming anxious energy without dulling the spirit.  Its primary compound, linalyl acetate, interacts with the limbic system (the emotional centre of the brain) to help reduce stress and anxiety while promoting relaxation. It’s frequently used in aromatherapy for mood support, especially during high-stress or emotionally turbulent periods.
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): One of the most well-known oils for emotional support, Lavender is a natural nervous system sedative that promotes relaxation, reduces restlessness, and supports better sleep and mood stability. Lavender is widely regarded for its anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties. It contains linalool and linalyl acetate, which work synergistically to calm the central nervous system by binding to GABA receptors in the brain. It soothes frazzled nerves, helps calm your racing thoughts and creates a feeling of emotional safety, making it one of the most effective natural nervous system soothers.
• Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena): Rose Absolute is emotionally transformative.  A symbol of love, safety and compassion, Rose Absolute holds one of the highest vibrational frequencies of any botanical. At around 320 MHz (the average human body sits at 62–78 MHz),  it’s often said to elevate mood and open the heart. It contains citronellol, phenylethyl alcohol, and trace esters that help soften grief, soothe emotional wounds, and create a sense of deep comfort. It takes over 60,000 petals to make just 30ml of this precious extract - a true luxury for your heart and your skin. Just one inhale can shift you out of emotional chaos and into stillness.

What is Squalene and What Happens When it’s Gone

Squalene (with an “e") is a natural lipid found in your skin’s sebum that keeps things smooth, supple and shielded. In fact, it makes up about 10–15% of your skin’s sebum in your peak years. It plays a crucial role in keeping the skin’s barrier strong, soft & hydrated and assists with vitamin D synthesis, while also helping protect against oxidative damage and environmental stress.

If you have passed your ‘peak’ years (personally, we think every year is a peak year!) squalene is actually something your skin used to make loads of on its own…until around age 30, when production slows down and dryness starts to creep in (rude, we know). By the time you reach your 50s and beyond, levels can drop to less than a third of what they once were. This is one of the reasons why your skin starts to feel drier, thinner, more sensitive and slower to repair as you age.

What is Squalane and Why is it in UnFrazzled™ Calm Hand Cream

That’s where squalane (with an “a”) comes in, the upgraded version of your skin’s natural squalene. Squalene is unstable in its raw form, which is why we opt for squalane in our formula. Derived from olives, the hydrogenated, shelf-stable, skin-friendly version mimics your skin’s own oils without going funky, absorbs like a dream and helps your skin hold onto hydration to stay silky-soft long after application.

In our UnFrazzled™ Calm Hand Cream, we added squalane for the purpose of giving you the lightweight, non-greasy moisture your skin’s been missing…possibly for years! It absorbs fast, helps replenish the skin barrier and leaves even the most frazzled skin feeling calm and oh-so-smooth.

Calm skin = calm mind. Squalane helps deliver that velvety feel you love, especially when paired with calming botanicals like holy basil, ashwagandha, and rose absolute. It’s nature’s way of giving your skin a little extra love and longevity right when it needs it most.

Now, about that sunshine connection…

One lesser-known fact is that squalene plays a supporting role in the skin’s natural production of vitamin D. 

Fun Fact! Your skin doesn’t absorb vitamin D from the sun - it actually triggers your skin to make it!
The process goes like this:

• UVB rays from the sun penetrate the skin.
• These rays interact with a compound in your skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol (naturally found in the epidermis). This is the start of vitamin D synthesis.
• This reaction converts 7-dehydrocholesterol into pre-vitamin D3, which your body then transforms into active vitamin D (aka the stuff your body can actually use).

So instead of "absorbing" vitamin D from the sun, your skin is synthesising it thanks to this natural reaction.

But if your skin barrier is dry, damaged or depleted of lipid-loving ingredients like squalene (hi ageing, stress, and modern life), that magic can slow down. This could be one of the reasons why older adults can sit in the sun longer but still struggle to make enough vitamin D.

That’s why nourishing your skin with lipid-loving ingredients like squalane, for a well-hydrated skin barrier, helps create a healthier environment for vitamin D synthesis to occur. Helping your skin do its thing!

While we can’t claim it’ll turn you into a vitamin D magnet, we can say that topping up the skin’s “moisture intelligence” for healthy, nourished skin is better equipped to do its job — including soaking in those golden rays.

So…in a nutshell…what is the difference between squalene and squalane?

Squalene is a natural oil your skin produces (but declines as you get older) to stay hydrated, but it’s unstable in skincare products. Squalane is the stable, hydrogenated version used in clean natural products such as ours – it mimics your skin’s own oils, absorbs quickly, and locks in moisture without greasiness. Because you want smooth skin, not slippery everything-you-touch vibes.

How To Use:

Massage onto hands and fingers throughout the day or as needed. External use only. Avoid eyes and broken or irritated skin. Not recommended for infants under 2 years. Discontinue use if irritation occurs. If you are feeling overwhelmed or low, reach out to someone you trust or seek professional advice. Keep away from children. Store below 30°C.

Ingredients: 

Aqua, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Olivate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) Leaf Oil, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf (Holy Basil) Powder, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) Root Extract, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute) Flower Oil, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Caprylate, Propanediol, Benzoic Acid.