Monoi oil

Authentic Tahitian monoi oil follows a strict manufacturing code that oversees the entire process from handpicking the tiare flowers to storage and shipping of the final product.

The date when monoi was first created is unknown; however, its origins can be traced back 2000 years to the Maohi people, the indigenous Polynesians.

Early European explorers who travelled to the Polynesian islands, including James Cook, documented the natives’ use of monoi for medicinal, cosmetic and religious purposes.

During ceremonies which took place in their temples (marae), priests (tahuʻa) used monoi to anoint sacred objects and purify offerings to their deities.

The small white, star-shaped flower grows on 3-foot (0.91 m) high bushes throughout French Polynesia, which features soil of coral origin, and blossoms all year long.

According to specific maceration standards set by the decree of Appellation d'Origine, which each manufacturer must scrupulously follow, a minimum of 15 tiare flowers must be used in every liter of refined coconut oil.

The fragments are then taken to special flat wooden barracks covered with sliding metal roofs which are popularly known on the Polynesian islands as "coprah dryers".

Once the refining process is completed the coconut oil is placed into special storage tanks until it is purchased by one of only a handful of Monoi manufacturers.

[3] Recent manufacturer tests verify that monoi oil is rich in methyl salicylate which is a skin-soothing agent.