Rambutan Benefits: Is This the New Anti-Aging Ingredient?

Do you remember December afternoons peeling the tickling, fibrous skin of rambutan and enjoying its sweet, juicy flavor? It was a sweet treat as a child, but now that you’re grown up, you might appreciate its numerous health perks, particularly regarding anti-aging. Intrigued? Warning: these rambutan benefits may trigger a craving.

This hairy tropical fruit may not be as universally loved as, say, apples and oranges, but discovering its myriad of natural skincare promises may convert beauty lovers everywhere. 

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) is a tropical stone fruit native to Southeast Asia. It has a distinct spiky appearance: a red peel covered by soft green and red thorns. The milky-hued flesh is sweet and succulent and quite similar to a lychee.

A 2023 study in Food Science & Nutrition Journal describes rambutan’s therapeutic properties as “anticancer, antiallergic, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antihypercholesterolemic, and antihyperglycemic.” It contains vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B complex, minerals, natural sugars, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It’s also chock-full of antioxidants and has high water content.

Rambutan’s main selling point for beauty junkies is its high antioxidant level, which you may already know works wonders for your skin. Antioxidant benefits include brightening, evening, de-puffing, and repairing – all the good buzzwords your skin wants to hear. These substances also assist in collagen production, making them essential in anti-aging efforts.

Like other antioxidant-rich items, rambutan helps neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress – both of which contribute to skin aging, among other things.

In recent years, skincare experts have been touting rambutan as a gentler substitute for anti-aging favorite, retinol. Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that smoothens and prevents wrinkles and other fine lines. However, despite its known effectivity, retinol can be extremely potent and doesn’t play well with all skin types. This holy grail also puts you in an adjustment period, and your skin may experience redness, tightness, or peeling as it acclimatizes.

Unlike retinol, which has a more targeted strategy for the signs of aging, rambutan’s benefits are more holistic. After all, retinol was developed specifically to combat anti-aging concerns. On its own, rambutan has a more holistic approach, contributing to overall skin health – which in itself prevents various skin-aging symptoms. 

While not as focused as lab-created substances, rambutan is quickly building a reputation as a natural alternative to retinol, especially since it’s milder on the skin.

You can enjoy these rambutan benefits in various ways, from eating them regularly to using them in DIY face masks. Commercially, many beauty companies blend it with other skin-loving ingredients, such as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, to create optimized formulations.

If it’s not in season, many other products offer similar results. POND'S Age Miracle Double Action Serum won’t let your skin down. It has 30X more skin renewal actives, niacinamide, and Prebiotic Complex to give you a youthful glow. Maximize its potential with POND'S Age Miracle Anti-Aging Day Cream SPF 18, which has Retinol C and niacinamide to accelerate skin renewal and protect you from sun damage.

You’re lucky. This new anti-aging ingredient is common in the Philippines. The next time you see piles of this hairy fruit in a streetside fruit cart, you better prepare your pocketbook. Those amazing rambutan benefits are waiting for you! Pamper your skin with this yummy treat.