We like avocado any way we can get it—diced up in a salad, sliced onto a sandwich, and yes, we will pay extra for a heaping scoop of guac wrapped inside our burritos (like that’s even a question). And the best part is, it’s really good for our bodies, skin, hair and nails!

“Packed with phytonutrients, avocados have become a staple because they’re rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat,” says Shannon McLinden, CEO of FarmHouse Fresh, a Texas-based company that specializes in face and body products that are made with up to 99.6 percent natural and naturally-derived ingredients. “The fruit has been shown to assist with everything from lowering cholesterol to reducing blood pressure.”

McLinden adds that avocados help manage weight due to their fiber content, both insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber helps regulate digestion; soluble fiber controls appetite by making us feel fuller, longer.

The fruits are rich in many nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, potassium and phytosterols.

 Avocado also yields incredible benefits in beauty routines. Sometimes on products, it is labeled under its scientific name, peresea gratissima. When we asked McLinden where the ingredient should be applied, she said “wherever you have skin!”

“The great thing about avocados is they're safe for all skin types, as they won't irritate dry skin or aggravate a sensitive complexion,” McLinden says.

Avocados contain high amounts of carotenoids, which have been shown to improve skin’s density, thickness, tone and general appearance. The vitamin C in avocado helps create elastin and collagen, which bind together skin cells to maintain their firmness and structure. Vitamin E helps stop free radical damage that lead to aging skin.

“Avocados are a great source of antioxidant carotenoids that are free radical quenching compounds; basically a "free-radical Pac-Man,” McLinden says. “They also provide significant protection for your skin from the environmental damage that leads to fine lines and wrinkles.”

Healthy skin and avocados, according to McLinden, have an important building block in common: omega-9 fatty acids. Many beauty products that use avocado as an active ingredient utilize its oil, pressed from the fruit of the avocado, because it contains the highest concentration of these.

Avocados are so great for skin, even by themselves they can act as a natural emollient. When applied topically, it can hydrate and even prevent dry skin.

Although your clients might be used to paying extra for that irresistible guacamole, convince them to mix some of that green goodness into their beauty routine as well. 

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