What is it? Almond milk

This ingredient is increasingly found in beauty products (L'Occitane, Lush and Burt's Bees use it). There are two types of almond - sweet and bitter - and both come from the plum family. They are actually a fruit once valued by the ancient Egyptians for cosmetic purposes.

When crushed and infused in water, the oil from almonds combines with water to give a milky juice. Almond milk was used as a drink to treat inflammation of the skin; it's now used as a calming and softening ingredient in hand creams and other skin lotions.