Jill Riley’s love of travel and culture and her pursuit of a healthy lifestyle converged while she was vacationing nearly 8,000 miles away in South Africa, leading her to create Alapure Cosmetics, whose products contain oil from the fruit of South African marula trees.

“I’ve always loved traveling to exotic places to experience different cultures, meet interesting people and discover their beauty secrets,” Riley says. While in South Africa, she was introduced to marula oil, which African women have used for thousands of years to keep their skin soft and young-looking. “Marula oil is easily absorbed into the skin and has antioxidant, anti-aging properties,” Riley says. “It’s also used to diminish the appearance of scars. It is protein-rich and contains lots of fatty acids.”

Alapure products include enriched marula oil as well as body lotions, body butter and botanical handmade soaps infused with marula and other essential oils. They are all-natural, free of parabens, not tested on animals, and formulated with ingredients known to soothe and moisturize skin while improving its appearance, Riley says. “I’ve been thinking and planning for this moment for more than 20 years,” she says. “The explosive growth of the natural cosmetics movement helped me decide that now is the time. The upscale department stores, spas and boutiques have discovered marula oil. Now we just need greater awareness and distribution for the product to make a greater splash. And then we intend to ride that wave.”

For more info, visit Alapure.com or call 914.513.0107.