Spotlight On: Blue Tansy

Aside from making any product it’s added to an absolutely gorgeous shade of aquamarine, blue tansy oil is also a serious skincare ingredient that seems to be popping up everywhere these days. Before your next product re-up, learn a bit about why you should consider adding this magical flower to your routine.

What is blue tansy?

Blue tansy is a flowering plant — also known as “Moroccan chamomile” — native to northern Africa. True to its name, the oil is naturally a lovely shade of cerulean and not the result of synthetics: while the plants’ flowers are yellow, their high content of azulene result in blue oil after steam distillation.

It’s important to note that blue tansy is different from another flower called, simply, tansy. The way you’ll know it’s blue tansy? Check an ingredient label for its botanical/Latin name: Tanacetum annuum. 

Why should I use blue tansy?

Because you’ve got skin, that’s why. It may seem like an oversimplification, but nearly all skin types and woes can benefit from a lil’ blue tansy magic.

Blue tansy is supremely high in antioxidants, magic words for anyone in the market for radiant, healthy skin. And if you were paying attention earlier and caught the mention of blue tansy being known as Moroccan chamomile, you won’t be surprised to learn it also has serious calming skills; its anti-inflammatory properties mean it calms skin, relieves redness, and even brings heat down if you’re dealing with sun overexposure. (People dealing with eczema and dermatitis, take note!) It’s even used in some hair care products to help itchy, dry scalps.

Those calming properties also play well together with blue tansy’s antibacterial characteristics, making it a terrific ingredient for blemish-prone skin.

And it smells lovely, so there’s an aromatherapeutic benefit to blue tansy, too. The aroma — sweet, warm and herbaceous — works to relax the nervous system, thereby helping to regulate the endocrine system. A calm, smoothly functioning endocrine system equals stabilized hormones which equal unstressed bodies which equal non-inflamed organs and skin. It’s a win-win-win-win.

How should I use blue tansy?

One of the most popular ways to harness the power of blue tansy is via mask. Look for one with a beautiful blue hue and check the ingredient label to make sure it lists Tanacetum annuum no more than halfway down. Since it’s an essential oil, it’s highly concentrated and a little goes a long way, especially when skin is involved. So while it’s important that you see it in an ingredient deck, don’t be too concerned if it’s not one of the things on there.

One thing to note: If you have hay fever or an allergy to ragweed or chamomile, make sure to do a test patch with products that contain blue tansy — there’s a bit of overlap.