If you would like to enhance your skin care routine, try using saffron. Its active compounds work against inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and UV radiation. It also offers protection from UV radiation, a common cause of premature skin aging. Saffron is widely used in skin lightening cosmetics products. Since ancient times it has been a prized ingredient for nourishing the skin.
Besides being used to flavor special dishes saffron has been known to possess numerous beauty benefits; 1. It has been a time-honored ingredient in nurturing skin, making it blemish free and radiant. Read on to find out the beauty benefits of saffron. With its amazing anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities, saffron is an ideal ingredient for treating acne and breakouts. 2. Saffron can be an excellent natural ingredient for reducing pigmentation, brown spots and other skin blemishes. 3. Saffron has healing properties which can hasten the process of skin recovery applying saffron on wounds or injured skin will make them heal faster. Saffron also helps lighten the marks in the long run. 4. Pollution, harsh weather and external factors make the skin dull and lifeless. Regular application of saffron can breathe life into your skin, making it radiant. 5. Saffron is widely used in skin lightening cosmetic products. Since ancient times it has been a prized ingredient for nourishing the skin. Regular use of saffron will give you a health complexion. 6. The skin soothing and lightening qualities of saffron makes it handy for skin tan removal. 7. Saffron makes for an excellent skin toner providing a burst of nourishment and freshness to the skin. 8. Full of antioxidants, saffron can nourish the hair, making it healthy and shiny. Add a few strands of saffron to your hair oil.
Aristocratic women and courtesans of the olden days used saffron as cosmetics and skincare. Facial masks blended with saffron are applied by women to make their skin soft, smooth, and free from acne and pimples. Sandalwood and saffron blended with milk are used as a mask to leave the face smooth and radiant. Saffron powder also acts as an exfoliant and leaves the skin clear and bright. The saffron extract contains anti-bacterial properties that are also said to treat pimples, acne, and other skin diseases like psoriasis and leprosy.
Saffron in perfumery
Saffron smells strong, leathery, soft, earthy, hay-like, reminding slightly of rubber. The scent comes from the chemical compounds of picrocrocin and safranal. Saffron is often added to perfumes to support a leather chord.
Furthermore, early stories were told that on occasions, Egyptians wore wax cones suffused with flowers and saffron which, when melted, perfumed their hair with the sweet-pungent smell; that Romans bathed in tubs filled with water sprinkled with saffron threads; that the Greek god Zeus slept in a bed strewn with saffron; and that the Romans perfumed their marital beds with saffron, apparently for sensual reasons. In the Middle East, sandalwood and saffron were blended to come up with a relaxing fragrance that also relieved headaches.
Moreover, modern perfumers take advantage of the fact that saffron blends well as middle notes with other essences and fragrances to come up with a formula for floral perfumes. And in India, they have a hundred-year-old practice of stuffing saffron in special tobacco called ‘ZAAFRANI ZARDA’ that perfumed the air with the aroma.
Saffron Market
Huge international market for saffron is predicted
Global Saffron Market to set a High Potential growth of USD 2 Billion by 2027. Saffron Market by Form (Powder, Thread, and Liquid), Application (Textile, Medicine, Cosmetics, and Food), Region, Global industry analysis, market size, share, growth, trends and forecast 2020 to 2027. Usage of saffron threads is high in food industry. Also, saffron threads are highly used in the healthcare sector due to its therapeutic benefits. It is use in the herbal medicines as well.
The saffron market is driven by an increased preferences for saffron over artificial flavourings and colourings, disposable income levels as well as enhanced standard of living. The demand for saffron is rising as it has several therapeutic applications in the pharmaceuticals industry. Saffron contains various antioxidants like B-carotenes, lycopene and zeaxanthin. It acts as immune modulators. Increased population enhanced standard of living and rapid development are driving the market. Increased demand for cleansers, fairness creams and anti-blemish creams are contributing factors to the growth of the market.
In today’s world, the younger generation is consistently gaining interest in nutritious food which is actually booming the demand for healthy lifestyle. Over the past of few years, there has been an increase in number of health –conscious customers across the world. Individuals are involved in adopting a healthy and a lively lifestyle, which has increased the demand for health-oriented food products.
Healthy lifestyle is becoming a traditional way of life that majority has concerns over obesity, food sensitivity, and other people suffering from disease still rise. Hence, with the rise in health and wellness awareness among the population, the demand for healthy food and quality ingredients has increased substantially. Saffron and its products offer protection against harmful UV rays, fights inflammation, reduces pigmentation and helps in healing wounds.
Presently, around 24 thousand farmers are cultivating saffron across most of the provinces in Afghanistan. Herat and Kandahar remain the single largest producer of Afghan saffron. Though in most areas SAFFRON cultivation has replaced the opium, but the farmers are not happy from the unstable market of saffron in Afghanistan. The saffron market is being monopolized by few Iranian companies and businesses. The farmers are not paid enough to make their expenses and women labour wages. Some of the local businesses are linked with these multinational import and export companies who are jointly exploiting the saffron farmers. Saffron has 2,000 years of history in Afghanistan, according to the country’s National Saffron Development Program.
Annually, approximately 300 tons of dried and saffron filament and powder are produced in the world, whereas based on climate and soil condition, Afghanistan can produce 50 to 70 tons, according to the program. As of its high value, Afghan saffron is also known as “RED GOLD.”
Cultivation and production of saffron created many jobs for women in the province’s Pashtun Zarghun District, where 80% of those engaged in saffron harvesting, refining and packaging were women. For centuries these Afghan women have been farming side by side with their families. The spokesperson of acting government Zabiullah Mujahid said, “We will soon take positive steps to maximize saffron production and its global marketing.”
“In the past, substandard saffron was smuggled from Iran to Afghanistan for this purpose, and then mixed with Afghan saffron and exported in collusion, but timely action by Afghan authorities greatly improved the situation”, the program said. Actually, the profit didn’t go to the farmers and women labours directly but benefited the international traders and few local businesses.
Hence, THE SPICE CHANGE is paving the path to work with farmer directly through fair chain concept that will stabilize the saffron market prices in Afghanistan and maintain the balance of profit between business, consumer and farmer.
Even though, the lack of inspection, wide corruption in customs of previous administration, no-attention of agricultural institutions including the lack of interest from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) in the business of SAFFRON were other main challenges.
Standardization of saffron:
The intensive labor and small quantity of product resulting from that drudgery make the saffron industry susceptible to fraud. Saffron scams in the past led to the formation of the Safranschou Code which punished the double-dealers with penalties, incarceration, and execution. But through the years, the trade became lenient, and scams persisted. Coupé saffron stigmas may be mixed with low-quality threads, or with filaments from other plants. Saffron powder may be mixed with turmeric and other similar-looking spices. These are illegal activities that compromise the consumers and the saffron industry in general. However, Modern-day security measures come in the form of the ISO, or the International Standards Organization, which laid down a uniform grading system for both the saffron filaments and saffron powder. The ISO/TS 3632, created especially for the saffron industry, was released in 1980, and adjusted on a regular basis, with the latest version released in 2011. This standard inspects the authenticity and quality of the saffron products based on categories and checks their labelling and packaging as well. The market price of saffron products is dependent on the results of such inspection.
Saffron sample grading depends on laboratory standards set for color, flavor, and aroma, which means testing the major components crocin, picrocrocin and safranal through photo spectroscopy. They must surpass a given ceiling in order to be considered even at the lowest or poorest category. Crocin, in particular, is the primary consideration because all other components are affected by its presence. Authentic saffron threads and powders are graded from I to IV, with I as the finest and IV the poorest. The following is the grading scale for crocin absorbance: Grade I: >190, Grade II: >150, Grade III: >110, and Grade IV: < 110.