What is Thanaka?

As an old Asian proverb goes: “The world’s most beautiful women have a Thai smile, Indian eyes, and Burmese skin”. The Burmese people have long been known for their radiant skin and most of them attribute that glow to wearing Thanaka regularly.

Thanaka is a common tree in Southeast Asia used by the people of Myanmar to create their distinctive face makeup meant for daily sun protection and skincare.

It was made popular by a beautiful queen of Beikthano. It was said her skin’s glow was bright enough to light up any room she entered. This legendary queen attributed her stunning skin to Thanaka, who is largely responsible for popularizing this practice.

Is Thanka an Ancient Form of Sunscreen?

South East Asia is filled with hot, sunny climates perfect for farming sugar cane, rice, and dry beans. Thanaka has been used for centuries to help keep the local populace cool and block UV rays to prevent sunburn and aging. 

It doesn’t have an official SPF rating like commercial sunscreens but, studies have shown that Thanaka provides mild UV protection. Thanaka is also low in cytotoxicity, which is a fancy word for saying it has a lower chance of harming your cells, unlike synthetic sunscreens. After all, there’s a reason the burmese people have been wearing it for generations.

Thanaka pairs well with other ingredients in mineral-based sunscreens like non-nano zinc oxide because it’s effective at scattering UV rays compared to absorbing them like most chemical sunscreens. 

If you’re seeking for an eco-friendly, organic, and alternative form of sun protection a Thanaka based mineral sunscreen makes a fine choice.

How Is Thanaka Made?

Thanaka paste comes from tree bark. It’s widely believed it takes 35 years for the Thanaka tree to mature and reach optimal quality but, modern farms can bring products to market in a much shorter time.

The tree or root is grinded up into a powder, in order to make it into a paste one can use a few tablespoons of water or milk to create the paste. When applied as a thick paste, Thanaka gives a cooling and refreshing sensation. Making it particularly useful to wear in hot and humid climates. 

Use fingers to apply it to the skin over the cheeks, nose, forehead, or whatever part of the body you want to protect. Once applied, it helps cool the skin and protect it from being out in the elements all day.

Most people from Myanmar believe the best Thanaka comes from Sagaing area but the cream of the crop comes from Shinmataung and Pakokku.

What Are Other Benefits of Thanaka?

Thanaka not only acts as a natural sunscreen but it’s a swiss army knife when it comes to sunscreen and skin care:

• Natural Anti-inflammatory
• Skin Cooling
• Anti-aging 
• Acne Prevention
• Anti-bacterial
• Bug repellent

The two active ingredients are coumarin and marmesin, they are responsible for the beneficial properties of Thanaka. Coumarin gives Thanaka its antioxidant properties while the marmesin gives it UV protection properties.

In addition to this, Thanaka trees and leaves are used to treat medical issues like malaria, epilepsy, leprosy, and stomach infection.

Should You Try Thanaka?

We don't see why not, Thanaka has been proven to be safe and effective when  applied to the skin for generations in South East Asia.

There’s a reason it’s been firmly ingrained in Burmese culture centuries. For those looking to reject the normal synthetic mayonnaise looking sunscreen and searching for something more holistic, Helios is perfect for you.

Thanaka is the star ingredient in our mineral based sunscreen along with 6 other natural ingredients to make the perfect natural sun paste on the market.