The sidr tree is a hardy thorny tree native to the drylands of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Its leaves are dried and milled into the powder used for hair and skin washing. It also produces the fruit known as jujube and the flowers that sidr honey comes from.
What the tree is
Sidr is a thorny tree that reaches perhaps ten metres, with small glossy leaves and a deep root system that lets it survive in country where very little else does. It is often the only substantial tree standing in an arid landscape, which is part of why it carries the cultural weight it does.
It is known by many names. Sidr across the Arab world, lote tree in older English translation, ber or beri in South Asia, Christ’s thorn in parts of Europe. Jujube usually refers to the fruit.
The naming is not just trivia. More than one species is traded as sidr, and they are not identical. A specification that says only sidr leaves an important question open, which is why we name the species in the quote.
Where it grows
Sidr grows across a wide arid belt: North and East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Iran, Pakistan and India. In India it is common through Rajasthan and other dry regions, which is where our own material is grown and milled.
Yemen is the most famous origin, though that fame is mostly about honey rather than leaf. Yemeni sidr honey commands extraordinary prices. The leaf powder trade is a separate business with a separate supply chain.
The tree tolerates drought, poor soil and salinity, and is often planted deliberately to hold soil in places facing desertification.
What comes off the tree
| Part | Product | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Dried leaf, milled powder | Hair and skin care, ritual washing |
| Flowers | Sidr honey, via bees | Premium honey, mainly Yemen |
| Fruit | Jujube, fresh or dried | Food |
| Wood | Timber and fuel | Local use |
The leaf is the part the cosmetics trade wants. It lathers in water because it contains saponins, natural compounds that foam and lift dirt without a synthetic surfactant, and it is that property the whole category is built on.
Why the leaf is used for washing
Sidr cleans and conditions in a single step, which is unusual. Most cleansers strip and then need something else to put softness back.
Because it foams without a synthetic detergent, it suits people with sensitive scalps and it suits brands formulating without sulphates. It is also gentle on coloured hair, including hair coloured with henna, which is why it is often recommended alongside plant based colour.
Traditionally it is used for washing hair and body, and it has a long standing role in ritual washing across the Muslim world. Our practical notes on making a sidr hair mask and on sidr shampoo cover the how.
Harvest and processing
Leaves are stripped from the branches, cleaned and shade dried rather than sun dried, which keeps both the colour and the lather. Dried leaf is either graded and packed whole, or milled and sieved into powder.
Fineness decides the application. Cosmetic grade is milled finest and is what goes into washes and masks, because a coarse powder makes a gritty paste that will not rinse out of thick hair. Standard powder suits buyers blending rather than formulating. Whole dried leaf goes to traditional and ritual use, where the intact leaf is expected.
Stem content is the usual quality problem. Twig and stem mill coarser than leaf and are the most common source of grit that will not rinse away. Leaf only material is the thing to specify.
Which sidr you are actually buying
Because several species trade under the same name, and because the powder looks broadly similar whichever it came from, this is a place where a specification earns its keep.
Ask which species. Ask whether the material is leaf only. Ask for the sieve grade rather than a description like fine. Buyers formulating for the Gulf market usually have a specific expectation, and it is cheaper to confirm it in writing than to discover the mismatch after a container has landed.
Sourcing sidr leaf and powder
We are a sidr leaf powder manufacturer and exporter, milling leaf only material in Rajasthan. Cosmetic grade fine powder, standard leaf powder, whole dried leaves and extract, with the species named in the quote.
Minimum order is 100 kg. GMP, Halal and organic certified, Certificate of Analysis on every lot covering sieve, moisture, heavy metals and microbial limits. Free sample before you order so you can test how it hydrates in your own formulation, and a quote back within 24 hours. Most of our sidr goes to Gulf buyers and to natural hair care brands in Europe and the US.
Specifications, for buyers who order to a number
Order on species, part, sieve or mesh, and moisture, with heavy metals and microbial limits set to your destination market’s cosmetic standard. All confirmed on the Certificate of Analysis for your lot. Tell us the mesh you need and we will confirm what we can hold against it before you order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sidr tree?
A hardy thorny tree of the drylands of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Its leaves are dried and milled for hair and skin washing, and it also gives jujube fruit and sidr honey.
Where does the sidr tree grow?
Across North and East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Iran, Pakistan and India. In India it is common through Rajasthan and other dry regions, which is where our leaf is grown and milled.
Is sidr the same as jujube or lote tree?
They are names for the same broad group of trees. Jujube usually refers to the fruit and lote tree is an older English name. More than one species trades as sidr, so it is worth naming the species.
Why does sidr leaf lather in water?
It contains saponins, plant compounds that foam and lift dirt without a synthetic surfactant. That is why it cleans and conditions in one step and suits sulphate free formulation.
Do you supply sidr leaf powder in bulk?
Yes, leaf only and milled in Rajasthan, from 100 kg minimum, in cosmetic grade fine powder, standard powder, whole dried leaves and extract. Certificate of Analysis per lot, free sample, quote within 24 hours.
Specs change with the crop, the season and the grade. Ask our export desk for a current lab report, the minimum order and a price to your port, and we will come back within 24 hours.