Why base skincare products on plants?
Skincare products are not new-age, technological inventions. Our most ancient records show the use of natural resources to maintain ageless beauty and skin health. Plant extracts, tinctures, oils and butters were combined to create powerful concoctions that evolved with us into today’s effective formulations.
Enter Scientists – here’s the good, and the bad:
As we progressed, scientists were interested to find out what specific compounds of those plants were responsible for their skin benefits. They isolated and then chemically synthesized those compounds, moving towards formulations containing exclusively synthetic molecules. The manufacturing benefits were clear – with pure molecules, they had stable and predictable combinations, easy to preserve for many years of shelf life, with defined quality control and standard operating procedures. What was lost, however, is the synergistic benefits of natural formulations.
Plant-derived formulas provide the full enchilada of goodness:
For example, arbutin, the famous skin-whitening ingredient, is a glycosylated hydroquinone originally extracted from the bearberry plant (and present in many other plants including blueberry, lingonberry, etc.). It has been shown to inhibit the enzyme tyrosinase, therefore preventing melanin formation. So what happened to the rest of the bearberry plant? All the phytoantioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamins and minerals that naturally evolved along with arbutin, are discarded from chemical formulas. In plant-derived formulas, however, the entire extract of bearberry is used, adding the rich gamut of natural molecules that help protect and nurture the skin.
A tasty food analogy:
To add another example, let’s compare skincare with food. After all, skin is the largest organ of the human body and it needs nutrition the same way as the rest of our body does. What if you were offered a dish containing 60g of water, 25g of protein powder and 12g of fat? With some vitamins and minerals sprinkled on top? Would you be as excited as tucking into 100g of a juicy, grilled steak? Well, those are the same nutritional ingredients of beef… But not the same taste/ experience/ satisfaction, right? So why would a face cream with a 40+ ingredient list that sounds like it was lifted from an advanced organic chemistry book be great for your skin? Why would “Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glycereth-26, Peg-75” be more appealing than “shea butter, chamomile extract, aloe vera gel, and hyaluronic acid”?
In summary: plants are powerful!
We believe that the herbal ingredients that we’ve been using for centuries can provide effective skincare formulations that are much more natural for humans, cause less inflammatory response (sensitive skin, anyone?) and protect our planet from an excess of unnecessary chemical production.
