How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics
When you hear 'natural' images of blue skies, birds chirping, and beautiful scenery come to thoughts. However when it comes down to cosmetics the term "natural" is often misinterpreted. Many companies claim their products are "natural", even when they contain processed ingredients. How do you know whether a product truly organic or not?
Bluh Alchemy
Bluh Alchemy is an innovative clean skincare brand that has a small, treatment-focused range that features synergistic blends of rare botanical extracts. Founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and learned how to harness the potency of plant-based substances which have transformative physiological effects on skin. She sought out a wide variety of plant extracts that are rare to create a bluhprint of optimal skin health and guard against premature ageing and free radical damage, oxidative stress inflammation and overgrowth of bacteria.
Bluh's research and experimentation with rare botanicals led her to discover the revolutionary Cellular Extraction process, which permits the extraction of a plant's entire phytoactive profile in its most potent and stable form. Her formulas make use of this revolutionary technology to provide Advanced Bioactive Solutions to the skin.
We chose two full-size Bluh Alchemy products for February's Beauty Heroes Discovery: the Botanic Retinol Cell Regeneration Concentrate (hero however, make it super!) and the Eye Oil serum (sidekick that every superhero needs). Bakuchiol, which is a derivative of retinol reproduces the corrective properties of retinol in this concentrate to effectively correct fine wrinkles, larger pores and breakouts. This is combined with a suite of antioxidants that include Kakadu plum to stimulate cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and finger lime caviar that helps smooth and tone the skin and mountain pepper cellular extract with off the charts ORAC to protect against premature ageing.
African Botanics
In a corner of Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg, South Africa grows an strelitzia with a yellow hue (known as Mandela's Gold) is an endemic plant that is also one of the nation's botanical symbols. It's a tribute to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and a reminder of the nation's deep connection to nature and its abundant biodiversity.
The introduction of the line of high-end, green cosmetics African Botanics was more than simply a creative venture for Craig and Julia Noik. It was an opportunity to share their culture with others and give them a an understanding of the ancient traditions of this land that has always been a part of their lives.
The resultant skincare collection pays homage to traditional African beauty rituals, using ancient African phytochemistry and modern botanical pharmacology. The most potent South African plants, sustainably harvested from the country's remote, unexplored regions, are then combined with powerful actives chosen with the help of biochemists and botanists from South Africa and around the world. They are then encapsulated with advanced extraction and encapsulation techniques to create the ultimate eco-luxe, high-performance green beauty.
Fifty7 Kind
Fifty7 Kind, an Internet-first brand, offers plant-based skin care products in eco-sustainable packaging. The sleek line of skin and hair care contains ingredients sourced from the distinctive hotspots of Southern Africa; these include oil extracts from plants, seed oils and rare minerals sourced from the desert, sea, and the land. Gabrielle (founder Fifty7 Kind) was raised in the English countryside as an organic child. She claims that her mother taught her to cook using raw ingredients and gather wild herbs for beauty.
Slow-fusion of artisanal processes using sustainable botanicals ensures concentrated extracts that help improve skin health with nutrients, vitamins, trace elements such as fatty acids, non-polar amino acids. The brand sources rare wildcrafted, wild-crafted, and beneath the radar botanicals such as Ugandan Vanilla, a subspecies of shea referred to as Vitellaria Nilotica, which provides high levels Vitamin A, E, and K as well as non-polar antioxidants.
YINA is a California-based organic skincare brand developed by two female Chinese Medicine doctors. The brand combines traditional oriental herbal remedies and botanical organic luxury. YINA products are made up of traditional medicinal herbs and plants like Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry and more commonly used organic ingredients that are found in other skincare lines.
Live Botanical
Botanical skincare that bridges the gap between traditional and modern methods, bringing balance and harmony in order to enhance your beauty. Made in Portland, OR.
A botanical is any plant or component of it that is that is valued for its therapeutic properties and flavor or scent. Botanicals have been used since the beginning of time to aid in maintaining and improving health, for example, in skin care.
Botanicals can be purchased in fresh or dried form, and in a variety of preparations. They are available in the produce aisle at a grocery store, or in the section of dietary supplements as capsules, tablets, tea bags, or liquid preparations. A single chemical can be extracted from botanicals and sold in capsule or tablet form as a dietary product.
The safety of a plant is contingent on its chemical composition, how it performs in the body, and the method of preparation. The amount of a plant used in a product also has an impact on its safety. A cup of tea contains only a tiny amount of botanical, while extracts or tinctures are much more concentrated.
A tincture can be made by soaking a botanical in a liquid such as water or alcohol to extract the essential constituents. The tincture can be diluted to different strengths. The strength of a plant tincture can be expressed as a percentage between the botanical and extract.
YINA
Angela Chau Gray, Ervina Wu and Angela Chau Gray are both experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their brand pays homage to the ancient traditions, with expert TCM practitioners at the control. The result is modern, handcrafted, and luxurious formulas designed for modern wellness practices such as acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling, and full-body gua sha.
YINA is made sustainably in California, and its products are rich in powerful bio-adaptive herbs. The NOURISH botanical oil sera and the anti-pollution face mask are their flagship products. Both are rich in camellia seeds, safflower oils and licorice roots. They also contain anti-aging plants like rhodiola, and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains cleansing moringa, pear powder, and coconut carbon.
Felicia is a part of the super-efficient operations team at YINA and loves testing new products for care and implementing the self-care routines advocated by the brand's founders. She is particularly fond of the YINA anti-pollution cream, which contains cleansing ingredients such as skullcap root, pearl powder moringa and tea seeds.
Malaya Organics
Malaya Organics is a Brooklyn-based 100% natural high-performance line founded by Katya Slepak, an expert formulator, product designer and certified aromatherapist. The brand's nourishing, results-driven products are designed to help the skin's aging process and are safe for both women and men. Their balancing elixirs contain an effective blend of phytonutrient-rich whole-plant extracts, that are infused in-house to ensure maximum potency, rich in nutrients and anti-aging essences and oils of plants that are known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity boosting properties.
The ingredients are sourced from the taigas of Siberia as well as the forests of India and the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco. They have been designed to help you connect to your inner landscape, which is one of peace, balance, and healing. The name "Malaya" is derived from a forest of sandalwood in the Shambhala tradition, and refers to a sacred garland of flowers used in ceremonies. These were the motifs that inspired the carefully designed collection.
Fran Miller
Before going natural was cool and trendy, Toronto-based Fran Miller launched her eponymous beauty brand with the motto "less is better." With the summer heat on the rise Miller's pared-down selection of essential oils for skin care is taking the wellness world by storm. organic cbd store includes everything, including a goji fruit and shea butter body buff to hair smoothing spritz and multitasking face oil.
Since its inception, F. Miller's commitment to environmental sustainability has been based on a focus on ethically sourced, organic ingredients and partnerships with responsible manufacturers both locally and globally. All of F. Miller's high-performance essentials contain no harmful preservatives or synthetic fragrances. They are also free of mineral oils, GMOs, aluminum and SLS.
All products are blended and bottled by hand in small batches to ensure freshness. The label works with expert cosmetic chemists who create nutrient-rich blends of botanical ingredients that promote radiant skin, provide multi-correctional results, and nourish all skin types. The brand is also eco conscious, which extends to the packaging and the practices. They utilize recycled and biodegradable glass and prioritize sourcing eco-friendly, recyclable packaging materials. They also offer a refill and subscription program to further reduce waste.