How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics
When you hear the word "natural," images of blue skies and mellow chirping birds come to mind. However when it comes to beauty products the term "natural" is often misinterpreted. Many companies advertise their products as natural however they are made of processed ingredients. How do you know if a product is truly organic or not?
Bluh Alchemy
Bluh Alchemy is an innovative clean skincare brand that has a small, treatment-focused range that combines synergistic combinations of rare botanical extracts. Founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and discovered how to harness the potential of plant-based ingredients that have transformative physiological effects on skin. She searched for a variety of plant extracts that could provide an outline for optimal skin health and protect against premature aging and free radical damage, as well as oxygenative stress.
Bluh's research and experimentation with rare botanicals led her discover the revolutionary Cellular Extraction process, which allows the extraction of the plant's full phytoactive profile in its most potent and stable form. Her formulas employ this game-changing technology to deliver Advanced Bioactive Solutions to the skin.
For February's Beauty Heroes Discovery we selected two full-size products from Bluh Alchemy: the Botanic Retinol Cell Renewal Concentrate (hero but it's super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick every superhero requires). In this concentrate, Bakuchiol replicates the corrective properties of retinol and instantly improve lines, pores that are enlarged, breakouts and uneven skin tone. This is coupled with a range of antioxidants including Kakadu plum to stimulate cell regeneration and reduce appearance of hyperpigmentation, finger lime caviar to smooth and tone the skin, and mountain pepper cellular extract with off the charts ORAC to protect against premature aging.
African Botanics
In a corner in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Johannesburg, South Africa, grows a yellow-tinged Strelitzia (also called Mandela's Gold) is an endemic species that is also the nation's official botanical symbol. It's an ode to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and a reminder of the country's deep connection with nature and its rich biodiversity.
The launch of the line of ultra-luxe green beauty products 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 the feeling of belonging to the rich traditions of the land that has been a constant part of their lives.
The resulting skincare line honors traditional African beauty rituals by using traditional African phytochemistry, as well as modern botanical pharmacy. The most potent South African plants, sustainably sourced in the country's remote and unexplored regions, are then combined with potent actives selected by botanists and biochemists from South Africa and around the world. The plants are then encapsulated using advanced extraction and encapsulation techniques to create the ultimate eco-luxe green beauty.
Fifty7 Kind
Fifty7 Kind is an internet first company that provides products based on plants that are packaged in eco sustainable packaging. The sleek line of skin and hair care contains ingredients that come from the unique hotspots of Southern Africa; these include oil extracts from plants, seed oils and unique minerals that are sourced from the desert, the sea and the earth. Gabrielle (founder of Fifty7 Kind) grew up as an organic child in the English countryside. She claims that her mother taught her to cook using raw ingredients and gather wild herbs to improve the appearance of her skin.
Slow-fusion artisanal process utilizing botanicals that are sourced sustainably provides concentrated extracts that promote skin health with organic cannabis oil nutrients, vitamins, trace minerals such as fatty acids, amino acids that are not polar. The brand source rare wild-crafted, wild-crafted, and undiscovered botanicals like Ugandan Vanilla and a sub-species of shea called Vitellaria Nilotica, which has high levels of Vitamin A + E + K as well as non-polar antioxidants.
YINA is an organic skincare line that was created by two female doctors of Chinese Medicine millenia old traditional herbal remedies from the East meet the natural beauty of botanicals in this California company. YINA products include traditional herbal remedies and medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Hawthorne Berry and other common organic ingredients.
Live Botanical
Botanical skincare that bridges the gap between modern and traditional methods, bringing balance and harmony in order to enhance your natural beauty. Made in Portland, OR.
A botanical plant is a plant or component of it that is appreciated for its therapeutic qualities such as flavor, aroma or taste. Botanicals are utilized since the beginning of time to help maintain and improve health, and even in skin care.
Botanicals can be purchased in fresh or dried form, as well as in various preparations. They are available in the produce section of the supermarket or in the section of dietary supplements in the form of capsules, tablets or tea bags. A single chemical may be isolated from botanicals and sold in tablet or capsule format as a dietary product.
The safety of a particular plant depends on its chemical makeup and how it functions in the body and how it is prepared. The amount of a particular botanical that is used in a product plays a role in its safety. A cup of tea contains just a tiny amount of plant, whereas a tincture or extract is much more concentrated.
A tincture is made by soaking a herb in a liquid like water or alcohol to extract the essential constituents. A tincture may be diluted into different strengths. The strength of a tincture usually expressed as the ratio of botanicals to 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 philosophies of TCM with professional TCM practitioners at the steering wheel. The result is modern exquisite, refined, and artisanal formulas that are specifically designed for modern-day wellness rituals such as Acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling and gua sha for the whole body.
YINA products are made sustainably in California and are full of powerful bio-adaptive herbal extracts. Their flagship products are the NOURISH botanical oil serum and the anti-pollution cream. Both are filled with nourishing camellia seeds oil, safflower oil and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging botanicals such as rhodiola and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains pear powder, coconut carbon, and moringa to cleanse.
Felicia is a member of the super-efficient operations team at YINA and she loves exploring new products for health and implementing the self-care practices advocated by the founders of the brand. She is particularly fond of the YINA anti-pollution mask that is a cleansing blend of ingredients like skullcap root, pearl powder, tea seeds and moringa.
Malaya Organics
Malaya Organics, a Brooklyn-based, 100% natural, high-performance brand, was founded by Katya Slepak. She is an expert formulator and product designer, and also an aromatherapist certified by the FDA. The brand's nourishing, results-driven products are designed to help support the skin's natural aging process as it matures, and are safe for all ages and skin types. The balancing elixirs they offer contain the therapeutic benefits of a blend of phytonutrients-rich, whole-plant extracts that are infused in-house to ensure maximum efficacy, rich in antioxidants and nourishing essences and oils of plants that are that are known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity boosting properties.
Their ingredients are sourced from the Taigas of Siberia, forests of India and the Amazon, and the deserts of Morocco to provide you with an experience that will transform your skin. mindfully formulated to help connect you to your inner world of peace, balance and healing. The name "Malaya" is derived from the Shambhala sandalwood forest is also a reference to a sacred garland worn during ceremonies. These were the inspirations for the thoughtfully collected collection.
Fran Miller
The collection includes everything from a shea butter and goji berry body scrub to a hair-smoothing spritz and multi-tasking face oil. The line includes everything, from a goji berry-infused shea butter body buff to hair smoothing spray and a multi-tasking face oil.
Prioritizing organically sourced, certified organic ingredients and collaborating with responsible manufacturers locally and across the globe, F. Miller has been committed to sustainability since the beginning of its existence. All of F. Miller's high performance essentials do not contain harmful preservatives or synthetic fragrances. They are also free of mineral oils, GMOs, aluminum and SLS.
To ensure freshness, all products are mixed by hand and then bottled in small batches. The brand works with experienced cosmetic chemists to construct nutritious blends of botanical components that promote radiant skin, provide multi-correctional results, and deeply nourish all skin types. In addition to their carefully sourced ingredients, the brand also has a green conscience that extends to their packaging and practices. They make use of recycled and biodegradable glass and they are committed to sourcing eco-friendly, recyclable packaging materials. They offer an annual subscription and refill program to reduce the amount of waste.