How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics
When you hear the word "natural", images of blue skies, birds chirping, and beautiful scenery come to mind. However, when it comes to cosmetics, the term natural is often misused. Many companies label their products 'natural' even though they contain processed components. So how can you tell if your product is truly organic?
Bluh Alchemy
Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, features a few treatment-focused synergistic products that are infused with rare botanical extracts. Founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and learned how to harness the potential of plant-based ingredients that have transformative physiological effects on the skin. She searched for a broad variety of plant extracts that are rare to form a bluhprint for optimal skin health and guard against premature aging as well as free radical damage, oxidative stress inflammation and bacterial overgrowth.
Bluh's studies on rare botanicals and her experiments led her to the revolutionary Cellular Extraction Process, which allows the extraction of the phytoactive profile of a plant in its most potent state. Her formulas make use of this revolutionary 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 super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick that every superhero needs). Bakuchiol is a derivative of retinol duplicates the corrective properties of retinol in this concentrate to help visibly correct wrinkles, larger pores and breakouts. This is paired with a suite of antioxidants that include Kakadu plum to boost cell regeneration and reduce appearance of hyperpigmentation, finger lime caviar to improve the firmness and tone of the skin, and mountain pepper cell extract that has an unbeatable ORAC to guard against premature aging.
African Botanics
In a small part of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg, South Africa grows a yellow-tinted strelitzia (known as Mandela's Gold) which is an endemic species 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 country's profound connection with nature and its rich biodiversity.
For Craig and Julia Noik, founders of the luxury green beauty brand African Botanics, launching the line was more than a business idea. It was an opportunity to share their culture with others and give them a sense of connection to the ancient customs of the country that has always been a part of their lives.
The resulting skincare collection is a tribute to traditional African beauty rituals that utilize the ancient African phytochemistry and modern phytopharmacology. The most powerful South African plants, sustainably harvested from the country's remote, unexplored regions, are then combined with potent actives selected with the help of botanists and biochemists from South Africa and around the world. They are then encapsulated by advanced extraction and encapsulation methods to create the ultimate in 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 body and skincare care contains ingredients sourced from the unique hotspots of Southern Africa; these include seeds, plant extracts, and unique minerals harvested from the desert, 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 to gather wild herbs to improve the appearance of her skin.
Slow-fusion of artisanal processes using sustainably sourced botanicals guarantees concentrated extracts that help improve skin health with nutrients, vitamins, trace minerals, fatty acid, and amino acids that are not polar. The brand source unique, wildcrafted, and under the radar botanicals like Ugandan Vanilla, a subspecies of shea, also known as Vitellaria Nilotica, which provides high levels of Vitamin A, E, and K as well as non-polar antioxidants.
YINA is a California-based organic skincare brand founded by two female Chinese Medicine doctors. The brand blends ancient Eastern herbal remedies with organic luxury. YINA products are made up of traditional herbal cbd organic store remedies and medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Hawthorne Berry and other organic ingredients commonly used.
Live Botanical
Botanical skincare that bridges traditional & modern methods & helps create harmony and balance to enhance your uniqueness. beautiful. Made in Portland, OR.
A botanical plant is a or part of a plant valued for its healing properties, flavor, or scent. Since ancient times botanicals have been utilized to maintain and enhance health. This includes skin care.
Botanicals are available in dried or fresh form, and in a variety preparations. They are available in the produce aisle in a supermarket, or in the section of dietary supplements as capsules, tablets, tea bags, or liquid preparations. A single chemical can be isolated from botanicals and then sold in tablet or capsule format as a food item.
The safety of a botanical depends on its chemical makeup, how it works in the body, and the method of preparation. The amount of a plant used in a product also plays a role in its safety. A cup of tea only has a tiny amount of it, while a tincture is more concentrated.
A tincture is produced when a plant is immersed in a liquid, such as water or alcohol, in order to extract the desired constituents. A tincture can then be dilute to various strengths. The strength of a botanical tincture can be measured as a ratio between the extract and the botanical.
YINA
Angela Chau Gray, Ervina Wu and Angela Chau Gray are both experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their brand is a tribute to the ancient practices with TCM professionals at the control. The result is advanced exquisite, artisanal, and luxurious formulas that are designed for modern wellness practices such as acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling and gua sha for the whole body.
YINA is sustainably made in California, and its products are high in powerful bio-adaptive herbal extracts. The NOURISH botanical oil sera and the anti-pollution facial mask are their flagship products. Both are rich in camellia seed oils, safflower oil and licorice roots. They also contain anti-aging botanicals, such as rhodiola, bakuchiol, and Asian knotweed. The mask also includes coconut powder, pear carbon and moringa that cleanses.
Felicia is part of the highly efficient operations team at YINA and she loves exploring new products for health and implementing the self-care routines espoused by the brand's founders. She is a fan of the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask, which includes cleansing agents such as pearl powder, skullcap root, and moringa.
Malaya Organics
Malaya Organics is a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural high-performance line that was created by Katya Slepak, an expert formulator, product designer and certified aromatherapist. The brand's nourishing and results-driven products help skin as it gets older and are safe for men and women. Their oil blends are infused with the therapeutic blend rich in anti-aging essential oils, plant oils and phytonutrients.
Their ingredients come from the taigas of Siberia and the forests of India and the Amazon as well as the deserts of Morocco to give you an experience that will transform your skin. carefully designed to connect you with your inner landscape of balance, peace and healing. The name "Malaya" is derived from the Shambhala sandalwood forest is also a reference to a sacred sacrificial garland worn during ceremonies. These are the ideas that drove the development of this carefully curated collection of pure, therapeutic-grade skincare.
Fran Miller
Before going natural was cool Toronto-based Fran Miller launched her own beauty brand with the mantra "less is better." With the summer heat gaining momentum Miller's pared-down selection of oil-based skincare essentials is taking the world of wellness by storm. The lineup includes everything from shea butter to Goji berry body scrub to a spritz for smoothing hair and multi-tasking face oil.
In the pursuit of organically sourced, certified organic ingredients and collaborating with mindful manufacturers both locally and globally, F. Miller has been committed to environmental sustainability since its inception. All of their high-performance essentials are free from harmful preservatives, synthetic fragrances, colorings Parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, mineral oils, aluminum, GMO's, and SLS's.
To maintain freshness, all products are mixed by hand and bottled in small quantities. The brand works with experienced cosmetic chemists to construct rich, nutrient-rich blends with botanical ingredients that promote radiant skin, provide multi-correctional results, and deeply nourish all skin types. In addition to their carefully sourced ingredients, the company also carries an environmental conscience that extends to their packaging and practices. They are committed to environmentally friendly packaging and make use of biodegradable and recyclable glass. They also offer refills and a subscription program to reduce waste.