When you think of pine oil, chances are you’re reminded of the fresh and crisp scent of evergreen trees in the winter. However, this essential oil isn’t just a reminder of joyous holidays. It is also chock full of skin-loving properties that can improve your complexion.
In this blog, we’ll be talking about this often overlooked yet powerful skincare ingredient. Let’s get started!
What is Pine Oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained by the steam distillation of stumps, needles, twigs, and cones from a variety of species of pine, particularly Pinus sylvestris. Chemically, it consists mainly of α-terpineol and other cyclic terpene alcohols. It may also contain terpene hydrocarbons, ethers, and esters.
It has an uplifting and clearing scent which makes it a popular option for aromatherapy.
Apart from having an invigorating aroma, pine essential oil is also a rich source of antioxidants which helps fight free radicals. This helps fight the visible signs of premature aging like wrinkles, dark spots, and fine lines.
Furthermore, pine oil also has incredible antibacterial and antiseptic properties. While most people associate these properties with household cleaning products, these same characteristics make it an incredible addition to skincare formulations. It can help balance the skin, reduce inflammation, and calm redness caused by irritation.
Uses for Pine Oil for the Skin
Soothing Dry Skin
When mixed with carrier oils such as avocado oil, shea butter, and coconut oil, pine oil can help soothe dry and cracked skin. It can help build your skin’s barrier function and reduce the effects of inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.
Treating Acne
Pine oil is an excellent spot treatment for acne. Its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties can help bring down redness and pain caused by acne lesions. Its healing properties can help ensure that your skin is free from pimples and blemishes.
Brightening the Skin
Pine oil is also great for brightening the skin especially when it is paired with ingredients like rosemary and rose water. Its antioxidant and astringent properties balance your skin’s overall tone.
Stem cell technology has made its way into the world of skincare in the form of plant-derived stem cell extracts. These promise to rejuvenate and restore your skin’s youthfulness and fight the visible signs of aging.
In this blog, we’ll be talking about orange stem cells and how it can keep your complexion looking fresh and radiant. Let’s get started!
What is Orange Stem Cells
Orange stem cells are undifferentiated cells sourced from Citrus aurantium dulcis or oranges. In live plants, these cells are used to create other cells needed to regenerate the whole plant especially when it is exposed to stressful conditions.
Orange stem cells are often incorporated in anti-aging formulations including:
Facial anti-aging cosmetics
Cosmetic products for skin rejuvenation
Anti-aging preventative cosmetics
Cellular regenerators
Intensive facial treatments
Treatment make-up
An important thing to note is that the orange stem cells used in skincare formulations are not live cells. Furthermore, whole orange stem cells are too large to penetrate the skin.
So when they are harvested from cell cultures in the lab, they are broken up into a stem cell extract. This contains growth factors which are molecules contain skin-loving components including proline and betaines, organic acids and sugars, proteins, and peptides.
These compounds are the ones working hard to rejuvenate and restore aging skin and to give it a youthful brilliance.
How Do Orange Stem Cells Fight the Signs of Aging
While orange stem cells are used by plants to regenerate existing cells, they work differently on the skin. Instead of replacing dying cells and repairing damaged ones, orange stem cell extracts provide strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
The growth factors present in stem cell extracts have high concentrations of antioxidants that help fight free radicals that cause oxidative damage to the skin. It also defends your skin against the harmful effects of UV rays such as dark spots and the premature appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
When used in skincare formulations, orange stem cells can also help recover the skin’s elasticity by helping reorganize the inner structure of the skin. They are purported to make the dermis structure denser, repair the extracellular matrix, and improve cellular adhesion. This results in improves skin texture with a more youthful appearance.
Benefits of Orange Stem Cells
Even if orange stem cells cannot produce new cells in your epidermis, it still does a good job of protecting our skin from environmental damage and stress. Some of its benefits include:
Plant stem cells are making waves in the skincare industry in a big way. These botanical cells, which play a vital role in renewing and revitalizing plants may just be what you need for more youthful skin.
And if you’re a fan of natural products infused with the goodness of fruit and botanical extracts then you might want to consider looking into skincare with plant stem cells.
Curious yet? In this blog, we’ll be talking about 6 things you need to know about plant stem cells. We’ll also talk about why they’re the new superstar ingredient in skin care products today. Let’s get started!
1. What are Plant Stem Cells?
Plant stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are located in the meristem of plants. They are the source of all the cells needed by a plant to create tissues and organs. This means everything from the roots to the leaves to its flowers.
As with other stem cells from other organisms, they can transform into all other cells. They can also self-renew to maintain the number of stem cells in a plant.
Plants rely on their stem cells to facilitate plant growth and to regenerate and regrow new organs throughout their lifetime. They are vital to plants since these organisms are immobile. Hence, they need the help of stem cells to thrive and survive especially in particularly stressful environments.
2. How are They Cultivated for Industrial Use?
In nature, these cells are produced by all plants. In order to make enough stem cells for applications such as cosmetics and skincare, plant cells are cultured to acquire stem cells and other useful compounds.
They can be made in labs under highly controlled conditions that are free from environmental concerns such as pollution and pesticides. This way, it can be successfully mass cultured while maintaining quality.
3. How Does It Work in Skin Care?
While plant stem cells serve a similar purpose as human and animal stem cells, they are biologically different. So they won’t work the same way when used as a skincare ingredient. Meaning no, you won’t grow leaves or flowers on your head.
Furthermore, the stem cells used in skin care products are not actual living stem cells. Rather, they are extracts of these cells.
Instead, these plant stem cell extracts release high concentrations of skin-loving compounds including antioxidants.
4. It Can Be Derived from a Wide Range of Plants
It can be extracted from a wide variety of plants. Some of the most popular include oranges, tomatoes, lilacs, berries, ginger, algae, and grape seed. Different plants offer unique skincare benefits so they can be included in various formulations.
For example, stem cells from grape seeds have shown to have photoprotective properties. It can protect the skin from UVA and UVB damage. Meanwhile, stem cell extracts from apples can help reduce the appearance of crows’ feet and fine lines. On the other hand, orange stem cells can help improve the tissue structure of the skin. It can also increase the production of collagen.
5. It Can Fight Free Radicals
Free radical damage is one of the contributing factors to premature skin aging. The good news is plant stem cell extracts are full of free-radical-fighting antioxidants that help slow down the visible signs of aging,
With enough antioxidants in your skin, you can say goodbye to the premature appearance of dark spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin.
6. It Can Help Renew Your Skin
Plant stem cells can also give the skin a fresher and more youthful appearance. It promotes the production of collagen and stimulating cellular turnover. They can help renew your skin by improving its elasticity and improving plumpness, bounce, and radiance.
Contrary to popular belief, sebum, the oil your skin produces, isn’t all that bad. It’s actually your skin’s way to keep itself moisturized and protected from harmful elements. It contains fatty acids, sugars, waxes, ad other natural chemicals that prevent water from evaporating which keeps your skin hydrated and supple.
In particular, a lipid called squalene helps your skin retain moisture, maintains your skin’s barrier function, and also prevents the harmful effects of free radicals.
As you age, however, your oil glands tend to produce less squalene leading to drier skin that’s prone to dehydration, roughness, and dullness.
The good news is there’s another naturally-derived alternative to squalene that you can easily find at the beauty counter: olive squalane. This botanical oil has become one of the most popular emollients today and for good reason.
In today’s blog, we’ll be taking a close look at olive squalene and how it can benefit your skin. Let’s get started!
What is Olive Squalane?
Olive squalene is an emollient, conditioner, and carrier derived from olive oil. It starts out as squalene, the form of this lipid that is present in the skin. It undergoes a process called hydrogenation to make it more stable. The resulting substance is a light, luxurious, and non-oxidative lipid that can lubricate and protect the skin.
Because it is structurally similar to squalene, it can act as a great emollient. It sinks deep in between skin cells which helps smoothen and soften the texture of the skin. It also forms a natural protective barrier on the skin’s surface which helps slow down trans-epidermal water loss. This helps your skin retain moisture and hydration longer.
Squalane is lightweight, transparent, and odorless. It helps moisturized and deeply hydrate the skin without leaving a greasy film behind. It is extensively used in formulations that condition, moisturize, soothe, or replenish the skin.
Qualities of Olive Squalane as a Skincare Ingredient
Several products contain olive squalane including emollients, facial creams, and serums, hair conditioners and oils, lip moisturizers, cuticle creams, sunscreens. It is also incorporated in products designed to ease inflammatory skin conditions like eczema.
It possesses several qualities that make it ideal as a skincare ingredient. This includes:
It is a vegan and cruelty-free option. In the past, squalene was sourced from sharks which posed environmental dangers. The manufacture of squalene from botanical sources makes it a far more sustainable approach to skincare.
It is a derivative of a substance that is already present in the body. Squalane is just a form of naturally-occurring squalene that is hydrogenated to improve stability and to prevent oxidation. Therefore, it poses little to no danger when used even on sensitive skin.
It can enhance the absorption of other skincare ingredients. It also helps stabilize the end product when included in a formulation.
Olive squalene can be used as-is. By itself, it has a lightweight texture that’s easily absorbed into the skin. While it makes for a great addition to skincare products, it can be used on its own to promote skin moisture.
It is skin-friendly. Olive squalene is non-comedogenic and it presents a low risk of irritation. It can be used on most skin types including sensitive skin.
Benefits of Olive Squalane
Locks in Moisture. Despite being a lightweight product, squalene can still effectively form a lipid barrier on the surface of the skin. This keeps water locked inside skin cells and prevents it from escaping.
Improves Dry Patches. Squalane has a high affinity with the skin so it can penetrate deeply. It softens and smoothens rough areas that keep your skin looking supple and bouncy.
Anti-inflammatory. It has excellent anti-inflammatory properties which support skin-healing. It helps soothe inflamed skin by reducing redness and itching.
Anti-Aging. Olive squalene has antioxidant properties that help slow down the aging effects of UV damage. It fights free radicals which keep your skin young-looking for longer.
Repairs the Skin’s Barrier. Because it contains high concentrations of Omega 3 6, and 7, olive squalene can help regenerate skin cells. It replenishes the skin to rebuild its protective barrier function.
Natural Prebiotic. Olive squalane may help support the skin’s acid mantle which is crucial for maintaining healthy skin. It can suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria while supporting microbiome diversity.
Marula Oil is derived from two sources of the African Marula tree, extracted from either the Marula Nut or the soft kernel seeds of the Marula fruit. With multiple uses, Marula Oil can function as cooking oil, beauty ingredient, and even as a massage oil. Pure forms of Marula Oil, as a single natural ingredient, are rare to find and are most frequently blended with multiple natural oils such as Camellia Oil.
What are the Benefits of Marula Oil?
NOURISHING PROPERTIES TO CONDITION AND REPAIR
A natural healing remedy to smooth and support the skin, Marula Oil can act as a topical treatment to boost hydration with immediate results. It’s non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog the pores. Instead, the application leaves the skin feeling nourished and balanced, and only a light layer of oil is needed to see instant benefits. Marula Oil is both anti-inflammatory and highly multipurpose, also acting as a fantastic method to add condition and luminosity to your hair.
STRENGTHEN THE SKIN’S NATURAL PROTECTIVE BARRIER
Naturally rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C and E, and essential fatty acids, Marula Oil is an easy way to improve the skin’s resistance to weather and external aggressors. With continued use, the skin’s surface will be stronger and it can even help to reverse the effects of sun damage on the complexion. Absorbing quickly into the skin, we love using this liberally all over the face as a rich night treatment or lightly as a nourishing daily makeup primer.
ANTI-AGEING BENEFITS
Combining anti-pollution defense and anti-aging benefits, Marula Oil truly does it all. A daily boost of antioxidant protection that improves the condition of the skin long-term, the formula helps to soften the appearance of wrinkles, stimulate collagen production and reduce water loss, promoting a youthful hydrated complexion all year round. When Marula Oil is combined in beauty formulas with other high-performance anti-aging ingredients, it’s a recipe for skincare success.
Originally posted on: https://www.beautyexpert.com/blog/in-the-spotlight/benefits-marula-oil-skincare/
Who doesn’t love mangoes? It not only makes for a yummy summer treat but it also has serious bragging rights when it comes to caring for your skin! That’s right! These magnificent tropical fruits are chockful of fruit enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that help clarify, moisturize, and restore your skin’s youthfulness.
But if you think that you can only get the good stuff from the fruit’s pulp and skin, then you’re missing out on another mango-powered skincare secret. Even the seeds of mangoes have serious skin-nourishing benefits!
In this blog, we’ll be talking about mango butter and how it can rejuvenate your tired, dull, and dry skin. Let’s get started!
What is Mango Butter?
Mango fruits,extracts and essential oil on white background.
Mango butter is a semi-solid emollient extracted from the woody kernels of mangoes. Much like cocoa and shea butter, it is a highly moisturizing plant-based product that doesn’t leave a greasy residue once applied to the skin.
Mango butter is extracted using two methods: cold pressing or solvent extraction.
The cold-pressing method involves deshelling the seeds and then placing them in a hydraulic press machine where they undergo high pressure and friction to release their oils.
On the other hand, solvent extraction involves drying the seeds first to reduce its moisture content. The hulls are then mechanically removed and the seeds are broken down into pellets. They are then treated with hexane to extract the mango butter. Once extracted, it is heated and boiled until it reaches a creamy consistency.
The resulting mango butter is a light emollient with a faint fruity scent that retains its nutritive value. It is solid at room temperature but melts when it comes in contact with the skin. Because of its light consistency, it leaves the skin with a satiny soft.
Properties of Mango Butter
Plant-Based and Rich in Nutrients
One of the best things about mango butter is all-natural and nutrient-dense. Mango butter is made from pure mango kernels that use extraction methods that preserve their most nourishing components including vitamins A and C, essential fatty acids, and natural antioxidants.
Lightly Scented
Shea butter and cocoa butter, mango butter has a mild aroma that can barely be detected. If you’re sensitive to scents, then mango butter is great for your nose. While you may pick up some of the subtle hints of fruit and the creaminess of the fatty acids, the natural fragrance of mango butter doesn’t last on the skin very long.
Silky Texture
mango isolated on a white background
Mango butter is known for its light and non-greasy texture. Despite being creamy and highly moisturizing, its low melting temperature lets it glide smoothly on the skin. It also gets absorbed quickly so it doesn’t leave an unpleasant residue.
Provides Long-Lasting Moisture
Mango butter makes for an excellent moisturizer. It delivers intense moisture deep into the inner layers of the skin. This allows your skin to stay nourished and hydrated for long hours.
Works for All Skin Types
Pure mango butter is great for all skin types, even for those with sensitive skin. It is a non-comedogenic moisturizer that won’t clog the pores or aggravate acne-prone skin. Meanwhile, people with dry skin can benefit from its deeply-moisturizing emollience. For those with sensitive skin, pure mango butter is an excellent option since it is free from additives and fragrances. Finally, for those with mature or aging skin, mango butter offers essential fatty acids and antioxidants that nourish the skin and slows down the aging process.
Benefits of Mango Butter
Mango fruits,extracts and essential oil on white background.
Keeps the Skin Plump
Just like the fruit, mango butter obtained from the seeds of mangoes is rich in Vitamin C which is crucial for the formation of collagen. It promotes a firmer appearance on the skin giving you a more plump and youthful complexion.
Retains Skin’s Youthful Appearance
Mango butter is loaded with vitamin A which helps revitalize tired and aging skin. It can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by promoting collagen production.
Furthermore, it is chockful of antioxidants that prevent free radicals from wreaking havoc in your skin cells. It also protects your skin from environmental stressors With continued use, mango butter can help keep your skin looking young and glowing.
Resolves Skin Dryness
Weather, genetics, and your lifestyle can make your skin parched and dry making it prone to dry patches, flaking, and redness. Mango butter sinks deep into the skin which offers intense moisture.
Uses of Mango Butter in Skincare
Mango butter has many skin care applications. It can be added to products such as massage oils, massage creams, and massage balms, lotions, creams, gels, ointments or salves, soaps, lip balms, lipsticks, sun care, foot care, shampoos, conditioners, hot-oil treatments, and other hair care products.
Apart from this, it can also be used directly as a mild lotion or cream, even on sensitive skin.
Water plays a central role in making sure your skin stays healthy, smooth and radiant, so it only makes sense that every skin care aisle is lined with products that promise to hydrate and moisturize skin. But what many of us may not realize is that although they are often used interchangeably, moisturizing and hydration are not exactly the same thing. While both are key in providing skin with much-needed nourishment, knowing the difference will help you make the best choice when targeting your skin’s specific needs.
Difference Between Hydrating and Moisturizing
Moisturizers and hydrators both address the importance of making sure the skin is getting all the water it needs to fight dryness and dehydration, premature signs of aging and environmental damage. The difference, however, lies mostly in how they go about achieving these results.
“Hydration [refers to] the water content within the cells that leads them to swell and be plump and bouncy, thus reflecting light well. If water flows out of the cells and the cells are dehydrated, they can become shriveled, which leads to lackluster skin,” explains board-certified dermatologist Anna Guanche, MD, FAAD. This means that when you’re using a topical hydrator, you’re infusing your cells with water and improving your skin’s ability to absorb moisture and nutrients.
On the other hand, moisturizing is about trapping and sealing in moisture to build the skin’s protective barrier, prevent water loss and keep the skin soft and smooth, says board-certified dermatologist Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD.
How to Know If You Need a Hydrator, Moisturizer or Both
If your skin tends to be on the dry side, it’s easy to assume that a healthy dose of moisturizer is all it takes to restore its plump appearance and youthful glow. While this may be true at times, it’s also possible that your skin may not, in fact, be dry but dehydrated. And if the latter is true, then a hydrator is what you need to get the job done.
To know if your skin is dry or dehydrated, it’s important to take note of your skin’s condition. The skin has a natural lipid barrier that protects itself from damage and water loss. If you’re prone to having dry, flaky skin, it’s a tell-tale sign that it’s not producing enough lipid cells to form a protective barrier, making it unable to lock in moisture. And that’s where moisturizers come in.
“A moisturizer’s job is to reduce the amount of water that evaporates off of the skin to minimize transepidermal water loss. They lock in and seal in moisture,” explains Dr. Guanche. Moisturizing is particularly helpful for skin that is dry and peeling or flaking after undergoing a chemical peel, using Retin A or during the winter, Dr. Guanche adds.
Meanwhile, if you’re dealing with a dull and lackluster complexion with fine lines and wrinkles becoming more noticeable, your skin may be battling dehydration. “Dehydrated skin means the cells are parched and starved of water. When this happens, they are not plump and volumized and appear shriveled collectively,” explains Dr. Guanche. “People can have hydrated but dry skin or dehydrated but moisturized skin. Ideally, we want hydrated, bouncy, swollen cells that have topical moisture locked into them,” she explains.
Papaya enzyme is rich in vitamin A content rejuvenates the skin from the outside, while the enzyme papain can treat acne breakouts. Since it is rich in potassium, it hydrates the skin and prevents it from being dull-looking.
Due to the enzyme called papain, it works as a natural and effective exfoliator, brightens the skin, and removes dead skin cells which help the skin repair itself. It removes flaky patches and the inactive protein that’s sitting on the top layer of your skin. Papaya has a high number of healing enzymes that can also protect the skin against sun damage or treat existing sunburns.
Papaya Enzyme and Glowing Skin
Papaya enzyme works wonders, especially for dull skin. For starters, it contains vitamins A and C. These essential vitamins help improve skin elasticity. They boost the skin’s collagen production which slows down the aging process. This way, the skin can stretch and snap back to its original shape which contributes to a youthful complexion.
It is also an excellent ingredient that promotes brighter and lighter skin. Papaya enzyme helps lighten and fade blemishes and pigmentation. It contains phytochemicals that make the skin look fairer. Furthermore, it is chockful of alpha-hydroxy acids that help dissolve inactive proteins and dead skin.
Furthermore, papaya enzymes help keep the skin clear and acne-free. The papain and chymopapain present in this skincare ingredient help decrease inflammation and remove dead skin cells that clog up the pores.
Meanwhile for aging skin, papaya enzymes work wonders by helping in the reduction of the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Antioxidants like lycopene help nourish the skin, fight free radicals, and prevent oxidative damage to the skin cells. This helps your skin remain smooth and younger-looking.
Peppermint is an aromatic herb in the mint family. It’s a hybrid mint that’s a cross between spearmint and watermint. It can be found naturally in North America and Europe.
Peppermint essential oil can be extracted from the leaves of the peppermint plant and is used for a variety of different purposes.
Read on to discover more about the forms of peppermint oil and its uses for skin and hair care.
Benefits for the Skin and Hair
Peppermint oil is often used in cosmetic products. But there’s a limited amount of research into the potential benefits of peppermint when applied to the skin and hair.
A small study looked at the topical application of peppermint oil and the effect that it had on chronic itching. Researchers found that a one percent solution of peppermint oil led to improvements in how long itchiness lasted and the severity of the itch.
A second small study examined the effect of applying peppermint oil on the skin to reduce itching during pregnancy. Researchers found that applying a 0.5 percent solution of peppermint oil twice a day for two weeks significantly reduced itch severity compared to the control.
Another study in mice compared peppermint oil to minoxidil (Rogaine) and control compounds. The researchers found that a three percent solution of peppermint oil led to growth of thick, long hair in mice after four weeks of treatment, similar to results obtained using minoxidil.
Like the sweet treat, it all comes back to the licorice plant (scientific term: Glycyrrhiza glabra…we’ll just call it the licorice plant). The root of the plant has been used for medicinal purposes for years, and is where black licorice the candy comes from, but it’s also the source of licorice extract used topically for skin.
This extract is filled with a variety of beneficial compounds, which do everything from deliver antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to help fade dark spots. It’s this latter effect that makes it a choice ingredient in many skin-brightening products.
It even acts in a similar manner to hydroquinone (more on that in a minute), considered to be the gold-standard brightening ingredient, though notorious for its unwanted side effects and even potential safety concerns.
Benefits of Licorice Extract For Skin
Minimizes the production of tyrosinase to combat discoloration: The production of melanin (AKA pigment or color) is a complicated process, but at the heart of the matter is an enzyme known as tyrosinase. Licorice extract inhibits the production of tyrosinase, in turn inhibiting the production of dark spots.
Removes excess melanin: Licorice extract brightens the skin in another way, too. “It contains liquiritin, an active compound that helps to disperse and remove existing melanin in the skin,” explains Chwalek. In other words, not only can it help prevent new spots from forming, it can also fade existing ones.
Acts as a potent antioxidant: Like many other plant-based extracts, licorice contains a flavonoid, an antioxidant-rich component that decreases reactive oxygen species, which both age and discolor the skin, says Linkner.
Offers anti-inflammatory benefits: While the flavonoid is anti-inflammatory in and of itself, there’s yet another molecule, licochalcone A, which inhibits two inflammatory markers that trigger the inflammatory cascade, Chwalek says.
May help control oil production in the skin: Though this isn’t one of the more commonly agreed upon benefits, Chwalek says that there’s some evidence to suggest that that licochalcone A compound may have the added benefit of regulating oil production. It’s why licorice extract is often used in Ayurvedic medicine as a dandruff treatment.
