Skincare formulators share their favorite botanical ingredients, and the reasons why they include them in products.
Getty ImagesGetty Images
Just about every active ingredient in today’s skincare products can be traced to a natural source, which only makes sense: Mother Earth is the original medicine bag and beauty kit rolled into one. Thanks to the growing science and art of personal care, however, we are continually finding new ways to tap into power of nature and produce ever more effective formulations to support, build, brighten, moisturize, protect and heal human skin.
And in no arena is that phenomenon more evident than botanicals, notes Richard Pietz, global director of product development at Jurlique. “One of the trends being seen in skin care today is the larger focus around naturally derived botanical oils,” he points out. “We are seeing great advancements here, especially as they pertain to the oils’ active compounds: antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids—all of which can deliver essential nutrients and efficacious results to the skin.”
However, within the botanicals arena there’s plenty of room for variety and preference, as DAYSPA found out when we asked top skincare manufacturers to divulge which ingredients they though deserved “standout” status. Naturally, their choices depended partly on what aspect of skin care was the focus—fending off wrinkles vs. addressing rosacea, for example. But the fact is that there are so many nature-based ingredients to choose from that it’s entirely possible to read 20 different botanical products’ labels and not see a single ingredient repeated.
To help you sort it all out, we looked at some manufacturer favorites—close to 50 in all—and categorized them based on their greatest benefits to skin. (Some ingredients had so much to offer that we had to create a “multifunctional” category!) Then we had key experts at each of the companies explain why they belong in the list of top players. We hope this information will prove helpful to you in prescribing botanical-based products for your skincare clients.
To see our list of more than four dozen powerful botanical ingredients, check out the digital edition of our April Earth Month Issue.
