How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear 'natural' images of blue skies, birds singing and picturesque scenery pop into your 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. How do you know whether a product truly organic or not?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy is an innovative clean skincare brand that has a limited, treatment-focused line that contains synergistic blends of rare botanical extracts. Becky Bluh studied cosmetics chemistry and discovered ways to harness plant-based ingredients that have transformational physiological effects. She sought out a range of rare plant extracts that can provide an outline for optimal skin health and protect against premature ageing and free radical damage as well as oxidative stress.

Bluh's studies on rare botanicals and her research led her to the groundbreaking Cellular Extraction Process, which allows the extraction of the phytoactive characteristics of a plant in its most potent form. Her formulas utilize this game-changing technology to provide Advanced Bioactive Solutions to the skin.

We picked two full-size Bluh Alchemy products for February's Beauty Heroes Discovery: the Botanic Retinol Cell Regeneration Concentrate (hero, but make it even better!) and the Eye Oil serum (sidekick that every superhero requires). Bakuchiol is a derivative of retinol, replicates the corrective qualities of retinol in this concentrated to visibly correct fine wrinkles, pores that are larger and breakouts. This is paired with a suite of antioxidants that include Kakadu plum, which stimulates cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and finger lime caviar that helps improve the firmness and tone of the skin and mountain pepper extract cellular with off the charts ORAC to guard against premature aging.

African Botanics

In a small part of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg, South Africa grows an strelitzia with a yellow hue (known as Mandela's Gold), an endemic plant that is also one of the nation's botanical symbols. It's an ode to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and a reminder of the country's profound connection to nature and its rich biodiversity.

The introduction of the line of high-end green beauty products African Botanics was more than simply a creative venture for Craig and Julia Noik. It was an opportunity to share a little bit of their home with others and to provide them with the same feeling of connection to this unique land and its age-old traditions that has always been a part of their lives.

The resulting skincare line is a tribute to traditional African beauty rituals by using ancient African phytochemistry, and modern botanical pharmacy. The most potent South African plants, sustainably sourced in the country's remote and untouched regions, are then infused with powerful actives chosen by botanists and biochemists from South Africa and around the world. They are then encapsulated using advanced extraction and encapsulation methods to produce the ultimate in eco-luxe, high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind, an internet-first brand, provides skincare products made of plants in environmentally-friendly packaging. The elegant line of body care and skincare includes ingredients sourced from Southern Africa. These include seeds and plant extracts as well as unique minerals from the desert, the sea and the land. Gabrielle (founder of Fifty7 Kind) grew up as an organic child in the English countryside; she says that her mother taught her how to cook with raw ingredients and gather wild herbs for beauty.

Utilizing sustainably-sourced botanicals, the slow-fusion artisan process ensures concentrated extracts of skin health promoting vitamins and fatty acids, as well as trace nutrients and non-polar amino acids. The brand is a source of rare wild-crafted, wild-crafted, and undiscovered botanicals like Ugandan Vanilla and a sub-species of shea known as Vitellaria Nilotica, which has high levels of Vitamin A + E + K as well as non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is a California-based organic skincare line created by two female Chinese Medicine doctors. The brand blends ancient oriental herbal remedies and botanical organic luxury. YINA products are made up of traditional medicinal herbs and plants such as Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry in addition to more commonly used, cbd organic uk ingredients that are found in other skincare lines.

Live Botanical

Botanical skincare that bridges the gap between modern and traditional methods, creating balance & harmony to enhance your beauty. Made in Portland, OR.

A botanical is any plant or Organic Botanics component of it that is appreciated for its therapeutic qualities and flavor or scent. Since the beginning of time, botanicals have been used to maintain and improve health. This includes skin care.

Botanicals are available in fresh or dried form, and in a variety preparations. They can be found in the produce section of the supermarket or in the section of dietary supplements in the form of tablets, capsules or tea bags. A single chemical can also be extracted from botanicals and sold in capsule or tablet form as a dietary product.

The safety of a particular plant is dependent on its chemical composition and the way it is used in the body and Organic Botanics the method of preparation. The quantity of botanicals included in a product may also affect its safety. Tea contains only a tiny amount of botanical, while a tincture or extract is much more concentrated.

A tincture can be made by soaking a herb in a liquid like water or alcohol to extract the essential constituents. A tincture is diluted into different strengths. The strength of a tincture usually expressed as the ratio of botanicals to extract.

YINA

The founders of YINA, Angela Chau Gray and Ervina Wu are experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Their brand is a true tribute to the ancient philosophies of TCM with professional TCM practitioners at the control. The result is a variety of advanced, artisanal and luxurious formulas for modern wellness practices such as Acupressure and Acupuncture.

YINA is made sustainably in California and its products are enriched in powerful bio-adaptive herbs. 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 a member the super-efficient YINA operations team. She enjoys trying new products and adhering to the self-care rituals espoused the founders of the brand. She particularly enjoys the YINA anti-pollution cream, which contains cleansing ingredients like skullcap root, pearl powder moringa and tea seeds.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics is a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural high-performance line created by Katya Slepak, an expert formulator, designer of products and certified aromatherapist. The brand's nourishing and results-driven products are designed to help the skin as it gets older and are safe for both women and men. Their balancing oils are infused with the therapeutic blend rich in anti-aging essential oils, plant oils and phytonutrients.

Their ingredients are sourced from the Taigas of Siberia and the forests of India and the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco to bring you a skin-transforming experience that is carefully designed to connect you with your inner world of peace, balance and healing. The name "Malaya" is derived from the Shambhala sandalwood forest also refers to a sacred garland worn during ceremonies. These are the inspirations that drove the development of this carefully selected collection of 100% pure, therapeutic grade skincare.

Fran Miller

Long before natural hair was cool Toronto-based Fran Miller launched her own beauty line with the premise that "less is more." With the summer heat rising, Miller's pared-back roster of oil-based skincare essentials is taking the wellness world by storm. The line includes everything, including a goji fruit and shea butter body buff to hair smoothing spray and a multi-tasking face oil.

Prioritizing organically-sourced, ethically sourced ingredients and working with mindful manufacturers both locally and around the globe, F. Miller has been committed to environmental sustainability since its beginning. All of their high-performance essentials are free of harmful preservatives, synthetic fragrances and colorings Parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, petrolatum aluminum, GMO's, and SLS's.

All products are blended and packaged by hand in small batches to ensure freshness. The brand works with cosmetic chemists who create nutrient-rich botanical blends that nourish and nurture radiant skin. Aside from their meticulously sourced ingredients, the brand also has an environmental ethos that extends to their packaging and practices. They focus on environmentally-friendly packaging and utilize biodegradable and recyclable glass. They offer a subscription and refill program to reduce the amount of waste.