How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear 'natural' images of blue skies, birds chirping and picturesque scenery pop into your thoughts. The term"natural" is often misunderstood when it concerns beauty products. Many companies claim their products are "natural" even when they contain processed ingredients. So how do 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. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and discovered how to harness the potency of plant-based substances that have transformative physical effects on skin. She scoured for a variety of plant extracts that could form a blueprint for optimal skin health and protect against premature ageing and free radical damage, as well as oxygenative stress.

Bluh's studies and experiments with rare botanicals led her discover the groundbreaking Cellular Extraction process, which allows the extraction of a plant's complete phytoactive profile in its most potent and stable form. Her formulas utilize this game-changing tech to provide Advanced Bioactive Solutions directly to the skin.

For February's Beauty Heroes Discovery we selected two full size picks from Bluh Alchemy: the Botanic Retinol Cell Renewal Concentrate (hero but it's super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick every hero requires). Bakuchiol is an ingredient of retinol reproduces the corrective properties of retinol. It is used in this concentrate to visibly correct fine wrinkles, enlarged pores and breakouts. This is coupled with a variety of antioxidants including Kakadu plum, which stimulates cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, finger lime caviar to firm and tone the skin, and mountain pepper leaf extract cellular with an unbeatable ORAC to guard against premature ageing.

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) is an endemic plant that is also one of the nation's emblems of nature. It's a tribute to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and a reminder of the nation's deep connection to nature and its abundant biodiversity.

For Craig and Julia Noik, founders of the hyper-luxe green beauty brand African Botanics, launching the line was about more than a business idea. It was a way to share a bit of their homeland with others and to give them the same sense of connection to this extraordinary country and its ancient traditions that has always been a part of their lives.

The resulting skincare line pays tribute to traditional African beauty rituals by using the ancient African phytochemistry and modern botanical pharmacy. The most powerful South African plants, sustainably procured from the country's remote and untouched regions, are then combined with powerful actives selected by botanists and biochemists from South Africa and around the world. The plants are then encapsulated with advanced extraction and encapsulation techniques to create the ultimate eco-luxe, high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind, an internet-first brand, provides skincare products that are based on plants in eco-sustainable packaging. The sleek line of body care and skincare includes ingredients that are sourced from Southern Africa. These include oil extracts from plants and seeds and unique minerals from the desert, the sea and the land. Gabrielle (founder of Fifty7 Kind) grew up as organic botanics in the English countryside. She says that her mother taught her to cook with raw ingredients and gather wild herbs to improve the appearance of her skin.

Slow-fusion artisanal process using sustainably sourced botanicals guarantees concentrated extracts that help improve skin health with nutrients, vitamins, trace elements, fatty acid, and non-polar amino acids. The brand source unique, wildcrafted, and under the radar botanicals like Ugandan Vanilla, a subspecies of shea referred to as Vitellaria Nilotica, that provides high levels Vitamin A E, K, and, and non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is a natural skincare line created by two female doctors from Chinese Medicine millenia old traditional herbal remedies from the East meet the natural beauty of botanicals in this California based brand. YINA products include traditional medicinal plants and herbs like Ashwagandha, Hawthorne Berry and other common organic cbd vape oil ingredients.

Live Botanical

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

A botanical plant is a or part of a plant that is valued for its medicinal properties such as flavor, aroma, or taste. Since ancient times, botanicals have been used to maintain and enhance health. This includes skin care.

Botanicals can be bought in fresh or dried form, and in a variety of preparations. They can be found in the produce aisle in a supermarket or in the section of dietary supplements as capsules, tablets tea bags, liquid preparations. A single chemical can also be isolated from botanicals and sold in capsule or tablet form as a food item.

The safety of a botanical depends on its chemical makeup and the way it is used in the body and the method of preparation. The amount of botanicals included in a product may also impact the safety of the product. A cup of tea has just a tiny amount of plant, whereas a tincture or extract is much more concentrated.

A tincture is produced by soaking a plant in the form of a liquid, such as water or alcohol, to extract the desired constituents. The tincture can be dilute to various strengths. The strength of a tincture can be expressed in terms of a ratio between the botanical and extract.

YINA

The founders of YINA, Angela Chau Gray and Ervina Wu are experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Their brand is a tribute to ancient traditions, with TCM professionals at the control. The result is a selection 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 rich in powerful bio-adaptive herbal extracts. The NOURISH botanical oil sera and the anti-pollution face mask are their flagship products. Both are rich in camellia seed oils, safflower oils and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging botanicals such as rhodiola and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains pear powder, coconut carbon, and cleansing moringa.

Felicia is part of the highly efficient YINA operations team. She enjoys trying new products and observing the self-care rituals espoused the brand's founders. She loves the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask, which includes cleansing agents such as pearl powder, skullcap root, and moringa.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics, a Brooklyn-based, 100 100% natural, high-performance brand, was founded by Katya Slepak. She is an expert formulator and product designer, and also a certified aromatherapist. The company's nourishing and effective products are designed to help the skin's aging process and are safe for both women and men. The balancing elixirs they offer contain an effective blend of phytonutrient-rich whole-plant extracts that are that are infused in-house to ensure maximum effectiveness, enriched with antioxidants and nourishing plant oils and essences that are known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity-boosting properties.

The ingredients are sourced from the taigas in Siberia and the forests of India and the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco. They have been carefully formulated to help you connect with your inner landscape that is one of balance, peace and healing. The name "Malaya" originates from a sandalwood forest in the Shambhala tradition, and refers to a sacred garland of flowers that is worn during ceremonies. These are the ideas that led to the creation of this carefully selected collection of pure, therapeutic-grade skincare.

Fran Miller

Long before going natural was cool, Toronto-based Fran Miller launched her own beauty brand with the mantra "less is better." With the summer heat on the rise, Miller's pared-back roster of oil-based skincare essentials is taking the world of wellness by storm. The collection includes everything including a goji fruit and shea butter body buff to hair smoothing spritz and multitasking face oil.

Prioritizing organically-sourced, ethically sourced ingredients and working with mindful companies both locally and globally, F. Miller has been committed to preserving the environment since the beginning of its existence. All of F. Miller's high-performance essentials are free of 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 who create rich, nutrient-rich blends with botanical ingredients that help to create radiant skin, provide multi-correctional results, and deeply nourish all types of skin. Apart from their carefully selected ingredients, the company also has a green conscience that extends to their packaging and practices. They make use of biodegradable and recyclable glass, and focus on sourcing eco-friendly reusable packaging materials. They also offer refills and a subscription program to further reduce the amount of waste.