How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear 'natural' images of blue skies, birds singing and picturesque scenery come to thoughts. However, when it comes to beauty products natural is often misused. Many companies claim their products are natural however they are made of processed components. How can you tell whether a product truly organic or not?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, has a few treatment-focused synergistic blends that feature rare botanical extracts. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and discovered how to harness the potential of plant-based ingredients that have transforming physical effects on skin. She searched for a variety of plant extracts that can provide a blueprint for optimal skin health and protect against premature ageing and free radical damage as well as the effects of oxidative stress.

Bluh's research with 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 provide Advanced Bioactive Solutions to the skin.

We chose two full-size Bluh Alchemy products for February's Beauty Heroes Discovery: the Botanic Retinol Cell Regeneration Concentrate (hero but make it great!) and the Eye Oil serum (sidekick that every superhero requires). In this concentrate, Bakuchiol replicates the corrective properties of retinol in order to visually improve lines, pores that are enlarged, breakouts and uneven skin tone. It is paired with a variety of antioxidants including Kakadu Plum to boost cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Finger lime caviar can smooth and tone your skin. Mountain pepper leaf cellular extraction with ORAC levels that are unbeatable will help prevent premature ageing.

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 emblems. It's a tribute for the moral leader and founder of the Rainbow Nation and a reminder that South Africa has a deep connection to nature.

For Craig and Julia Noik, founders of the luxury green beauty brand African Botanics, launching the line was about more than a business idea. It was an opportunity to share their home with other people and provide them with a the feeling of belonging to the rich traditions of this land that has always been part of their lives.

The resulting skincare line pays homage to the traditional African beauty rituals using ancient African phytochemistry and modern botanical pharmacology. The most potent South African plants, sustainably sourced in the country's remote and unexplored regions, are then combined with powerful actives chosen with the help of botanists and biochemists from South Africa and around the world. The plants are then encapsulated with advanced extraction and encapsulation techniques to produce the ultimate eco-luxe high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind, an internet-first brand, offers plant-based skin care products with eco-friendly packaging. The elegant line of skin and hair care contains ingredients sourced from the unique hotspots of Southern Africa; these include oil extracts from plants, seed oils, and unique minerals harvested from the desert, the sea and the land. Gabrielle (founder Fifty7 Kind), grew up in the English countryside as a natural child. Her mother taught to cook with raw ingredients and gather wild herbs for beauty.

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

YINA is a natural skincare line that was created by two female doctors from Chinese Medicine millenia old Eastern herbal remedies combine organic and botanical luxury in this California based brand. YINA products are made up of traditional medicinal herbs and plants like Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry as well as more commonly used organic cdb oil ingredients that are used in many other skincare lines.

Live Botanical

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

A botanical is any plant or part thereof appreciated for its therapeutic qualities and flavor or scent. Botanicals have been used since ancient times to help maintain and improve health, including in skin care.

Botanicals are sold in dried or fresh form, as well as in various preparations. They are available in the produce aisle at a grocery store, or in the dietary supplement section as capsules, tablets, tea bags, or liquid preparations. A single chemical may be isolated from botanicals and sold in tablet or capsule format as a dietary product.

The safety of a plant is contingent on its chemical composition, its function in the body and the method of preparation. The amount of plants used in a product can be a factor in its safety. A cup of tea has a tiny amount of it, while a tincture is more concentrated.

A tincture is made when a botanical is soaked in the form of a liquid, such as water or alcohol, to extract the desired constituents. A tincture may be diluted into different strengths. The strength of a plant 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 pays homage to the ancient practices and has TCM professionals at the steering wheel. The result is innovative exquisite, handcrafted, and luxurious formulas designed for modern health and wellness practices like Acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling and gua sha for the whole body.

YINA is produced sustainably in California, and its products are rich in powerful bio-adaptive plants. The NOURISH botanical oil sera and the anti-pollution facial mask are their top products. Both are filled with nourishing camellia seeds oil, safflower oil and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging botanicals like rhodiola and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains coconut, pear powder carbon and cleansing moringa.

Felicia is part of the highly efficient operations team at YINA, organic Botanics and she enjoys testing new products for care and implementing the self-care routines espoused by the founders of the company. She loves the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask that contains cleansing agents such as pearl powder, skullcap root and moringa.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics, a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural, high-performance product was founded by Katya Slepak. She is an expert formulator and designer, and also an aromatherapist certified by the FDA. The brand's nourishing, results-driven products are designed to help the skin's aging process and are safe for both men and women. Their balancing oils are infused with an energizing blend that is rich in anti-aging essential oils, plant oils and phytonutrients.

Their ingredients are sourced from the Taigas of Siberia as well as the forests of India and the Amazon, and the deserts of Morocco to give you an experience that transforms your skin. It is mindfully formulated to help connect you with your inner landscape of balance, peace and healing. The name "Malaya" originates from a sandwood forest in Shambhala tradition, and means a sacred garland of flowers used in ceremonies. These are the motifs that drove the development of this carefully selected collection of 100% pure, therapeutic-grade skincare.

Fran Miller

Long before natural hair was trendy, Toronto-based Fran Miller created her eponymous beauty brand with the motto "less is better." Now, with the summer heat on the rise Miller's minimalist lineup of oil-based skincare essentials is taking the wellness market by storm. The collection includes everything from shea butter and Goji berry body scrub to a spritz for smoothing hair and multi-tasking face oil.

Since its beginning, F. Miller's commitment to environmental sustainability has been based on a focus on organic, ethically sourced ingredients and partnerships with responsible manufacturers locally and globally. All of their high-performance products are free of harmful preservatives, synthetic fragrances, colorings Parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, petrolatum aluminum, GMO's, and SLS's.

To maintain freshness All products are mixed by hand and bottled in small quantities. The brand collaborates with skilled cosmetic chemists to create rich, nutrient-rich blends with botanical ingredients that help to create radiant skin, provide multiple corrective results, and nourish all skin types. The company is also environmentally conscious which extends to packaging and the practices. They utilize recycled and biodegradable glass and prioritize sourcing eco-friendly, reusable packaging materials. They also offer a refill and subscription program to further reduce the amount of waste.