How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear the word "natural", images of blue skies, birds chirping, and beautiful scenery come to mind. The term natural is often misunderstood when it concerns cosmetics. Many companies advertise their products as natural however they are made of processed components. So how do you tell if your product is truly organic?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy is an innovative skincare brand that is clean and has a limited, treatment-focused line that combines synergistic combinations of rare botanical extracts. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and was able to harness the power of plant-based ingredients which have transformative physiological effects on skin. She sought out a range of rare plant extracts that would provide an ideal skin health, and guard against premature ageing, free radical damage and the effects of oxidative stress.

Bluh's studies on rare botanicals and her studies 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 utilize this game-changing tech to deliver Advanced Bioactive Solutions directly to the skin.

For February's Beauty Heroes Discovery we selected two full-size products from Bluh Alchemy: the Botanic Retinol Cell Renewal Concentrate (hero but it's super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick every hero needs). Bakuchiol is a derivative of retinol duplicates the corrective properties of retinol. It is used in this concentrate to effectively correct fine wrinkles, enlarged pores and breakouts. This is coupled with a range of antioxidants including Kakadu plum, which stimulates cell regeneration and reduce appearance of hyperpigmentation and finger lime caviar to improve the firmness and tone of the skin and mountain pepper leaf extract cellular with amazing ORAC to guard against premature ageing.

African Botanics

In a corner of 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 to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and a reminder of the nation's deep connection with the natural world and its diverse 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 home with others and to give them the same sense of belonging to this amazing country and its ancient traditions that has always been an integral part of their lives.

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

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind is an online first brand that offers plant-based skincare products in environmentally sustainable packaging. The sleek line of skincare and body care includes ingredients that are 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 claims that her mother taught her how to cook with raw ingredients and gather wild herbs for beauty.

Slow-fusion artisanal process utilizing botanicals that are sourced sustainably provides concentrated extracts that help improve skin health by providing nutrients, vitamins, trace elements such as fatty acids, amino acids that are not polar. The brand source rare, wild-crafted, and under-the-radar botanicals such as Ugandan Vanilla and organic CBD oil a sub-species of shea dubbed Vitellaria Nilotica, which has high levels of Vitamin A + E + K and non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is an organic skincare line developed by two female doctors from Chinese Medicine; millenia old traditional herbal remedies from the East meet botanical organic cbd vape luxury in this California based brand. YINA products include traditional herbal remedies and medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Hawthorne Berry and other organic Cbd oil (http://Heungil.Net) ingredients commonly used.

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 that is valued for its therapeutic properties such as flavor, aroma or taste. Since ancient times, botanicals have been used to improve and maintain health. This includes skin care.

Botanicals are available in dried or fresh form and in many different preparations. They are available in the produce aisle of a supermarket or in the section of dietary supplements as tablets, capsules, tea bags, or liquid preparations. A single chemical may be extracted from botanicals and sold in capsule or tablet form as a dietary supplement.

The safety of a plant depends on its chemical composition, how it performs in the body, and the method of preparation. The amount of botanicals used in a product can also affect the safety of the product. A cup of tea has a tiny amount of it, while a tincture is much more concentrated.

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

YINA

The founders of YINA, Angela Chau Gray and Ervina Wu are experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Their brand is a tribute to the ancient practices and has TCM professionals at the helm. The result is advanced high-end, refined, and artisanal formulas that are specifically designed for modern-day wellness practices such as jade rolling, and gua sha for the whole body.

YINA products are made sustainably in California and are full of powerful bio-adaptive herbal extracts. The NOURISH botanical oil sera and the anti-pollution face mask are their most popular products. Both are filled with nourishing camellia seeds oil, safflower oils, and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging plants like rhodiola, and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains pear powder, coconut carbon and moringa to cleanse.

Felicia is part of the super-efficient YINA operations team. She enjoys trying out new products and adhering to the self-care routines advocated by the founders of the brand. She especially loves the YINA anti-pollution mask, which contains cleansing ingredients such as skullcap root, pearl powder tea seeds and moringa.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics, a Brooklyn-based 100% natural, high-performance brand was founded by Katya Slepak. She is an expert formulator and designer, as well as a certified aromatherapist. The brand's nourishing and effective products are designed to support the skin as it gets older, and are safe for all ages and skin types. The balancing elixirs they offer contain the therapeutic benefits of a blend of phytonutrients-rich whole-plant extracts, that are infused in-house to ensure maximum efficacy, rich in nutrients and anti-aging essences and oils of plants that are recognized for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity-boosting properties.

The ingredients they use come from the Taigas of Siberia as well as the forests of India and the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco to provide you with an experience that will transform your skin. carefully designed to connect you to your inner landscape of balance, peace and healing. The name "Malaya" comes from a sandwood forest in the Shambhala tradition, and also signifies a sacred garland made of flowers used in ceremonies. These are the ideas that drove the development of this thoughtfully curated collection of 100% pure, therapeutic grade skincare.

Fran Miller

Long before going natural was cool, Toronto-based Fran Miller launched her own beauty brand with the motto "less is better." With the summer heat gaining momentum Miller's minimalist lineup of essential oils for skin care is taking the wellness world by storm. The line includes everything, from a goji berry and shea butter body buff to a hair smoothing spritz and multitasking face oil.

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

All products are blended and packaged by hand in small batches to preserve freshness. The brand collaborates with cosmetic chemists to create high-nutrient blends of plants that nourish and nurture radiant skin. Apart from their carefully selected ingredients, the company also has an environmental ethos that extends to their packaging and practices. They utilize recycled and organic cbd oil biodegradable glass and focus on sourcing eco-friendly reusable packaging materials. They offer a subscription and refill program to reduce the amount of waste.