How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear the term "natural," images of blue skies, birds singing and picturesque scenery pop into your thoughts. However, when it comes to beauty products, the term natural is often misinterpreted. Many companies label their products 'natural' even though they contain processed components. How can you tell if a product is truly organic or not?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, has a limited range of treatment-focused synergistic products that are infused with rare botanical extracts. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and learned how to harness the potency of plant-based substances that have transformative physical effects on skin. She scoured for a variety of rare plant extracts that can create a blueprint for optimal skin health, and also 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 permits the extraction of a plant's entire phytoactive profile in its most potent and stable state. Her formulas use this revolutionary technology to deliver Advanced Bioactive Solutions directly 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 super!) and the Eye Oil serum (sidekick that every hero requires). In this concentrate, Bakuchiol replicates the corrective properties of retinol and instantly improve lines, pores that are enlarged breakouts, and uneven skin tone. This is combined with a suite antioxidants, including Kakadu Plum to boost cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Finger lime caviar will smooth and tone your skin. Mountain pepper leaf cellular extraction that has ORAC levels that are unbeatable will guard against premature ageing.

African Botanics

In a corner of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg, South Africa grows a yellow-tinged strelitzia (known as Mandela's Gold) which is an endemic species 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 country's profound 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 more than a creative venture. It was an opportunity to share their culture with other people and provide them with a a sense of connection to the long-standing traditions of this land that has always been a part of their lives.

The resulting skincare line is a tribute to traditional African beauty rituals using traditional African phytochemistry and modern phytopharmacology. The most powerful South African plants, sustainably sourced in the country's remote and unexplored regions, are then infused with powerful actives selected with the help of 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 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 and skincare products contains ingredients sourced from the distinctive hotspots of Southern Africa; these include plant extracts, seed oils and rare minerals sourced from the desert, the sea and the earth. Gabrielle (founder Fifty7 Kind) was raised in the English countryside as an organic child. She claims that her mother taught her how to cook using raw materials and to gather wild herbs for beauty.

Using sustainably sourced botanicals using artisanal slow-fusion techniques, the brand guarantees concentrated extracts of skin-health promoting vitamins, fatty acids, trace nutrients and nonpolar amino acids. The brand sources rare wildcrafted, wildcrafted, and under the radar botanicals like Ugandan Vanilla, a subspecies of shea referred to as Vitellaria Nilotica, which provides high levels of Vitamin A, E, and K, and non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is an organic skincare line created by two female doctors of Chinese Medicine millenia old traditional herbal remedies from the East meet the natural beauty of botanicals in this California based brand. YINA products are made up of traditional medicinal herbs and plants such as Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry in addition to more commonly used organic cbd oil vape ingredients found in most other skincare lines.

Live Botanical

Botanical skincare that bridges traditional and modern methods and helps to create harmony and balance to enhance what makes you uniquely beautiful. Made in Portland, OR.

A botanical plant is a plant or part thereof valued for its therapeutic qualities, flavor or scent. Since ancient times botanicals have been used to maintain and enhance health. This includes skin care.

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

The safety of a botanical depends on its chemical makeup and how it functions within the body, and the method of preparation. The amount of a particular botanical that is used in a product plays a role in its safety. A cup of tea only contains a small amount, while a tincture is much more concentrated.

A tincture can be made by soaking a botanical in a liquid like water or alcohol to extract the essential constituents. A tincture may be diluted into various strengths. The strength of a botanical tincture is 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 true tribute to the ancient traditions, with expert TCM practitioners at the control. The result is innovative exquisite, handcrafted, and luxurious formulas designed for modern wellness practices such as acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling and Organic Botanics full-body gua sha.

YINA is produced sustainably in California and its products are rich in powerful bio-adaptive herbs. Their most popular products are NOURISH botanical oil serum and the anti-pollution mask. Both are rich in camellia seed oils, safflower oil and licorice roots. They also contain anti-aging botanicals, such as rhodiola and bakuchiol as well as Asian knotweed. The mask also includes coconut powder, pear carbon and moringa to cleanse.

Felicia is part of the highly efficient operations team at YINA and she loves exploring new products for health and implementing the self-care practices espoused by the brand's founders. She particularly enjoys the YINA anti-pollution mask that contains cleansing ingredients such as skullcap root, pearl powder moringa and tea seeds.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics, a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural, high-performance product was created by Katya Slepak. She is an expert formulator and product designer, and also an aromatherapist certified by the FDA. The company's nourishing, result-driven products are designed to support the skin as it gets older and are suitable for all skin types. The oil blends are infused with a therapeutic blend that is rich in anti-aging plant oils, essences, and phytonutrients.

Ingredients come from the taigas of Siberia and the forests of India as well as the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco. They've 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 sandwood forest in Shambhala tradition, and means a sacred garland of flowers worn during ceremonies. These were the inspirations behind the thoughtfully designed collection.

Fran Miller

The lineup includes everything from shea butter and goji berry body buff to a hair-smoothing spritz and multi-tasking face oil that can be used for multiple purposes. The line includes everything, including a goji fruit and shea butter body buff to a hair smoothing spray and multi-tasking face oil.

Since its inception, F. Miller's commitment to sustainability in the environment has been based on ethically sourced, organic ingredients and partnerships with responsible manufacturers both locally and globally. All of F. Miller's high performance essentials do not contain harmful preservatives or synthetic fragrances. They are also free of mineral oils GMOs, aluminum, and SLS.

To ensure freshness All products are blended by hand and then bottled in small batches. The label works with expert cosmetic chemists who create rich, nutrient-rich blends with botanical ingredients that cultivate luminous skin, deliver multi-correctional results, and nourish all types of skin. The brand is also eco conscious which extends to packaging and the practices. They prioritize eco-friendly packaging and use biodegradable and recyclable glass. They also offer refills and a subscription program to reduce waste.