How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear the word "natural", images of blue skies, birds chirping and picturesque scenery come to thoughts. The term natural is often misunderstood when it is used in relation to beauty products. Many companies simply declare their products to be "natural" even when they contain processed ingredients. So how can you tell if your product is truly organic?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, has a small treatment-focused range of synergistic blends that feature rare botanical extracts. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and learned how 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 could form an ideal skin health, and guard against premature aging, free radical damage and the effects of oxidative stress.

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

We selected 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 needs). Bakuchiol, which is a derivative of retinol duplicates the corrective properties of retinol in this concentrate to visibly correct fine wrinkles, pores that are larger and breakouts. It is paired with a variety of antioxidants including Kakadu Plum, which stimulates cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Finger lime caviar can improve the appearance of your skin and firm it. Mountain pepper leaf cellular extraction that has ORAC levels that are unbeatable will help prevent premature ageing.

African Botanics

In a corner of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg, South Africa grows a yellow-tinted strelitzia (known as Mandela's Gold), an endemic plant that is also one of the nation's botanical emblems. It is a tribute to the moral leader and the founder of the Rainbow Nation and a reminder that South Africa has a strong connection with nature.

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 piece of their homeland with others and provide them with the same feeling of connection to this unique land and its age-old traditions that have always been an integral part of their lives.

The resulting skincare line pays homage to traditional African beauty rituals using the ancient African phytochemistry and modern botanical pharmacology. The most potent South African plants, sustainably harvested from 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, high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind, an online-first brand, offers skincare products made of plants with eco-friendly packaging. The elegant line of body care and skincare contains ingredients sourced in Southern Africa. These include seeds and plant extracts as well as unique minerals from the desert, the ocean and the land. Gabrielle (founder of Fifty7 Kind) grew up as organic in the English countryside. She claims that her mother taught her to cook with raw ingredients and gather wild herbs for beauty.

Utilizing botanicals that are sourced sustainably using artisanal slow-fusion techniques, the brand guarantees concentrated extracts of skin-health promoting vitamins and fatty acids, trace nutrients and nonpolar amino acids. The brand source rare wild-crafted, under-the-radar botanicals such as Ugandan Vanilla and a sub-species of shea known as Vitellaria Nilotica which contains high levels of Vitamin A + E + K and non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is an organic skincare brand from California 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 like Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry and more common organic ingredients that are 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 natural beauty. Made in Portland, OR.

A botanical is a plant or part of a plant that is valued for its medicinal properties such as flavor, aroma, or taste. Botanicals are used since the beginning of time to help maintain and improve health, and even in skin care.

Botanicals are available 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 tablets, capsules tea bags, liquid preparations. A single chemical can be extracted from botanicals and sold in capsule or tablet format as a food item.

The security of a plant's product is contingent on its chemical composition, its function within the body and the method of preparation. The amount of a plant used in a product also has an impact on its safety. A cup of tea only contains a small amount of the plant, while a tincture is much more concentrated.

A tincture is produced when a botanical is soaked in a liquid, such as alcohol or water, to extract its desired constituents. The tincture can be diminished to different strengths. The strength of a plant tincture is expressed as a percentage 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 philosophies, with TCM professionals at the control. The result is a selection of modern, artisanal and luxurious formulas for modern wellness rituals like Acupressure and acupuncture.

YINA products are produced sustainably in California and are brimming with 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 seeds, safflower oils and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging botanicals such as rhodiola, bakuchiol, and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains the cleansing moringa, pear and coconut carbon.

Felicia is a member of the super-efficient operations team at YINA, and she enjoys testing new products for care and practicing the self-care rituals advocated by the brand's founders. She loves the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask, which includes cleansing agents like pearl powder, skullcap root, and moringa.

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 ages and are safe for both men and Organic Botanics women. The balancing elixirs are a therapeutic blend of phytonutrient-dense, whole-plant extracts that are infused in-house to ensure maximum potency, rich in antioxidants and nourishing essences and plant oils that are known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity boosting properties.

Ingredients are sourced from the taigas of Siberia as well as 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 own inner landscape, which is one of balance, peace and healing. The name "Malaya" is derived from a sandalwood forest in Shambhala tradition, and also refers to a sacred garland of flowers that is worn during ceremonies. These were the inspirations behind the carefully curated collection.

Fran Miller

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

Since its beginning, F. Miller's commitment to sustainability in the environment has been based on a focus on ethically sourced, organic cbd e liquid ingredients and partnerships with responsible producers both locally and internationally. 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.

All products are blended and then bottled by hand in small batches to preserve freshness. The brand works with cosmetic chemists who create high-nutrient botanical blends that nourish and nurture radiant skin. The brand is also eco conscious which extends to packaging and the practices. They prioritize eco-friendly packaging and use recyclable and biodegradable glass. They offer an annual subscription and refill program to reduce waste.