How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

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

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, has a few treatment-focused synergistic blends that contain rare botanical extracts. Founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and was able to harness the power of plant-based ingredients that have transformative physiological effects on skin. She sought out a range of rare plant extracts that could create an ideal skin health and protect against premature aging and free radical damage as well as oxidative stress.

Bluh's studies on 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 employ this game-changing technology to provide Advanced Bioactive Solutions 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 make it super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick that every superhero requires). In this concentrate, Bakuchiol replicates the corrective properties of retinol in order to visually correct lines, pores that are enlarged breakouts, uneven skin tone. This is coupled with a range of antioxidants, including Kakadu plum to stimulate cell regeneration and reduce appearance of hyperpigmentation and finger lime caviar that helps improve the firmness and tone of the skin and mountain pepper leaf cellular extract with off the charts ORAC to guard against premature aging.

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 emblems of nature. It is a tribute to the moral leader and founder of the Rainbow Nation and a reminder that South Africa has a strong connection to nature.

Launching the line of hyper-luxe, green beauty products African Botanics was more than just a creative endeavor for Craig and Julia Noik. It was a chance to share their homeland with others and give them a sense of connection to the ancient traditions of the land that has always been part of their lives.

The resulting skincare collection is a tribute to traditional African beauty rituals by using the ancient African phytochemistry, as well as modern-day botanical pharmacy. The most effective South African plants are sustainably procured from the country's remote, unexplored regions, then combined with potent actives that are selected with the help of botanists and biochemists in South Africa and across the world. They are then encapsulated by advanced extraction and encapsulation methods to create the ultimate eco-luxe, high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind is an online first company that provides products based on plants that are packaged with eco-friendly packaging. The elegant line of skincare and body care includes ingredients 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 Fifty7 Kind) was raised in the English countryside as an organic cbd store child. She says her mother taught to cook with raw materials and collect wild herbs for beauty.

Slow-fusion artisanal process using sustainably sourced botanicals guarantees concentrated extracts that help improve skin health by providing nutrients, vitamins, trace minerals as well as fatty acids and non-polar amino acids. The brand sources rare, wildcrafted, and under the radar botanicals such as Ugandan Vanilla, a subspecies of shea, also known as Vitellaria Nilotica, that provides high levels Vitamin A, E, and K, and non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is a California-based organic skincare brand founded by two female Chinese Medicine doctors. The brand combines traditional oriental herbal remedies and botanical organic luxury. YINA products contain traditional medicinal herbs and plants, such as Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry as well as more commonly used organic ingredients used in many other skincare lines.

Live Botanical

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

A botanical plant is a plant or part thereof appreciated for its therapeutic qualities such as flavor, aroma or taste. Botanicals have been utilized since the beginning of time to aid in maintaining and improving health, for example, in skin care.

Botanicals are available 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 in capsules, tablets, tea bags, or liquid preparations. A single chemical could be isolated from a botanical and then sold as a diet supplement in tablet or capsule form.

The safety of a botanical is determined by its chemical composition, how it works within the body, and the method of preparation. The amount of plants used in a product can also impact the safety of the product. Tea contains only a tiny amount of plant, whereas extracts or tinctures are much more concentrated.

A tincture is created when a plant is immersed in a liquid, such as water or alcohol, in order to extract the desired constituents. A tincture is diluted into 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 ancient traditions with TCM professionals at the helm. The result is innovative high-end, artisanal, and luxurious formulas that are specifically designed for modern-day wellness rituals such as Acupressure, acupuncture, jade rolling, and full-body gua sha.

YINA is sustainably made in California and its products are enriched in powerful bio-adaptive herbs. Their most popular products are NOURISH botanical oil serum and the anti-pollution mask. Both are rich in camellia seeds, safflower oils, and licorice roots. They also contain antiaging botanicals such as rhodiola and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains the cleansing moringa, pear and coconut carbon.

Felicia is a member of the highly efficient operations team at YINA and loves trying new care products and practicing the self-care rituals espoused by the brand's founders. She loves the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask that includes cleansing agents like pearl powder, skullcap root and moringa.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics is a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural high-performance line that was created by Katya Slepak, an expert formulator, designer of products and certified aromatherapist. The company's nourishing, result-driven products are designed to support skin naturally as it ages and are suitable for all ages and skin types. Their balancing elixirs contain an effective blend of phytonutrient-rich whole-plant extracts that are that are infused in-house to ensure maximum potency, rich in antioxidants and nourishing plant oils and essences known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity-boosting properties.

Ingredients come from the taigas of Siberia and the forests of India, the Amazon and the deserts of Morocco. They have been designed to help you connect with your inner landscape which is one of peace, balance and healing. The name "Malaya" originates from a Shambhala sandalwood forest is also a reference to a sacred garland that is worn during ceremonies. These were the inspirations behind the thoughtfully curated collection.

Fran Miller

The line includes everything from a 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 lineup includes everything from shea butter and Goji berry body scrub to a spritz that smooths hair multi-tasking face oil.

Since its beginning, F. Miller's commitment to sustainability in the environment has been based on ethically sourced, organic ingredients and partnerships with responsible manufacturers locally and globally. All of F. Miller's high performance essentials contain no harmful preservatives or synthetic fragrances. They are also free of mineral oils GMOs, aluminum, and SLS.

All products are blended and packaged by hand in small batches to preserve freshness. The label works with expert cosmetic chemists who create nutritious blends of botanical components that promote radiant skin, Organic Botanics deliver multi-correctional results, and nourish all types of skin. Apart from their carefully selected ingredients, the brand has an environmental ethos that extends to their packaging and practices. They use recycled and Organic Botanics biodegradable glass and prioritize sourcing eco-friendly, recyclable packaging materials. They offer a subscription program and refills to reduce waste.