Nature’s Recipe For Flawless Skin

Doctors even say products that harness the anti-aging power of plants are better for your skin. Botanicals are the best sources for discovering new ingredients that protect and repair aging skin. Botanicals include:

• Vitamins
• Antioxidants
• Emollients that spring from leaves, nuts and fruits can soften wrinkles, fight sagging and boost radiance

Four botanicals that deliver a major youth boost are:

• Bearberry
• Acai
• Red tea
• Argan oil

Bearberry is a flowering shrub that grows abundantly throughout the United States. It is becoming a popular skin brightener.

Positive effects include:

• Leaves that contain arbutin, a derivative of the skin lightener hydroquinone that helps reduce the formation of pigment-producing melanin
• It is a milder, yet effective, HQ. alternative when combined with other botanically based pigment faders

Negative effects are:

• Can irritate the skin

One study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that women with melasma who applied a cocktail that included bearberry extract once a day lightened the dark patches of skin by nearly 70% after three months without side effects. Those who used prescription-strength HQ saw a 77% improvement, but a quarter of them had reactions such as itchy skin.

Where can you find it?

• Exuviance Essential Skin Brightening Gel
• Derma-doctor Immaculate Correction
• June Jacobs Redness Diffusing Serum
• Juice Beauty Soothing Serum

Acai is a brightly colored Brazilian berry that creates a big anti-aging effect. The berries are rich in emollients like essential fatty acids and phytosterols that help seal in moisture and strengthen the skin’s surface making it more resistant to outside irritation. It is a powerful protector against free radicals as well. The pulp in Acai berries contains a significant amount of anthocyanins, which are the antioxidant pigments giving red and purple produce their deep hue. It has been called a superfruit and boasts one of the highest ORAC scores felt to measure a food’s ability to combat premature aging even when applied on the skin. Acai reduces UV damage that will lead wrinkles, brown spots and sagging.

Where can you find it?

• Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Gogi Berry Facial Mask
• Ikove Organic Acai Chocolate Facial Exfoliate
• DDF Mesojection Healthy Cell Serum
• Tarte Double Dose Berry Boost & Gloss in Acai Boost

Red Tea is brewed from the leaves of a South African shrub. The tea is rich in anti-inflammatories having positive effects of:

• Aids in relief of itchiness and facial flushing.
• It is also ideal for reducing irritation associated with rosacea and eczema flare-ups as well as soothing skin after a peel or microdermabrasion.
• Prevents the UV damage that causes fine lines and brown spots
• Antioxidants include aspalathin which is known to reduce free radical damage by as much as 90% according to one study
• Red tea decreases skin cancer tumors at least 60%

Where can you find it?

• Jason Red Elements Red Clay Masque
• Care by Stella McCartney Radiance & Yough Elixir
• Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer

Argan oil is pressed from the nut of the Moroccan argan tree. Positive effects include:

• Ability to moisturize dry, lackluster skin
• Leaves of the argan tree have lots of glycerin, which is a humectant that attracts water and defies wrinkles
• The leaf extract also fights off wrinkle-causing free radicals, and reduces collagen and elastin damage

Where can you find it?

• Liz Earle Naturally Active skin-care Superskin Concentrate
• Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Dry Oil
• Kaeline Argatherapie Argarome Jour Day Serum
• Aveda Green Science Line Minimizer

Source: Girdwain J. nature's fix for FLAWLESS SKIN. Prevention [serial online]. August 2008;60(6):126. Available from: MAS Ultra - School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 31, 2008.