We’re all for clinical ingredients when they aren’t harmful to our bodies, hormones, and environment. That being said, it’s not an easy combo to finesse. When possible, we like to stick with clean, natural ingredients closest to their form as nature intended for our different skin needs.
When it comes down to it, most contrived ingredients in a lab—while effective—just have better marketing. We’d love to have a word with Mother Nature’s PR firm; they are slacking. In truth, natural ingredients can be incredibly effective when we know exactly which ones to use, and for what.
All of us have very nuanced complexion types, with ever-changing skin concerns. Diet, stress, hormones, climate, sleep, and more all come into play when it comes to what shows up on our skin. We’ve dug into every ailment that’s been making us feel less than our best and then addressed them with the appropriate botanical ingredient to get the job done, and we’ve gotta say, it works. Peep our glossary:
Rosemary is a powerful ingredient for calming breakouts. Like many essential oils, it is very antimicrobial, meaning it fights all bacteria, including the kind that causes or exacerbates breakouts. It’s strong, so we want to use it sparingly as a spot treatment diluted with other active oils to help soothe redness and heal up spots.
Living Libations
Zippity Dewdab $30
It’s refreshingly astringent, helping to decongest while maintaining barrier balance. It treats current spots but also protects against future breakouts. We also love the novelty and function of this rosemary powder to create our own scrub, mask, or spot treatment.
For dullness and dark spots...
When we need to brighten things up, we can’t stress vitamin C enough. This nutrient is abundant in nature, especially in fruits and veggies. We love this mask by Golde for its totally edible superfood medley of lucuma fruit powder, papaya fruit extract, sea buckthorn juice powder, and marshmallow root extract, These ingredients are soothing and loaded with vitamin C, which will help to even skin tone from acne scarring, dark spots, or overall dullness with regular use. We recommend a serum for daily upkeep, as well!
For dry and dehydrated...
When our skin is so dry that even our favorite face oil seems to sit on top of flaky skin, doing nothing for it, turn to creamy avocado. This creamy natural treat is so versatile, from adding essential fats to our meals to helping us absorb certain vitamins and nutrients while feeling satiated, to slathering right on our faces. It’s a skin-loving superfood both inside and out, and it has the ability to deeply moisturize dry, dehydrated cells.
Additionally, studies show that on top of optimally moisturizing the skin, it also has powerful UV protection and anti-inflammatory properties due to compounds like vitamins A, D, and E, beta carotene, protein, and fatty acids.
Nothing perks us up quite like a hit of mint. Peppermint is super cooling, refreshing, vibrant, and tingly, but potent on its own. We love it in this eye serum because it’s the perfect blend of anti-inflammatory ingredients that will lighten up dark circles and puffiness while making us feel bright-eyed and vibrant. Definitely do not use it around the eyes on its own; use this careful and thoughtful amalgamation for best results.
Rose has been used in beauty and skincare for as long as humans (and of course, roses) roamed the earth. These sweet-scented blossoms are absolutely packed with antioxidants, along with vitamins A, C, D, and E to help strengthen our cells and urge them to regenerate at a healthy rate. Both vitamins A and C (think: retinol and brightening) help to smooth the appearance of wrinkles and promote collagen production. Roses are also hydrating, helping to seal in water under the skin barrier.
Honey is truly such a skin hero in many ways. It’s hard to pin it to one skin concern, because its antimicrobial action helps to heal and prevent breakouts, while its moisturizing action keeps skin supple and smooth, and its enzymes lightly exfoliate. However, all of these amazing attributes combined work synergistically with honey’s healing powers against skin irritations like perioral dermatitis, eczema, breakouts, rashes, and other redness-causing problems. It’s anti-inflammatory and helps to speed wound healing—and that goes for all types of skin irritation.
When skin looks tired and depleted and in need of nourishment, go for algae and seaweed powders like spirulina and chlorella. These seaweed and algae powders are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C as well to help brighten and soothe. Phytochemicals assist with advanced wound healing, while the botanical extracts deeply mineralize for a nourished glow. You also can’t go wrong with a daily vitamin C serum to help rejuvenate your skin.
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