Sometimes, when it comes to skincare, the best ingredients come straight from nature. No lab can come close to the great outdoors. It may look a little like a grocery list, but licorice root extract, turmeric, and vitamin C, among others, are as beneficial for your face as they are tasty.
But not all natural skincare is what it’s cracked up to be. Before you go slathering your face in mud and leaves, take a closer look at the skincare benefits of these five natural ingredients.
Licorice Root Extract
Licorice root extract, scientifically known as Glycyrrhiza glabra L., is a delicious for the skin as real licorice is to the taste buds. It’s been used to treat eczema, dermatitis, cysts and pruritis. A study in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment showed it to be an effective agent for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Licorice root extract has also been used in skincare as a method of improving moisture retention and as a histamine and vasodilator. It’s used as an anti-inflammatory for subacute and chronic dermatoses and to treat other chronic conditions like contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis. It can also be used as a skin lightening agent to combat hyperpigmentation.
Turmeric
Turmeric is for more than just curry. It, too, is a potent anti-inflammatory. Curcumin, the pigment that makes turmeric yellow, has even been shown to produce a greater anti-inflammatory effect than ibuprofen. Administered orally, turmeric can combat acne and other blemish-laden skin conditions. The naturally-occurring phenolic compounds are documented to be anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-mutagen, anti-cancer and detoxifying. All the more reason to chow down on some serious Indian take out, or better yet, seek out skincare products that boast the natural wonder ingredient.
Feverfew Extract
If there’s a trend among effective natural skincare ingredients, it’s that they all seem to have those coveted anti-inflammatory properties, great for calming breakout and redness, as well as more complicated skin conditions. You can add feverfew extract to the list of inflammation-reducing elements. It possesses strong free radical scavenging activity, which can combat aging, and it’s been used to treat inflammatory ailments inside and outside the body. It’s been used to treat arthritis and bronchitis as well as prevent migraines.
Most exciting, though, is research from the Journal of Dermatological Science that shows that purified feverfew extract can induce DNA repair in damaged skin cells. This can potentially help skin fend off all manner of environmental aggressors.
Vitamins A,B,C,E and K
Get your vitamins! Do it if only for your skin’s sake. Vitamins A, B, C, E and K are all killer natural ingredients for skin care. Vitamin C applied topically can protect your skin from UVB damage using its natural antioxidants. In low concentrations, so as not to be irritating, vitamin A acid can protect the skin from aging caused by exposure to light and even repair structural damage. Vitamin D is used to treat eczema and vitamin e oil, when used carefully, can be a great natural antioxidant and fight aging and dry skin. And vitamin K is used to ease bruising and even skin tone.
Ferulic Acid
Ferulic acid, found naturally in the seeds of fruits and some veggies and nuts, is another fantastic natural antioxidant. It can bust up free radical chain reactions as they happen, protecting the skin from damage from air pollutants and UV radiation. Ferulic acid supplements given to albino mice orally prevented the formation of skin tumors, which means it’s powerful against cell proliferation in skin cancer formation. Researchers in Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology suggest that this is because of its rich antioxidants and detoxication agents.
So when you’re examining your next skincare product’s ingredients, keep an eye out for Mother Nature. The Earth has provided some potent antioxidants and killer skin saviors.