The skin is part of our innate immune system – a membrane against the world that helps to keep out foreign microbes and toxins. If the skin is healthy, without cracks, dryness and damage, it is probably our biggest defence against micro-organisms.
The health of our skin exemplifies the closeness between health and beauty: a radiant, smooth skin with elasticity is also a skin that protects our well-being. So selecting the very best ingredients and beauty products for our skin is a luxury for the senses, the emotions, and our physical selves – but also provides a boost to health.
Customers are increasingly discerning about the quality of niche beauty ingredients that go into their skincare and are becoming more educated about their bioactive properties. First and foremost, the discerning buyer looks for natural ingredients – either one hundred per cent or very close to this.
Stepping it up a notch, organic certification is becoming increasingly important: this ensures not only the health of the planet, but that the purity of the product has not been adulterated or compromised in any way. It further ensures that some of the wonderful, rare, niche ingredients that are added have been harvested sustainably.
Frankincense resin, for example, is harvested from the tree Boswellia neglecta, which grows out of barren rocks in Somalia. Frankincense has been highly prized since ancient times and today forms an important income for the Somali women who tap the resin from the tree. Organic certification ensures that the product is fair trade, supporting the community rather than any cartel.
Frankincense forms one of the ingredients of May Lindstrom’s The Good Stuff Radiance Oil – just a small amount, like a bee taking just a little nectar from a flower. This is the same with many of the niche, rare ingredients in luxury, natural skincare products – just a little of these special ingredients is needed to benefit from their therapeutic properties. Frankincense has long been valued for its healing and rejuvenating benefits for the skin. Through the ages it has also been attributed with deeply calmly properties.
Another niche, wonder ingredient that is discerningly used is Baobab oil – and can be found in products such as Dr Jackson’s No. 3 Face Oil, No. 1 Skin care and May Lindstrom’s Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm.
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This oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the African baobab tree. The oil is exceedingly rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids – both of which perform essential roles in protecting, regenerating and rejuvenating the skin at the cellular level.
We’re looking forward to seeing more of these niche beauty ingredients being used throughout 2015, which is already looking set to be a year for beauty.