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How to Know If Your Beauty Product is Organic Botanics

When you hear "natural", images of blue skies and mellow birds chirping are what come to mind. The term natural is often misunderstood when concerns products for beauty. Many companies simply declare their products to be "natural" even that they contain processed ingredients. So, how do you know if your product is truly organic?

Bluh Alchemy

Bluh Alchemy, an innovative clean skincare line, has a small treatment-focused range of synergistic products that are infused with rare botanical extracts. The founder Becky Bluh studied cosmetic chemistry and discovered how to harness the power of plant-based ingredients that have transformative physiological effects on the skin. She scoured a broad range of rare plant extracts to form a bluhprint for optimal skin health and guard against premature ageing as well as free radical damage, oxidative stress inflammation and bacterial overgrowth.

Bluh's study of rare botanicals and her studies led her to the revolutionary Cellular Extraction Process, which allows the extraction of the phytoactive profile of a plant at its most potent state. Her formulas utilize this game-changing technology to deliver 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 it's super) and the Eye Oil Serum (sidekick that every superhero needs). In this concentrate, Bakuchiol replicates the corrective properties of retinol and visibly improve wrinkles, enlarged pores, breakouts and uneven skin tone. This is paired up with a variety of antioxidants including Kakadu Plum, which stimulates cell renewal and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Finger lime caviar will firm and tone your skin. Mountain pepper leaf cellular extraction with ORAC levels that are unbeatable will guard against premature ageing.

African Botanics

In a corner in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Johannesburg, South Africa is a yellow-tinged Strelitzia (also called Mandela's Gold), an endemic species that is also the nation's botanical symbol. It's an ode to the moral leader of the Rainbow Nation, and Organic Botanics a reminder of the country's deep connection to nature and its abundant biodiversity.

For Craig and Julia Noik, founders of the brand of green beauty that is uber-luxe African Botanics, launching the line was about more than a creative venture. It was an opportunity to share a little bit of their home with others, to provide them with the same feeling of connection to this extraordinary place and its long-standing traditions that has always been an integral part of their lives.

The resultant skincare collection is a tribute to traditional African beauty rituals, using the ancient African phytochemistry and cutting-edge botanical pharmacology. The most effective South African plants are sustainably sourced from the country's remote and unexplored regions, and then combined with powerful actives selected with the help of botanists and biochemists in South Africa and across the world. The plants are then encapsulated with advanced extraction and encapsulation techniques, to create the ultimate eco-luxe, high-performance green beauty.

Fifty7 Kind

Fifty7 Kind is a web-based first company that provides skincare products made of plants in eco sustainable packaging. The sleek line of skin and hair care products are made of ingredients sourced from the unique hotspots of Southern Africa; these include oil extracts from plants, seed oils and rare minerals sourced from the desert, the sea and the land. Gabrielle (founder Fifty7 Kind), grew up in the English countryside as an organic child. She says her mother taught her how to cook using raw materials and to gather wild herbs for beauty.

Using sustainably sourced botanicals, the slow-fusion artisan process guarantees concentrated extracts of skin-health improving vitamins, fatty acids, trace nutrients and nonpolar amino acids. The brand sources rare wild-crafted, under-the-radar botanicals such as Ugandan Vanilla and a sub-species of shea dubbed Vitellaria Nilotica which contains high levels of Vitamin A + E + K as well as non-polar antioxidants.

YINA is a California-based organic skincare line developed by two female Chinese Medicine doctors. This brand combines ancient Eastern herbal remedies with organic cbd vape oil luxury. YINA products contain traditional medicinal herbs and plants like Ashwagandha and Hawthorne Berry as well as more common organic ingredients found in most other skincare lines.

Live Botanical

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

A botanical is any plant or component of it that is valued for its therapeutic qualities and flavor or scent. Botanicals have been utilized since the beginning of time to maintain and improve health, and even in skin care.

Botanicals are sold in fresh or dried form, and in a variety of preparations. They can be found in the produce aisle of a supermarket, or in the section of dietary supplements as tablets, capsules tea bags, Organic Botanics liquid preparations. A single chemical may also be isolated from a specific botanical and then sold as a dietary supplement in tablet or capsule form.

The safety of a particular plant is determined by its chemical composition and the way it is used within the body and how it is prepared. The amount of a plant that is used in a product is a factor in its safety. A cup of tea contains a small amount of the plant, however, a tincture is more concentrated.

A tincture is made by soaking a herb in a liquid such as water or alcohol to extract the desired constituents. The tincture can be diluted to different strengths. The strength of a plant tincture can be expressed as a ratio 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 the ancient philosophies of TCM with professional TCM practitioners at the helm. The result is a range of modern, artisanal and luxurious formulas for modern wellness rituals like Acupressure and Acupuncture.

YINA is made sustainably in California, and its products are high in powerful bio-adaptive herbal extracts. Their flagship products are the NOURISH botanical oil serum and the anti-pollution cream. Both are rich in camellia seeds, safflower oils and licorice root. They also contain anti-aging botanicals such as rhodiola and Asian knotweed. The mask also contains cleansing moringa, pear and coconut carbon.

Felicia is a member the highly efficient YINA operations team. She loves trying new products and observing the self-care routines advocated by the founders of the brand. She is a huge fan of the YINA Anti-Pollution Mask, which includes cleansing agents such as pearl powder, skullcap root and moringa.

Malaya Organics

Malaya Organics is a Brooklyn-based 100 100% natural high-performance line created by Katya Slepak, an expert formulator, product designer and certified aromatherapist. The company's nourishing, result-driven products are designed to support skin naturally as it ages, and are safe for all genders and skin types. The balancing elixirs they offer contain the therapeutic benefits of a blend of phytonutrients-rich whole-plant extracts, made in-house for maximum effectiveness, enriched with antioxidants and nourishing essences and oils of plants that are known for their anti-inflammatory and elasticity building properties.

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

Fran Miller

Before going natural was cool and trendy, Toronto-based Fran Miller created her eponymous beauty brand with the motto "less is more." With the summer heat gaining momentum Miller's pared-down selection of essential oils for skincare is taking the wellness market by storm. The line includes everything, from a goji berry-infused shea butter body buff to a hair smoothing spritz and multitasking face oil.

In the pursuit of organically-sourced, ethically sourced ingredients and partnering with mindful companies both locally and across the globe, F. Miller has been committed to environmental sustainability since the beginning of its existence. All of their high-performance products are free of harmful preservatives, synthetic fragrances and colorings Parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, petrolatum aluminum, GMO's, and SLS's.

All products are blended and then bottled by hand in small batches to ensure freshness. The brand works with cosmetic chemists, who develop rich in nutrients, botanical blends that nourish and nurture radiant skin. Apart from their carefully selected ingredients, the brand has an environmental ethos that extends to their packaging and practices. They utilize recycled and biodegradable glass and focus on sourcing eco-friendly recyclable packaging materials. They also offer a refill and subscription program to reduce waste.