Vegetables are in! At Clean Beauty, new, curious and even unconventional ingredients appear every few months: Cosmetics manufacturers process various mushrooms, cannabis and tomato extracts including big promises in creams, shampoos or lotions. What's behind it?
It's a bit like eating: a few bloggers are promoting goji berries or quinoa as superfood and the shopping shelves are full of them. That is not entirely unproblematic. Take these superfoods as an example: They are quite healthy, but not regional. Long transport routes are the consequence and the growing global demand leads to a stronger oneExploitation of the peasants.
The irony is: black currants and flax seeds would be the regional alternatives. But they're not sexy enough for anyone to call them a superfood.
Similar trends come and go in cosmetics when tried and tested active ingredients likeurea orhyaluronan no longer sound exciting enough. We take a look at mushrooms, cannabidiol and red tomatoes as cosmetic ingredients.
Mushrooms as a beauty boost
Mykosmetik is trendy: Manufacturers rely on mushrooms such as shiitake, reishi or the pine sponge and promise energy for the skin, anti-aging and a radiantly beautiful complexion.
In naturopathy, mushrooms are a popular remedy and taste great, but as a cream or shampoo
Much is said of them: In healing practice they speak of positive health effects and refer to traditional Chinese medicine, which has been using mushrooms for thousands of years.
Thesaid Effects are, depending on the type of mushroom, a boost for the immune system or an abundance of antioxidants. Some mushrooms have a high selenium content, which should be beneficial in treating acne; others are said to inhibit the development of cancer cells and prevent skin aging.
The problem is, the scientific studies are missing!
We could not find any solid, clinical evidence that deals with the effectiveness and also the risks! deal with mushrooms in cosmetics. This is not entirely unproblematic, because in our opinion the compatibility of cosmetic products is an important, if not the most important, requirement for moisturizers, facial cleansers and the like.Co.
Until there are really solid studies, shiitake, reishi and chaga mushrooms will remain a publicity stunt in skin care:
Manufacturers are still in a difficult situation with the effectiveness of mushrooms and must formulate their messages with enormous caution. It could fall to their feet too quickly if they highlight an unproven health factor for the ingredient.
CBD: relaxation for the skin
Cannabidiol is not only a trend in skin care: The little, legal brother of THC does not make you stoned, but according to CBD fans it is supposed to relieve pain, improve sleep, relax and inhibit inflammation.
The active ingredient can be found in more and more products. There are CBD drops, CBD oils, CBD in foods and beverages, and there is CBD in cosmetic products.
The assumption: if the substance has a pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effect, then it is not also good for the skin
CBD skin care products are suggested to help with dry skin, psoriasis, eczema, acne, and skin aging. If you take a closer look at the products you will notice:
The statements about the effect of a cream are always related to the ingredients whose effectiveness has been clinically proven. So it's the good, tested ingredients such as aloe vera, urea, hyaluron or vitamins C and E as well as high-quality oils and trace elements.
As exciting as CBD may be as an active ingredient, it still has the same problem as mushrooms: There is a lack of reliable studies. We don't know whether CBD is really healthy for the skin or whether the substance can even cause allergic reactions. Therapeutic effects specifically for CBD may therefore not be advertised.
So with CBD, we're in a gray area here too. When in doubt, we prefer to keep our hands off it until clinical studies are available.
Lycopene: tomatoes for skin care
Every child knows: tomatoes are healthy! And they owe that to lycopene!
The stuff of red tomatoes is a small all-rounder in the health and beauty scene. It belongs to the carotenoids and is therefore aAntioxidantthat strengthens the immune system and prevents cancer.
Lycopene protects against all kinds of diseases: rheumatism, arthritis, heart attacks, strokes, sunburn, cataracts and it is also supposed to prevent premature skin aging.
Even researchers at the Charité in Berlin were able to prove this with a study. The concentration of beta-carotene contained in carrots and lycopene was determined from 450 test persons between 40 and 50 years of age. They found that the wrinkles on the forehead were significantly fewer when the concentration was high..
What we have to emphasize here:
Lycopene works best from within. Specifically, this means: You should tomatoes and carrotseatto keep your skin smooth for a long time!
In addition: As an extract, the substances are often difficult to prepare so that they can really penetrate the skin via a cream. And that doesn't solve one problem: Allergies can be a danger here.
Conclusion: It doesn't always have to be the exceptional ingredient
You find mushrooms and tomatoes may be better choices on the plate when it comes to your skin health. The positive effects of creams can only be proven to a limited extent in studies and allergic reactions cannot be ruled out with certainty.
We recommend: Play it safe with your skin care. There are a variety of highly effective and clinically tested ingredients that can help protect your skin from wrinkles, pimples and dryness. And that doesn't always have to be extra fancy, but can also have well-known names such as: urea, hyaluron, squalane, vitamin C and E.
That doesn't mean you should ignore mushrooms and tomatoes. On the contrary: make a delicious and healthy salad out of it!
#staysober
Simon