What is on the latest tasting menu and why?
There are many good reasons why more and more women are choosing “No-tox” natural skincare over Botox and other procedures, but the simplest is, perhaps, the best: they work. The ingredients in the green beauty arsenal are increasingly powerful, effective and virtually risk-free. Here are some of our favorites, with ingredients inspired by food.
Fruit Enzymes
Fruit enzymes are a gentle way to exfoliate and brighten dull skin.
Try: Joanna Vargas Exfoliating Mask New York celebrity skincare guru Joanna Vargas suggests sleeping in this rejuvenating fruit enzyme mask the night before a big event, joannavargas.com; Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator A gentle exfoliating treatment with fruit enzymes and sodium hyaluronate to brighten and smooth the skin, jurlique.com
Sea Buckthorn
This hardy plant with pretty orange berries is loaded with antioxidants; omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9; and vitamin C to help the skin regenerate and repair.
Try: My Havthorn Face Cream Crafted by a young Swedish couple who grow the plants organically, this new line—cream, oil, essence, cleanser—is highly effective, and a pleasure to use, myhavthorn.com; Nude Skincare ProGenius Treatment Oil Restores and repairs damaged skin with omegas, camelina seed oil to take down redness and moisturizing apricot kernel oil, sephora.com
Turmeric
The yellow pigment that gives turmeric its gorgeous color is also known to inhibit an enzyme that can cause inflammation.
Try: Pratima Revitalizing Turmeric Cream Created by an Ayurvedic doctor, this golden cream is gentle and highly moisturizing, pratimaskincare.com; Yes to Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer SPF 30 With cucumber to soothe skin, this daily moisturizer also offers sun protection, yestocarrots.com
Blueberry & Bearberry
Arbutin, found in the leaves of blueberry and bearberry plants, helps treat hyper-pigmentation by suppressing melanin production and fading sun damage and discoloration.
Try: Éminence Organics Bearberry Eye Repair Brightens, lightens and smoothes the undereye area with a potent blend of botanicals, eminenceorganics.com
Seaweed
Boatloads of research exist to prove the skin-saving power of the plants that grow in the sea. Okinawa red algae—rich in omega fatty acids, vitamins and minerals—is remarkably similar to our skin’s collagen and helps enhance skin’s barrier function and water retention, for plumper, firmer skin.
Try: Sea Flora Sea Therapy Recovery Facial Gel With fruit and hyaluronic acids, along with wild seaweed hand-harvested sustainably off the coast of British Columbia, to ease signs of aging, sea-flora.com; Shir-Organic Pure Green Algae Soothing Gel A calming gel, with extracts of algae, arnica, shiitake mushroom and gotu kola, to ease inflammation and encourage cell turnover, shiraesthetics.com