Basic ingredients of natural cosmetics
The majority of the industry tends to put costs ahead of functionality, which means that most industrial products are filled with water and synthetically derived emollients. In natural cosmetics, we give preference to natural and organic ingredients that offer more than just filling the volume and saving money.
Basic ingredients found in organic cosmetics are natural oils and hydrosols. In addition, of course, highly effective cosmetic ingredients are included. The most effective are active herbal ingredients and natural cosmeceuticals.The term cosmeceuticals is becoming more and more common in the world of natural and organic cosmetics. Cosmeceuticals combine cosmetics and pharmacy, are an unofficial term for cosmetic products that contain bioactive ingredients for use in cosmetics and are expected to have therapeutic effect. They affect the biological functions of the skin, improve its appearance, slow down ageing and inhibit the formation of wrinkles.
You may be wondering at this point why then we don’t just use highly effective ingredients. We need the basic ingredients for several reasons:
-Highly effective cosmeceuticals are inherently too potent and are usually used in small amounts, many of which need to be diluted in this way. Otherwise, they may damage the skin when applied. Essential oils thus have a defined maximum permissible concentration in the product, when exceeded they can cause hypersensitivity or irritation. Some moisturisers, if in higher dosage, have an unpleasant effect on the skin – a sticky feeling. Too much of some carotenoid-rich oils (such as sea buckthorn) can make the skin too yellow.
-The product must give the skin a pleasant feeling, only in this case it is interesting for the user.
-The product must contain certain basic ingredients to enable the delivery of active substances to the desired layer of skin. The skin is a very effective barrier and does not allow all the ingredients to pass into the body. Information can be found online that sixty percent of everything we put on the skin penetrates the body, but this is not true.
The basic ingredients represent a base that acts as a carrier of nutrients and therapeutic agents and at the same time acts as a buffer of strong ingredients. The basic ingredients may be water-soluble (hydrophilic) and include hydrosols, distilled water, glycerin pa or they may be soluble in oil (lipophilic) and include butters, carrier oils, waxes… The third group of basic ingredients are functional and includes emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and preservatives. These perform a specific task in the formulation, but do not have e.g. anti-age properties.
Natural oils are obtained by cold pressing of plant material (seeds, nuts, fruits). They nourish, soothe, moisturise and restore the skin’s elasticity. When applied to the skin, they prevent water from evaporating. This makes the skin softer and smoother. Carrier oils are both a fantastic essential ingredient for anti-ageing as well as skin care.
Natural oils are composed mainly of lipids that are similar to the lipids of our skin, so they can penetrate into it unlike synthetic ingredients such as,for example, mineral oil. They usually penetrate to the third layer of the stratum corneum. In addition, they contain ingredients such as flavonoids, phytosterols, keratenoids, phospholipids and tocopherols (vit. E), which provide additional benefits to the skin (antioxidant, regenerative, anti-inflammatory…).
Hydrosol is a byproduct of steam distillation of plant material (medicinal and aromatic plants), in which essential oils are obtained. They can be distilled from a wide range of flowers, roots, leaves, needles, bark, resins, citrus peels. This process produces water-insoluble active ingredients – these are essential oils and water-soluble active ingredients – hydrosols. Essential oils are strong or extremely concentrated skin care ingredients, care must be taken when applying to the skin. Meanwhile, hydrosols offer a wonderful opportunity to incorporate the therapeutic properties of the plant in a more gentle form. hydrosols do not contain irritating components as found in essential oils. Therefore they are much milder than essential oils, they have no side effects, and are even suitable for baby care. Roman chamomile is suitable for the treatment of eye problems. hydrosols commonly used for skin care are hydrosols of immortelle, rose, lavender, Roman and German chamomile, neroli, lemon balm, rosemary, geranium, mint, virginia…
One of the advantages of the Mayarula cosmetic line is that the cosmetics are anhydrous and the aqueous phase is completely replaced by organic plant hydrosols, which means a higher cosmetic value.
Many plants offer us tremendous benefits for our skin. Each product of the Mayarula cosmetic line contains a carefully selected set of plant extracts that have the maximum effect on the skin in the right combination and concentration.
Sources and literature:
- Damjan Janeš in Nina Kočevar Glavač: Sodobna kozmetika, 1. Izdaja, Širimo dobro besedo d.o.o., Velenje 2015
- Formula Botanica: Certificate in Organic-Anti-Ageing Skincare, London 2018
- E-knjiga Značilnosti zrele kože in aktivne učinkovine pomlajevalne kozmetike
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