When it’s not plant-based, what is it?
Many skin care companies use either animal-based ingredients or synthetic ingredients.
In a recent article* the NY Times listed the following as being used in skin care products: carmine (crushed-up beetles) gelatin (cow or pig bones, tendons or ligaments) allantoin (cow urine) ambergris (whale vomit) placenta (sheep organs) and squalene (shark liver oil). Even beeswax, lanolin (wool grease) which sound more innocent are clearly also derived from animals.
Synthetic or chemical-based ingredients are cheaper to produce and therefore lower the cost of production – at your health expense. They are also used to prolong the shelf life of a product. Think of it like consuming “long life” processed food instead of fresh.
What are the benefits of using plant-based skin care for my skin?
- Just as a phytonutrient-rich diet is essential in order to maintain a healthy body and mind, phytonutrients in skin care are what contributes to healthy, radiant looking skin. A plant-based product is essentially “Food for your skin”.
- Plant-based skin care products are rich in antioxidants which combat free radicals (oxidants) and strengthen your body’s cells. Remember your skin is actually your largest organ so you want to strengthen those cells as much as possible. In addition to the phytonutrients of each of Young Carpo’s plant-based products, they also contain extract – from olive leaves – which has antioxidant quantities that go through the roof!
- Skin absorbs whatever is placed on it – referred to as “dermal absorption”. Thanks to the hydrocolloids that contribute to the natural texture of plant-based skincare products, there is no need to use harmful petrochemicals that are absorbed by the skin when synthetic ingredients are used.
Other Benefits
Plant-based products are vegan and environmentally friendly. It may seem obvious to state, but plant-based products use up much less energy and resources to produce than animal-based and synthetic alternatives.
Why Greek or Mediterranean plants?
The Mediterranean diet has well been established as beneficial for your health. One (but not all) of the main reasons why the Mediterranean diet is beneficial is the ingredients with antioxidant properties.
This is where we start writing about the olive tree as a powerful plant again, and we could go on but won’t! The simple fact is that antioxidants reduce oxidative stress which is one of the most important triggers of dermatological diseases and skin aging. More antioxidants = less (skin) stress!
The Mediterranean also has many other beneficial plants. We had our botanists and cosmetologists search and find the best ones for our first range, namely, mastiha, grape (seed oil), marine pine bark and a specific mountain tea from Crete, called malotira. Click here for our products page to see more about each one.
Conclusion:
we think it makes more sense to seek out nutritious food for your skin rather than whale vomit and cows urine – but maybe we are just picky!
*“Why You Should Care About Vegan Beauty”, New York Times, Feb 26, 2019, Andrea Cheng
