About Botanicals

A lot of skincare products state ‘natural’ and ‘botanical’ (plant-based) but at what percentage and what quality are these ingredients? Then there’s ‘organic’ vs ‘certified organic’, ‘naturally-derived’ and ‘nature-identical’ – a bit confusing.

In the world of Chemistry, water is a chemical, and the definition of organic means ‘relating to, or derived from living matter’ .... therefore many things can be called organic. Mineral oil is a product from decomposed matter deep within the Earth, therefore can be marketed as ‘organic’ but you wouldn’t want that in your skincare product. A common ingredient in personal care products is an emulsifier. Many are from a natural starting point (naturally-derived from coconut &/or palm) which is then modified and it is extremely hard to stabilise a cream product without it. Some long-winded named ingredient may sound a bad chemical, but in fact may not be. It is law to use an ingredients’ ‘INCI’ name on labels and they can look scary. If in doubt, do a bit of research.

Greenwashing is now a common term, and practice, used for ‘pulling the wool over the eyes of the public’ when it comes to marketing personal care products. That being said, ethical companies are aware consumers are now not easily ‘greenwashed’ and are becoming more ‘ingredient-savvy’, so are using ones that are very skin-friendly and environmentally responsible. It’s something we do not prescribe to, and aim for total transparency here at True Botanix skincare.

At True Botanix skincare we choose to use a high percentage of skin-loving top quality natural, often certified organic, plant botanical oils.

Camellia, Sunflower, Blackcurrant, Rosehip, Sea Buckthorn, to name a few, that are full of natural vitamins and have specific properties. We also blend in a few ingredients that have to be modified scientifically to be readily accepted by the skin and are non-toxic.

A few examples of this are Tocopherol (Vitamin E), a natural or nature-identical active ingredient. It is an important powerful anti-oxidant which, when used at the correct percentage, has the added bonus of stopping skincare cremes turning rancidity. Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) is a non-natural active ingredient, but is the non-irritating form of Vitamin A used to promote the enzyme activity in the skin. It thickens the epidermis and can regenerate skin prematurely aged by UV-radiation. This product can also assist in increasing the skin's elasticity and the reversal of photodamage. By law, no more than 1% can be added to cosmetic formulations.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) naturally occurs within the body, but for topical use we use a naturally-derived one produced from bi-products of bacterial fermentation of Corn, Wheat and Yeast Extract. HA forms a barrier on the skin and its unique moisturising and viscoelastic (both viscous and elastic) properties make the skin soften and restores its elasticity contributing to a significant anti-wrinkle ‘effect’ through hydration. Squalane is another oil that naturally occurs within the body, and we use one naturally-derived from olives. It is THE new wonder ingredient for rejuvenating your skin. Being light, non-greasy and compatible with the skin it absorbs deeply transporting other actives deeper within your skin to target problem areas.

Who would have thought an acid was a gentle hydrating natural product, powerfully active vitamins aren’t natural, and an olive-derived emollient could go so deeply into the skin – there’s more to skincare ingredients than meets the eye.

We have discovered that incorporating a little bit of science, modified active ingredients, into an otherwise 95+% natural and naturally-derived skincare base, increases its efficacy so you achieve the maximum benefit, at no risk to your health. What is very important with any modified ingredient (plant based or synthetic) is that they are rated as non- (or low) toxic (0-1 with EWG) when used at the correct recommended percentage. Using clean, green, botanical, non- (or low) toxic ingredients is where ethical companies, like us, are leading the way for customers, like you, to enjoy worry-free.

True to our word of being totally transparent, click here to see a list of ALL ingredients that will be within True Botanix skincare products.