Adaptogens have been used for centuries, both topically and ingested. They support your body by adapting the way you react to stress, but can adaptogens in skincare really benefit the skin in the same way? We asked two brands for their take on using these natural skincare ingredients in their products.
Dr. Alkaitis and Dafna’s Personal Skincare are two brands that put adaptogens at the centre of what they do. So much more than just cleansing and hydrating, these two natural beauty brands elevate your self-care with ingredients that take care of the whole you.
ADAPTOGENS IN SKINCARE
With a natural skincare range based on Ayurvedic traditions and a love of plant alchemy, Dafna from Dafna’s Personal Skincare has blended adaptogens into her skincare, we asked her why it was important to include these herbs in her award-winning range.
“For me, using adaptogenic plants is having the ability to take skincare into the next level and help us all with the most common problem in the modern world – too much stress! I work with plants to their full effect and I formulate the products by looking at each of us in a holistic way with a 360 degree view of our health,” she says.
Products in the range that use adaptogens include her mask, which is an ideal step in a relaxing Sunday night ritual.
“In my Revival Bio-Active Facial Mask I was looking into a treatment that promotes natural healing on inner level as well as skin level,” she says. “Some clients told me that when using this mask they really felt an energy. The main adaptogenic ingredients that I used are Reishi and Ginseng that are repudiated for generations for their ability to promote relaxation, enhance your immune system and inner strength. With the combination of the essential oils of Geranium and Sweet Orange, I have created a product that gives a full treatment – while its working on your skin, you can also feel it working on your senses. After applying it you not only see the glow on skin level but it is also internally that something changes in you.”
The US organic skincare line, Dr Alkaitis Skincare, is firmly rooted in the world of science and formulated from the eponymous founders extensive knowledge of the power of plants. After years of research Dr Alkaitis came to one conclusion – that the most rational approach to timeless beauty is formulating products that are brimming with the extraordinary properties that raw, whole plants can provide. Not only is the range formulated with adaptogenic herbs but his products themselves act as adaptogens for the skin due to the synergy in his signature herbal complexes.
Trish Alkaitis explains the Ayurvedic origins of the adaptogens used in the brand: “My father, Dr. Alkaitis, works with a multitude of medicinal plants, herbs, seaweeds and oils, many of which are adaptogens. Of my personal favorite Ayurvedic herbs, two of them are adaptogens Arjuna Bark and Ashwaganda.
In Ayurveda, medicinal plants are categorized by their ‘actions’. Arjuna Bark, Gotu Kola, Turmeric and Ashwaganda are appointed to a group that is called Rasayana. Rasayana comes from the words Rasa (translated as plasma or primordial tissue) and Ayana (translated as path). The word Rasayana literally means ‘The path the rasa takes’.
From Ayurveda comes the knowledge that the quality of the Rasa in the body has a huge impact on the health of the other tissues in the body. Therefore, any plant medicine that improves the quality of Rasa will strengthen, and promote the health of all tissues of the body. Rasayana herbs should slow ageing, revitalize and restore.”
You will find the benefits of whole plants in all of the Dr. Alkaitis range while Arjuna Bark can be found in Dr. Alkaitis Organic Ageless Facial Elixir and Dr. Alkaitis unique Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil.
Read More: What Are Adaptogens and How Can I Take Them
