Superfoods are being introduced into cosmetics
Packed with natural ingredients, superfoods are luring cosmetics brands to incorporate them into their products
It is a hipster's paradisethat we live in. In this day and age, it's perfectly acceptable to start your day with a chia seed smoothie, get your blood pumping with a session of piloxing (pilates/boxing), begin your grooming routine with a dab of beard oil and most notably, start putting quinoa in everything from your lunch to your face cream.
"Superfood is a marketing term used to describe foods that are nutrient powerhouses that pack large doses of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals," explains Iris Lau, a brand representative of Origins, known for its sustainable practices and plant-heavy skincare ingredients, such as spirulina, spinach and green tea.
One of the brand's star products, for example, is the Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Soothing Treatment Lotion, which contains reishi (lingzhi) mushroom, rich in water-soluble polysaccharides, for its immune-system-boosting properties.
Just because something looks pretty splashed on an advertisement, however, doesn't mean that it translates well to the highly scientific world of skincare.
"The bright colours of many superfoods are often due to the presence of antioxidant compounds, and while they make these plants appealing, it's challenging to use them in cosmetics," says Cindy Angerhofer, Aveda's executive director of botanical research.
"Some superfoods, such as pomegranate, bilberry and turmeric, have [been subject to] more modern-era scientific research than others. The nutritional element [from ingestion] may not translate well to topical use for cosmetics, but a major benefit that may be realised through both ingestion and topical use is strong antioxidant activity," she says. Quality extracts of turmeric, pomegranate and amla, for example, can improve the appearance of skin, scalp and hair by protecting them from environmental aggressors, Angerhofer adds. Kiehl's is another skincare brand that has been on the forefront of this trend for many years, and its product descriptions often resemble vegan grocery lists in their high superfood contents.
"We have avocado oil in our Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment; argan oil in the Superbly Smoothing Argan Hair collection; and lentil extract in the Micro-Blur Skin Perfector, just to name a few," says Maria Yuen, the brand's Hong Kong education manager.
One of its latest offerings is a Nightly Refining Micro Peel, which uses "sustainably sourced quinoa husk extract" - a combination of words guaranteed to make hipsters drop their kale chips in excitement. Consumers are told that the quinoa is sustainably sourced, filtered and distilled to a pure and potent extract, which aids in surface cell turnover - the Holy Grail for youthful skin.
The natural ingredient hype is nothing new, but today's audience is savvier than ever, and brands have had to underline their claims with science, particularly when most consumers have done a fair amount of internet reading on how acai berries can aid in everything from muscle performance to weight loss.