Raise your hand if your introduction to skin care was your mum’s kitchen. From applying raw tomatoes and lemon juice on your face to making concoctions of orange peels and gram flour as a natural exfoliant, if you’ve grown up in an Indian household, you’ve seen it all. But even though we wrinkled our noses at our mothers’ effort to give us healthy skin, we now know that she really did know best.
In honour of Mother’s Day, we’re revisiting the top 10 natural, home-grown ingredients that go into our skin care products to give us naturally glowing, healthy skin.
Benefits of Ginger for the Skin
Zingiber Officinale, or ginger root extract, promotes warmth by increasing circulation and acts as an anti-inflammatory to soothe the skin. It also scavenges free radicals while reducing edema. Multiple Dermalogica products contain ginger root extract, such as Barrier Repair Moisturiser, UltraCalming Serum Concentrate, UltraCalming Cleanser and Daily Superfoliant.
Zingiber Officinale, or ginger root oil, is an essential oil used as a natural fragrance and a skin conditioning agent. This ingredient can be found in Prisma Protect SPF30 and Power Rich Moisturiser.
Benefits of Camphor for the Skin
Camphor is a cooling and antiseptic extract, which works well on sensitive skin, with firming and toning properties as well. The Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque contains camphor and gives you clear, healthy skin upon regular use.
Benefits of Cucumber for the Skin
Cucumber has long been known for its cooling and hydration properties. It helps keep the skin smooth and refreshed, soothes irritated skin, helps provide deep hydration and acts as a cooling, healing agent for sensitised skin. The Skin Hydrating Masque, Multi‐Active Toner, Active Moist Moisturiser, UltraCalming Cleanser and Skin Smoothing Cream Moisturiser all contain Cucumis Sativus, or cucumber fruit extract, and work wonders for the skin.
Benefits of Clove for the Skin
Clove is a regular Indian household ingredient that works for multiple concerns. Most commonly, it is known to be a homeopathic analgesic used to control pain and discomfort and also acts as an antiseptic. Eugenia Caryophyllus, or clove flower oil, is used in Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50, Skin Resurfacing Cleanser and the Antioxidant Hydramist Toner that work well on sensitised or irritated skin.
Benefits of Sandalwood for the Skin
With soothing, healing properties, sandalwood is often used as an antiseptic oil, specifically effective for infections. For the skin, it works well to calm irritations and breakouts, and repair the skin. The Dermalogica Super Rich Repair Moisturiser contains cooling sandalwood.
Benefits of Eucalyptus for the Skin
Also known for its healing, antiseptic properties, eucalyptus is the liquid derived from the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree. The Eucalyptus Globulus leaf extract or oil is present in the Skin Perfect Primer SPF30, Super Sensitive Shield SPF30, Sheer Tint SPF20 (Light, Medium, Dark) and Super Rich Repair Moisturiser.
Benefits of Rose Flower Oil for the Skin
Rich in natural Vitamin C, rose flower oil moisturises and hydrates the skin. It also helps protect the skin from capillary damage, and firms and tones the tissues, giving you smooth, healthy skin. The MultiVitamin Thermafoliant Exfoliant, Skin Resurfacing Cleanser, Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Moisturiser, Antioxidant Hydramist Toner all contain rose flower oil.
Benefits of Licorice for the Skin
Licorice is a potent antioxidant that provides calming and soothing benefits to the skin, especially skin that is sensitised and prone to breakouts. A range of Dermalogica products contain licorice, such as Breakout Clearing All Over Toner, Daily Microfoliant Exfoliant, MultiVitamin Thermafoliant Exfoliant and MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque.
Benefits of Aloe Vera for the Skin
Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice, more commonly known as aloe vera, has soothing, softening and healing properties, and has been used in skin care since time immemorial. A number of Dermalogica products contain aloe vera for exactly these reasons, such as the Calm Water Gel Moisturiser, Skin Smoothing Cream Moisturiser, AGE Bright Spot Fader, Antioxidant Hydramist Toner, Multi‐Active Toner and Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturiser.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for the Skin
Coconut oil has multiple benefits, whether topical or on consumption. For the skin, it acts as a rich, super conditioning agent that is lightweight and absorbs easily. The Dermalogica Super Rich Repair Moisturiser contains coconut oil and provides intense hydration and nourishment.