Skin Meditation

Originally native to Eastern and Central North America, Echinacea’s flowers, roots and leaves have been used by Native Indian tribes for hundreds of years for their anti-inflammatory, soothing and skin regeneration properties as well as to treat a wide range of conditions including bites, wounds and illness. To this day it is still one of the best-selling herbs in the world, a testament to its continued success in treating a wide range of symptoms.

Echinacea Meristem Concentrate is rich in phytochemicals including flavonoids, polysaccharides and echinacoside and it is thought to be able to stimulate the immune system whilst acting as an effective anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and natural antibiotic. In vitro tests give Echinacea Meristem impressive results: inhibiting Collagenase (enzymes that break the peptide bonds in collagen) by up to 94%, while also stimulating new collagen production by +24%. The high amino acid and polysaccharide content of Echinacea Meristem acts on skin hydration and nutrition levels for an increase in skin elasticity and comfort. Skin is left balanced and healthy, sooth and calmed and better able to defend and repair itself.

Magnolia bark is a highly aromatic herbal material obtained from the Magnolia tree. Ancient documents describe the Chinese using Magnolia Bark as a herbal medicine in 100 A.D, while modern Japanese herbal medicine also relies on the use of Magnolia Bark to treat depression, anxiety and associated symptoms such as shortness of breath and digestive disorders.

Skin Meditation contains Magnolia Bark Extract as it is a fantastic ingredient to help counter skin stress and balance cortisol. The primary skin benefiting compounds are magnolol and honokiol and they are 1000 times more potent than vitamin E in their anti-oxidant activity. These compounds also contain specific molecules that can reduce the inflammation which leads to the break down of collagen and elastin. In Skin Meditation Magnolia Bark Extract works alongside other potent actives to reduce skin redness, to restore firmness and moisture and to prevent the loss of elasticity.

Arabian Cotton has been cultivated for centuries in the semi-arid and sunlit regions of Sub Saharan Africa and Arabia. Favoured by ancient Greeks for its “fruit fleeces surpassing those of sheep in beauty and excellence", Gossypium herbaceum has heart shaped 5-lobed to 7-lobed leaves, yellow flowers with purplish centers, and small fruits with large seeds and short grayish lint. Because it is an extremophile plant (adapted to living in extreme conditions) it has developed powerful defensive molecules that enable it to survive and thrive in the harsh environment in which it grows.

When applied topically, Arabian Cotton has the potential to boost the skin’s own defensive, protective and regenerative mechanisms to counteract the damaging effects of the sun’s rays. Reinforcing our skin’s own built-in SPF with remarkable protective abilities against sun exposure, it also acts to help the skin self-regenerate by boosting collagen and elastin production. And as an excellent anti-inflammatory, it demonstrates the ability to supress the inflammation resulting from external and environmental stress and assault. Skin stressors are neutralised, redness reduced, and skin feels calmed, soothed and cottony soft.

Mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree, whose fruits have been valued since ancient times and coveted by explorers and travellers who searched it out for its original sweet and sour flavour and delicate texture. For centuries Mangosteen has been used in Southeast Asian to stop infection, reduce inflammation, cure disease and to maintain general good health.

Modern science has discovered that this fruit contains over 200 Xanthones, potent anti-oxidants.Xanthones contain alpha and gamma mangostins which are effective in preventing and possibly even stopping a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's. In Skin Meditation, Mangosteen will help to counter skin stress and sooth sensitivities, it will support and help rebuild your skin’s immune system and will work with other anti-oxidants to reduce UV damage, redness and pigmentation.

Ancient oriental, Indian and Mediterranean cultures have been using cress as a remedy to prevent scurvy, detoxify and stimulate. Cress is a high-nutrient food with a substantial content of vitamins A, C and K and other dietary minerals.

However it is the powerful skin benefiting phytonutrients isothiocyanates that are particularly interesting. Isothiocyanates, and specifically the compound Sulforaphane, have a proven ability to detoxify environmental pollutants and toxins which can lead to skin discoloration and an attack on the skin’s structures. In Skin Meditation, Swiss Garden Cress helps to combat excess pigmentation in the skin by stimulating the enzymes that can eliminate “xenobiotics” or environmental toxins. It also contributes to a 100% increase in skin firmness and a 65% increase in skin smoothness.

Argan oil is produced from the kernels of the argan tree endemic to southwest Morocco. Traditionally Amazigh (argan forest native) and Berber women used the kernels as a source of edible oil as well as to protect their skin from wind, sun and sand and as a remedy against inflammatory skin issues such as psoriasis, eczema and wrinkles.

Argan oil is extremely rich in fatty acids such as oleic (Omega 9), linoleic (Omega 6), palmitic and steric, which play a key role in supporting the skin’s barrier function, while tocopherols and phytosterols reinforce skin lipids and protect cell membranes and DNA from free radical damage. In Skin Meditation Argan oils works alongside other protective and nourishing ingredients to soften, nourish and defend the epidermis, creating a beautifully smooth and comfortable skin.