You must have heard of the “Farm to Table” trend, based on wholesome and fresh ingredients from local farms delivered almost directly to your plate, and how it has revolutionized the way city sophisticates eat. Today that trend is becoming popular in skincare because the same consumers eating fresh farm products now request wholesome cosmetic brands with ingredients from the safest plant sources to nourish their skin as well. The quest for the most natural and purest products with the most effective ingredients has taken over the skincare industry. The Farm to Face trend that started as a fringe phenomenon for purists is clearly at the avant garde of the whole skincare market.
One of the most established brands is Farmacy. Its key ingredient is Echinacea Green Envy, a botanical that was discovered in 1999 on the upstate farm of Mark Veeder, a weekend horticulturist, amongst the purple echinacea plants growing on his land. This hybrid variety of the standard Echinacea purpurea was found to contain a much higher concentration of echinacea’s immune-boosting properties and in particular a phytochemical cichoric acid, a potent natural antioxidant which helps protect and firm the skin by inhibiting the enzymes that break down collagen. While a few botanicals used in Farmacy are sourced from other parts of the world, most are grown and harvested on the upstate farm. The Echinacea is brought to the lab for cold pressing within two hours of harvesting. The final stages include using the best technology to ensure that the formulations are bioactive and irritant-free.
I tried the Rise’ N shine Daily Moisture Lock and instantly loved its super smooth texture that my skin absorbed instantly. My skin felt deeply moisturized, soothed and radiant. An extract of water lily helps reduce skin sensitivity and redness. I’m also a fan of the Make Up Glideaway Cleansing Oil. Simply mix it with water and it turns milky helping to effectively remove makeup without stripping the skin.
Farmacy is available at Sephora and http://www.Farmacybeauty.com
Sundara Holistic created by Kiera Nachman originated in a friend’s kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2013. Sundara Holistic skincare products are designed to address the Ayurvedic doshas, or metabolic mind-body types. Your type is reflected in your skin’s appearance and determines what product is best. With a lot of pink in my skin, Kiera easily guessed I was a Vata and recommended some products specific for Vatas in the winter months. The plant-based ingredients are harvested locally and contain enzymes that remain alive in the oils ensuring their quality and healing power for the skin. I used the Ayurvedic Vata Face Serum, rich in antioxidants and vitamins. It boosts the skin’s elasticity by bringing essential fatty acids deep into the skin with a blend of fresh organic avocado oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, geranium essential oil and lavender essential oil. No preservatives or chemicals are used so be sure to use the oil within 6-8 months. This is the product to use during the winter when oils are recommended for the face.
Available: http://www.sundaraholistic.com!
A newcomer launched in 2015, Sustainable Youth is a skincare line based on fresh aloe vera which is farmed and harvested on a Costa Rican farm. Alasta, a patent pending, potent immunostimulatory ingredient derived from the aloe leaf plant has been clinically proven to improve elasticity and firmness up to 72% in 8 weeks. The polysaccharides are derived from the rind of the aloe vera leaf rather than the gel like most aloe products. Alasta stimulates a type of the white blood cells to neutralize free radicals and to release signals to stimulate the skin’s ability to repair itself.
I tried and loved the Sustainable Youth® Anytime Lift Eye Treatment™, a lightweight eye serum that instantly makes the eye area feel fresher, less puffy, sand oftens tiny lines. My eyes appear refreshed and slightly lifted also. The Super Boost Night Serum reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles overnight and helps firm and plump the skin. I love to use it with Sustainable Youth’s Elasticity Cream, a lightweight, daily moisturizer that hydrates and helps restore skin’s elasticity and causes skin to feel deeply moisturized and look more radiant and youthful.
Available at http://www.sustainableyouth.com
All Good Goop Healing, the first product created in the All Good organic skin care brand, was developed on a Northern Californian organic family farm. The founder Caroline Duell wanted to create a balm that connected healing and skin care and chose five plants known for their medicinal properties to create the original All Good Goop. Blended together in a healing balm, they proved strong enough to relieve the dry cracked skin of a carpenter and gentle enough to heal the rash on a baby’s bottom. I love the All Good Body Lotion that soothes and repairs my dry skin after swimming in a chlorine pool without leaving a greasy feel. It contains only potent organic ingredients and medicinal plants including cacao seed butter, rose hip fruit oil, coconut oil, and grapefruit. Discover also the All Good Hand Sanitizer that protects your hands without drying them like most alcohol sanitizers and the whole line of organic sunscreens.
Available: http://www.elementalherbs.com and at Whole Foods stores
Today many new skincare brands list the small farm source of their ingredients as a way to promote the attractiveness of their brand. Just like your chicken or your salad, the source matters for what you feed your skin. The race for the most wholesome and best performing natural brand seems to have taken the cosmetic world by storm and to remain the trend in the skincare of the future. Feed your face has a whole new meaning!
