Every new skincare product seems to have several botanicals in its ingredient list. As an avid researcher of ingredient lists, I do quite a few searches to find out what the botanicals are, and what their potential benefit to the product may be. There is seems to be new “wonder” plants in the news every week. Plus many of the plants that are used in Chinese and/or Ayurvedic Medicine have many different names, so the same plant can be listed in different products under different names.
Currently most of the botanical extracts added to products, are marketed as providing antioxidant power to the skin via the polyphenols they contain.
What is a polyphenol? It is a compound that has more than one phenol or phenolic unit (duh). Polyphenols have been suggested to have a range of health benefits, as antioxidants and by other poorly defined mechanisms. It is as antioxidants that there is the huge interest in incorporating different types of polyphenols into skin care products.
Pretty much every plant contains a range of polyphenols. All the berry fruits, apples, teas, apples, red wine, citrus fruits, chocolate and pomegranate are some of the more common everyday sources that are relatively good polyphenol sources.
Many polyphenols that are tested in the lab on skin and skin cells are assessed for reducing the harm from UV irradiation and not for anti-aging directly. Since effective sunscreens and hats are readily available, I am not sure that many of the polyphenol additives have really been shown to be particularly useful for inclusion in skin products.
Another problem with the botanicals added to skin products is that is not clear whether enough is added to have any effect, and whether the skin product is formulated in a way that allows the polyphenols to penetrate the skin.
Additionally, reactive compounds such as polyphenols are often not very stable, so if the product is not formulated to maintain their stability, a product may have stopped being effective before you have finished it.
In many studies that show that polyphenols have a positive effect on skin, the polyphenols products were eaten not applied directly to the skin.
I think with polyphenols it is a case of do your research. When considering purchasing any product, find out whether there is any evidence that the botanical extracts really are effective. Be an informed consumer.
photo credit: Stefan Fehrmann
