Posts in category: Phytohealth

So how did we come to the word ‘PhytoHealth’?

‘Phyto’ derives from the Greek meaning ‘plants’ or ‘plant related’, and ‘Health’ refers to the ‘state of physical, mental and social well-being’, as well as ‘being free from illness or injury’.

Our unique formulations are developed for maximum efficacy, nurturing skin health and emotional well-being. 

Our ingredients are chosen specifically for their multi benefits, and are formulated to amplify the performance and effectiveness of addressing skin concerns and emotions.

Botanical Ingredients

Since we experienced first-hand what harm synthetic products can actually do to your health, our ethos has been that the use of botanicals is better for well-being than man-made chemical (synthetic) products.

The natural versus synthetic battle is dated and rhetorical, in our opinion, not all man-made chemicals are bad, there are simple good ingredients, safe, effective, sustainable and formulated correctly, alas, there are also the bad ingredients, harmful or ineffective and sometimes incorrectly formulated.

As a brand, we are also not saying that synthetic products do not have their place or are bad for you, what we are saying is that given the choice, why not use a natural product over a synthetic one?

The general purpose of manufacturing and utilising a man-made chemical skincare product is to achieve a specific aim, be it specific to decrease the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, or relieve anxiety. 

What if you are able to use a product where the aim is to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines whilst at the same time, help relieve anxiety.

Essential Oils

Essential Oil effects are complex and subtle due to their complex structure and chemical properties.

As a skincare brand, we advocate the use of botanicals for its intended purpose, we formulate with the knowledge they are multi-functional.

Let’s look at an example of a well known ingredient found in anti-ageing products:

Vitamin A

Scientists working on formulations containing Vitamin A to treat acne, noticed that skin showed fewer signs of wrinkles, and a more youthful glow, vitamin A promotes the regeneration of the skin, similar to AHA but at a deeper level and quicker (halved from around 28 to 14 days it also promotes the synthesis of the skin proteins, collagen and elastin.

There are many synthetic forms of Vitamin A, the most efficient in skin products is the acidic form, ‘all-trans-retinoic acid’, also known as ‘Tretinoin’, it is a natural derivative of retinol which itself is a synthetic, but is so strong that it is classified as a drug rather than a cosmetic.

It should be noted here that retinol is a synthetic derivative of Vitamin A.

Vitamin A can not be produced in the body so needs to be supplied by diet or topical application.

Since all-trans-retinoic acid can not be used in commercial anti-ageing products, the next best thing the skincare industry latched onto was the alcohol form of Vitamin A, ‘Retinol’, which is less effective but does visibly rejuvenate the skin, however it is unstable and would change its structure, and therefore the efficacy in the product, so chemists had to come up with an alternative to produce a similar effect.

Chemically modifying Retinol produced Retinyl Palmitate, another synthetic.

Retinyl Palmitate penetrates the skin and enzymes break it down into the active Retinol.

As Vitamin A is the only active ingredient proven so far to reverse the signs of ageing, why not obtain the appearance you want with vitamin A that is found naturally?

Botanical products rich in phytochemicals such as carotenes are found in Carrot Seed Oil, Sea Buckthorn fruit Oil and Bakuchiol, these botanical derivatives are all natural rich sources of provitamin A which are able to convert to a bio-retinal, an active form of Vitamin A.

Our PhytoHealth Products

At present, our Intense and Revitalising Serums along with Private Blend Beard Oil are part of PhytoHealth range.

 Intense Serum is particularly good for specific areas of the skin, fine lines and dark shadows on your skin, it contains Sea Buckthorn which has a very high Carotene content. (High in Vitamin A and a great antioxidant)

In contrast, our Revitalising Serum is great for the face, it contains Baobab and Helichrysum oils both of which are excellent for the softening of skin.

Both serums contain PhytoPlankton from the coastline of Canada, a vegan product full of enzymes and minerals to provide moisture and cell rejuvenation.

Our top selling Private Blend Beard Oil is also part of our PhytoHealth range containing Oud, Rose Otto and Prickly Pear Seed Oil.