Plants and the chemicals they make. Favorite plants that gave us “magical” actives for skin care.

My favorite plants have little to do with skin care.  Carnations, gladioli, jasmine (the one in Argentina is actually Gardenia jasminoides) because they remind me of my mother.  From my later life, the orange flower (neroli) is my favorite because it remind me of Andalusia and good times spent with my dear friends.

When it comes to active ingredients that are great for the skin, there are so many! I will give you a few examples.  EGCG from tea (Camellia sinensis), antioxidant and chemopreventive, fucoidan from brown algae, antiviral, antioxidants and promotes collagen synthesis.

I could go on for hours (or days). Plants don’t make these chemicals for our benefit but for theirs. They also need antioxidants and antivirals!

I have a very short glossary in my website and I will make sure to include a monster-size one in my new book. But, for the time being, let me tell you about apocynin, a star ingredient in our new line. There are lots to tell you about apocynin, and you can find some of it in my blog. In short, use apocynin to decrease oxidative stress, prolong the life of your valuable telomeres and improve “quality” of your skin.

DISCLAIMER: These claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease