Natural Skin-care Ingredients That Actually Work, According to Science
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Skin care has never felt more high tech. We have peptides engineered to target specific pathways,sophisticated delivery systemsto get ingredients where they need to go, and buzzy biotech ingredients like exosomes and growth factors promising to take skin care into the future. Against all that innovation, botanical ingredients can seem almost primitive — and like a less effective alternative.
I was thinking about this during a recent Tammy Fenderfacialat thePridwin Hotelon Shelter Island. Listening to the aesthetician talk about the many benefits of the plant extracts in the products she was massaging into my skin reminded me that botanicals aren’t just a gentle alternative to more potent actives; some have a surprisingly robust body of research behind them.
But “has science behind it” can mean a lot of different things in skin care. An ingredient can have anti-oxidant oranti-inflammatoryactivity in a laboratory, for example, but that doesn’t mean it will do anything meaningful on your face. “A mechanism in a lab does not translate into visible improvement in someone’s skin,” says dermatologistDr. Kseniya Kobets, director of cosmetic dermatology at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care.
There are botanical ingredients that have been studied in humans. The problem is that the evidence is nowhere near as deep, or consistent, as it is for established anti-aging ingredients likeretinoids. Some botanicals have promising clinical results; others have one small human study, and many have cell or animal studies, but the ingredient has never been studied on real skin.
So I did a little digging to find the plant-based ingredients with the most compelling evidence for their topical anti-aging benefits. Here are the ones that stood out — and the products you can find them in.
Botanicals worth trying
These are the plant ingredients with the strongest topical human studies.
Soy
Soy is one of the botanicals with a more convincing clinical track record for topical skin aging. In a 12-week controlled study, 65 women with moderate sun damage on their face used a moisturizer with soy extracts. Compared to the control moisturizer, the soy formula significantly improved fine lines,uneven skin tone, dullness, and texture.
The study was looking at specific compounds that inhibit melanin production, reducingdark spots. So we know soy has more than just an anti-oxidant effect.
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Ginseng
Ginseng is known for its energizing effects and in the skin, it might rev up skin repair. In one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 23 women applied a cream with a ginseng extract. After treatment, the women had significant improvements in photodamage, texture, and eye-wrinkledepth. The study is small but important because it was done on real skin and showed measurable results. Additional studies have shown ginseng can alsobrighten skin tone.
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Peony
This is one of the more surprising ingredients on this list, but it has an interesting human study behind it. In an eight-week clinical trial, 20 volunteers used a formulation that contained 0.5 percent paeoniflorin, a compound derived from peony. The study showed statistically significant reduction in facial wrinkles. Researchers also found it has protective effects against UVB rays in lab and animal studies.
A 20-person study is not enough to declare peony the next plant retinol, but the study is notable because it showed measurable changes inwrinklesin human skin.
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Bakuchiol
This botanicalisknown as the “natural retinol alternative.” In a 12-week randomized, double-blind study of 44 people, 0.5 percent bakuchiol twice daily was compared to 0.5 percent once daily. Both groups had improvements in wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, but the bakuchiol group didn’t experience the scaling and stinging associated with the retinoid. Bakuchiol is not a retinoid, but it is one of the more interesting plant-derived ingredients for aging skin.
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Licorice root
If you scan the ingredients list of a skin-brightener spot product, there’s a good chance it contains licorice. It’s best known for its ability to brighten skin. Compounds in the botanical can help throw a wrench into the pigment-production process, which makes it helpful forhyperpigmentationand conditions like melasma.
In one study of 56 women with melasma, a cream containing licorice had similar results after 60 days to those seen with 2 percent hydroquinone without the risk of side effects.
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Very promising but needs more studies
These botanicals have preliminary research behind them — with some important caveats.
Green tea
Green tea is a very common plant-based skin-care ingredient. It’s a potent anti-oxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties, but the clinical evidence for skin is mixed. In one study of 40 women, a 10 percent topical green-tea cream along with an oral green-tea supplement found improvement in elastic tissue but no significant improvement in photoaging after eight weeks. A more recent study with 29 women and topical green-tea microparticles showed improvement in skin elasticity, dullness, and wrinkles compared to the placebo after eight weeks. The results are promising but not as strong as more established ingredients.
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Frankincense
Frankincense has more research behind it than you might expect. In a double-blind, randomized study with 15 women with photoaged skin, a frankincense-infused cream showed significant improvements in roughness, fine lines, and skin elasticity after just 30 days.
Fender says frankincense is excellent for mature, dry, or stressed skin. “It helps improve tone and elasticity and has anti-oxidant properties, so it’s great against environmental stressors.” And the research does support that.
However, like many other studies done on botanicals, this one is pretty small and was only four weeks long. “Frankincense has some interesting anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory data, and laboratory and animal studies suggest it may decrease collagen-degrading enzymes,” says Dr. Kobets. But because there isn’t strong human clinical evidence yet, she would consider theanti-agingclaims preliminary.
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Rose-hip-seed oil
Rose-hip-seed oil is one of Fender’s favorite botanicals for skin. “It’s rich in fatty acids, carotenes, and anti-oxidants, so it’s great for regeneration andrepair,” she says. Human studies have shown improvements in wrinkles, hydration, and elasticity, but as you might have guessed, these studies are small and preliminary.
Kobets also considers rose hip one of the more interesting botanicals but says the strongest studies we have was done are with oral rose-hip powder rather than topical rose-hip oil.
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Grapeseed oil
“Grapeseed oil is lightweight, anti-oxidant-rich, and easily absorbed, making it particularly helpful with combination and oily skin,” says Fender. It’s rich in polyphenols, including proanthocyanidins, which have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help protect collagen and elastin from UV-related damage.
There is some topical research, including a small 12-week split-face study of a grapeseed-oil gel that showed improvements in pigmentation,redness, sebum production, and pore measurements.
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My final thoughts on plant-based ingredients
After researching this story, my takeaway is that skin care doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I use plenty of products with plant-based ingredients (thatTammy Fender Quintessential Serumis one of my favorites when my skin is dry), but I’m also a believer in well-studied ingredients such as retinoids. There’s room for both — at least in my daily routine.
More plant-based products we like
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Super-greens, papaya, and sunflower-oil cleanse skin without stripping.
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Green tea, rose-hip-seed oil, and chebula fruit deeply hydrate dry skin.
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This rich cream is made with many botanicals, including rosemary, chamomile, and sunflower-seed oil.
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