Clutching a cup of green juice and eating your kale has, for a while now, been a bit of a status symbol. “I’m healthy, and I know it,” it screams. And while ingesting leafy greens – whether that’s a portion of steamed cavolo nero or a failsafe spinach salad – has myriad benefits for our skin, there’s another way to take advantage of green goodness: skincare.
Jumping off our plates and onto our skin are ingredients like avocado, broccoli, and kale, and there’s some other less commonly consumed greens making their way into new powerhouse products. “Our bodies’ cells require constant communication between themselves to stay alive and healthy,” says Nausheen Qureshi, skincare biochemist and founder of Elequra. “This is performed by the exchange of minerals between them, and on the skin they must be provided topically for ultimate skin health. Greens and plant-based ingredients or extracts have many different and varied types of minerals in them, which allow any depleted minerals to be replenished topically. Our cells can then better communicate with each other.”
With better communication comes increased resilience against external aggressors, like pollution, as well as a higher work rate amongst cells, leading to a boost in collagen and elastin production, for example. Qureshi points out that our bodies have adapted to recognise and respond to plant formats – with many indigenous cultures still using them today for skincare and gut health problems. “However, scientifically, we do need to engineer many plant cells to work at a topical skincare level. That’s because they’re coated in cellulose, which makes up their plant cell wall, and that needs to be broken down for the real nutritive value to skin,” says Qureshi. Put simply: while plants are wonderful, nourishing ingredients, they need science and clever formulations to have a real benefit to the skin.
Meanwhile, founder of Tropic Skincare Susie Ma utilises lots of nature’s green wonders in her products – choosing skincare ingredients as she would superfoods to incorporate into a rich and varied diet. She acknowledges the importance of both applying nutrient-rich ingredients to the skin, as well as eating them. “If you have an unhealthy diet, a superfood serum isn’t going to pick up all the slack, in the same way that a hydrating product can’t compensate for not drinking enough water!” she says. “A good way to look at it is that your skincare can act as an extension of a healthy diet and lifestyle, supercharging those results – balance is always key.”
So what, exactly, are the leafy greens that get to work effectively on our skin?
Broccoli
Our favourite “mini trees” make for excellent skincare, too. Broccoli seed extract, which comes from the sprouted seeds of perhaps the world’s most beloved green is, increasingly, a silent star within many skincare formulations. “It’s a lightweight ingredient that contains natural vitamin C, omega fatty acids and is high in antioxidants,” says Qureshi. “It’s very similar to jojoba in terms of texture as it absorbs very quickly and doesn’t feel greasy.” Tropic Skincare Super Greens Nutrient Boost Oil blends broccoli seed oil with kale to calm irritated skin and reduce redness, while Votary Super Seed Serum combines it with peptides to restore sensitive skins to better health while fortifying the skin barrier. It features in Dr Barbara Sturm’s Hydrating Face Mist, too, with aloe and prickly pear extract to fend off free radical damage.
Kale
The craze for eating kale has made its way to our faces, and with good reason: “Kale extract is rich in vitamins A, B, C and K, as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients – which boast a myriad of skin benefits, from boosting collagen production to calming inflammation,” says Ma. While Vitamin K can help with acne scarring, vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and helps even and brighten the skin. Look to Zelens Power C Treatment Drops, Sanctuary Spa Green Smoothie Recharge Mask and BareMinerals Double Duty Clay Mask Duo for your kale hit.
Cica
Not technically a commonplace green, cica (or centella asiatica) is a herb that has been used in Asian cuisine and medicine for many years. Now, it’s enjoying some time in the K-beauty limelight, offering antioxidant protection, hydration and calming benefits. “It has purported antimicrobial properties and will protect the skin from external stress,” says Qureshi. Elemis’s Superfood Cica Calm Hydration Juice is a light, refreshing gel moisturiser that is brilliant for all skin types thanks to a soothing blend of cica and aloe vera, while Liz Earle Cica Restore Skin Paste and Kiehl’s Centella Sensitive Cica Balm are both designed to repair and restore aggravated skin.
Avocado
Millennials everywhere will be pleased to hear that avocado has numerous benefits when used within skincare. “Avocado oil has a full profile of fatty acids to help stabilise and protect the skin barrier membrane; it’s high in potassium (which helps with cellular communication); and it’s a medium-low molecular weight, so it won’t clog the skin,” says Qureshi. Look to Dr Dennis Gross B3 Adaptive Superfoods Stress Repair Face Cream for a skincare all-rounder that restores your glow, while addressing dryness and uneven texture. For eyes, Elequra’s Eye Architecture Cream blends it with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and rosehip oil to plump the skin and reduce fine lines – and Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum combines it with 21 other plant extracts to reduce the appearance of pores and generally brighten skin.
