Using wild plants on your skin

June 24 2016 - 15:31

Lorraine Dallmeier

Director of Formula Botanica

Formula Botanica recently had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Trevor Dines of Plantlife International on our blog, where he shared his advice on how to grow three wild herbs that are frequently used in organic skincare: comfrey, dog rose and chamomile. In return we thought we would like to share with Plantlife’s members and followers how these plants can be beneficial in your skincare products.

1. Comfrey

Also known as ‘knit-bone’, comfrey has traditionally been used as a skin healing herb. Nowadays, the cosmetics industry is mainly focused on one particular chemical compound in comfrey called allantoin. Allantoin is a popular cosmetic ingredient used in all sorts of personal care products, including creams, lotions, toothpastes, mouth washes, baby products and sunscreens. You will find allantoin referenced in over 10,000 patents which shows just how popular it is

Although allantoin is found in comfrey, it is also present in tobacco seed, chamomile and wheat sprouts – as well as mammals’ urine! The cosmetics industry nowadays generally relies on the compound to be synthetically manufactured.

Allantoin works as an antioxidant, encouraging the regeneration of new cells and speeding up the shedding of dead skin cells. It is also thought to protect against UV-induced skin cell damage and it works as an anti-irritant. Fun fact: one of the reasons that maggots have such a beneficial effect on the healing of infected wounds is thought to be because they excrete allantoin.

2. Dog rose

The dog rose (Rosa canina) which grows in Britain’s hedgerows yields its wonderful autumn rosehips. The seeds in rosehips are cold pressed to produce rosehip oil. Much of the rosehip oil used in cosmetics comes from Chile, where it is also called Rosa Mosqueta. The oil is a golden reddish colour which comes from the carotenoids in the hips.

Rosehip oil is high in essential fatty acids which are great for the skin. Rosehip seed oil underwent clinical trials in South America in early the 1980s where the oil was found to have positive effects on reducing scarring, wrinkles and helping the skin to regain its natural colour and tone.

The oil is often called a ‘dry’ oil because it doesn’t leave the same heavy oily feeling on your skin that you might get from olive oil or coconut oil. Rosehip oil absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue. It is deeply moisturising and often used in anti-ageing skincare products.

3. Chamomile

The two main varieties of chamomile used in cosmetics are Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Both species are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and contain a long list of chemical compounds which are useful in skincare.

One of chamomile’s best known chemical compounds is chamazulene which is created during the distillation process of chamomile essential oil. Chamazulene causes the essential oil of German chamomile in particular to go bright blue in colour. It is the plant’s chamazulene content which is credited with providing chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties, although the plant contains further great cosmeceutical compounds such as bisabolol and apigenin.

Chamomile is also one of the few herbs that has been included in clinical trials to look into its effectiveness in treating various skin conditions. Most documented studies have been undertaken in Germany and a couple of studies found that chamomile was effective in reducing dermatitis and eczema when compared to conventional eczema treatments such as hydrocortisone.

Please note - don’t use chamomile in skincare if you are allergic to any of the Asteraceae family of plants – these include chamomile, celery, ragwort, daisy, calendula, or chrysanthemum. People who are allergic to this family of plants generally have a reaction to chamomile.