From coffee scrubs to rosehip oil: What do these natural skincare ingredients actually do?

What’s so good about rosehip oil? What makes bamboo so essential in a facial scrub? And what the heck is Jojoba oil, really?

For most of us, understanding the active products in natural skincare is an incredibly difficult process. But, with a little deeper diving, it doesn’t have to be.

We talked to Sukin’s Mykaela Najm to understand what the most common ingredients in our favourite natural skincare products actually do for your skin.

As an ingredient guru, Mykaela spends every day training staff in product knowledge. She therefore knows better than anyone that Sukin’s range is 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free, and features no artificial colours, parabens, synthetic fragrances or harsh detergents. Big tick for that.

You’d be right to wonder how they can be so effective without all the chemicals we’re used to slopping all over our skin.

When asked what makes natural ingredients so special, Mykaela tells Mamamia: “Natural products contain plant oils, which are so much more nourishing for the skin, rather than artificial or fake oils.

“Products like primose oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil, and jojoba oil are really good for the skin. They are really nourishing and full of essential fatty acids for the skin. They’re really hydrating as well.”

Let’s put the spotlight on a couple of the most popular ingredients you’ll see on the shelves:

Rosehip oil

When it comes to rosehip oil, she explained that the product is worth the hype.

“Rosehip oil is one of those oils that is so worth the value for money,” Mykaela tells us. “It’s so multipurpose, it’s fantastic for really vibrant bright skin, it’s fantastic for scarred skin, it’s fantastic for dehydrated skin. It’s a real all-rounder.”

Sukin’s rosehip oil range features day and night creams, a cleanser and the classic certified organic oil, which has gained cult status since its launch in 2008.

Being certified organic guarantees that the Rosehip used to create the Sukin skincare range is free from all the nasties, like hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic pesticides.

Coffee scrub

Another popular skincare ingredient is a ground coffee bean scrub. Mykaela explained that coffee scrubs work in two essential ways.

“[A] coffee scrub works in a couple of ways – so it has a granular component, this is ground walnut shells. The importance of that is that since it’s ground there are no jagged or sharp edges. It exfoliates the skin off the body,” she explains.

The second function depends on the active ingredient in the scrub: caffeine.

“The caffeine that comes from the coffee is active and stimulating, so not only does it provide that nice refreshing coffee smell, but it also helps clear toxins out from your lymphatic fluids, and helps detoxify the body,” she adds.

“So you have these two components, the first part is this beautiful exfoliated bright skin, the second part is the coffee that helps to detoxify the body as well.”

If you’re looking for a coffee scrub that uses sustainably sourced coffee grinds, a great example is Sukin’s Energizing Body Scrub, which has the added benefits of Rosehip and Vitamin E, providing antioxidants to promote a healthy glow. And we haven’t forgotten your face, Sukin has just launched a new paraben-free Coffee & Coconut Facial masque which contains calming Aloe Vera, along with Coconut Shell and local coffee grinds. The coffee grinds are so local, they actually come from the same coffee van that visits the Sukin head office in Melbourne daily.

It’s definitely a no-waste, local way to approach skin-care.

Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil, also known as Simmondsia Chinesis, is another natural skincare ingredient that has achieved cult status among beauty experts. Mykaela says the product is unique in that it provides a protective barrier for the skin.

“Jojoba oil produces a waxy substance that’s similar to what the skin produces to protect itself,” she explains. “It also readily matches the sebum of our skin – it is quite readily absorbed. It really softens and nourishes the skin and gives a barrier to prevent water loss and dehydration, it’s really good.”

A great example of a line of skincare products with Jojoba oil is Sukin’s signature range. Many of their sell-out products, like the Revitalising Facial Scrub with Bamboo & Jojoba, contain a generous amount of the flawless ingredient.

There is a product with jojoba for everything, from the revitalising facial scrub to the moisture restoring night cream… and they are super affordable, too.

 

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The new essentials

As well as rosehip and jojoba oil, Mykaela is currently loving avocado oil, which is rich in vitamins A,B1+2, D and E, and helps to replenish skin and hair.

But there is one ingredient she says is essential in a facial scrub.

“I always look for a bamboo in a facial scrub because, being spherical in nature, the bamboo will roll over the surface of the skin without creating any microscopic tears. That’s something that I think is really important in a facial scrub,” she says.

Bamboo is definitely a key ingredient to look for in a facial scrub, especially compared to products containing microbeads.

Microbeads don’t dissolve or degrade in water, and they are so small that they end up disrupting fragile ocean ecosystems.

They are also used to bulk up a product, meaning you’re getting significantly less nourishing ingredients for the money you’re paying.

Bamboo is more nourishing for your skin, but it is also one of the most sustainable plants in the world, and thrives in every continent on the planet (except the poles, obviously).

That makes it a very guilt-free ingredient.

In addition to bamboo, Mykaela finds essential oils are more gentle than artificial fragrances in the products she chooses.

“It’s that more gentle natural smell rather than a heavy artificial fragrance,” she says.

Mykaela explained that at the end of the day, your skin needs to be taken care of because it’s more “fragile” than other parts of your body. For Mykaela, natural ingredients are worth the hype because it’s all about the “goodness that you’re putting back into the  body”.

“It makes so much sense to put natural on the skin,” she says. “We take multivitamins and we’re aware of what we’re eating for our internal health, and it’s not different for our external health. It’s putting these natural ingredients on the skin to really heal the body from outside in.”

“The benefits are that you know you aren’t putting any nasties into the skin, it’s quite nourishing, they’re hydrating for a brightened complexion, and they help the overall complexion of the skin,” she added.

Do you use natural skincare products? Have you noticed a difference?

This content is brought to you with thanks by our brand partner, Sukin.