The 5 Best Herbal Ingredients For Your Skin

March 20, 2020

Cover (Image: Aiony Haust/Unsplash)

Give your skin a treat and add these premium herbal ingredients to your beauty routine

Thinking of upping the ante when it comes to your skincare regime? We sat down with Dr Jenelle Kim, the founder of JBK Wellness Labs, who has dedicated her career to integrating the philosophy and medical wisdom of East Asia with Western medicine. She holds a master of science in traditional oriental medicine and is nationally board-certified in the US in herbology, oriental medicine and acupuncture.

Here, we ask her to name the five rarest, most expensive—and most effective—herbal skincare ingredients.

1. Ginseng root

One of the most powerful herbal ingredients and one of the most effective medicines of our time, ginseng root is known to help prevent signs of ageing, maintain the skin’s elasticity, lengthen the lifespan of skin cells and provide powerful antioxidant properties.

2. Pearl

A powerful ingredient in skincare, pearl helps accelerate new skin cell turnover, balances troubled skin and blemishes, and minimises pore size. Pearls contain mineral and active properties that help balance the skin’s biome, slowing the ageing process while keeping skin hydrated and firm.

Above (Image: Muillu/Unsplash)

3. Gold

A very powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, which reduces skin redness and protects against free radicals—that, left unchecked, lead to wrinkles and signs of sun damage—gold can help retexturise and repair skin, revealing a renewed, glowing complexion.

Above (Image: Basil Smith/Unsplash)

4. Snail mucin

The highly concentrated snail secretion filtrate has powerful skin-repairing effects as well as potent moisturising properties. It’s a secret weapon in the fight against hyperpigmentation, sun damage and other signs of ageing.

Above (Image: Jennifer Chen/Unsplash)

5. Bamboo

Used for centuries as a means to heal skin, bamboo acts as a humectant by drawing moisture to the skin. Rich in natural silica, it can help aid in the production of collagen, which increases skin firmness; it’s also a powerful antioxidant that provides anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.