Scientific research as well as a rich well of wisdom and empirical use from Traditional Chinese Medicine has provided us with a wealth of information about how herbs can help the skin. Primarily, they can be used as anti-aging agents for the skin, but they each add to the longevity of the skin in a particular way:

We have organized our thinking about Vital Treasures™ Botanical Ingredients for Cosmetics and Personal Care Applications around the primary applications themselves. We have designated seven main application groups for the botanicals, based on the primary modes of action of botanicals in skin care ingredients. The seven main application groups are:

Microcirculation - Several herbs, likeGinkgo or Tribulus, improve circulation to the peripheral blood vessels in the skin.

Metabolic and Cell Physiology - Ginseng, Mulberry and Astragalus are examples of herbs that have been shown to enhance skin cellular metabolism.

Structural Matrix / Skin Tone - Herbs such as Eucommia, Foti, and Gotu Kola help the skin to maintain the collagen "scaffolding" of the skin that gives the skin its supple firmness.

Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant - Herbs like White Tea or Calendula are powerful free radical scavengers that help to prevent and repair environmental and age related damage to the skin. Many of the antioxidant herbs are also anti-inflammatory, reducing the redness and swelling of sunburn, for instance.

Immunity - Astragalus, Ligustrum, Green Tea, and Milk Thistle are examples of herbs that ease the skin's burden of protecting the body from invasion by enhancing the immune response of the body.

Skin Lightening - Licorice, Ligusticum and Polygonum cuspidatum are used for lightening the skin.

Yin / Yang - Some herbs have a warming effect on the metabolism, others have a cooling effect. These effects can affect the skin.

Clicking on the Product Matrices page will take you to spreadsheets showing the product listings for each of the application groups.

Product Spotlight: Trinitea™
UV damage is the single most significant factor in accelerated skin aging and the trigger for the inflammatory reactions that lead to enzymatic damage of skin proteins. UV radiation causes lipid peroxidation in skin cells, part of which is the production of damaging free radicals. The first step in any successful anti-aging cosmetic product is to stop these harmful effects. Tea polyphenols, such as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), are well known to be very powerful antioxidants. So, to produce a high performance antioxidant for our Vital Treasures™ line, we developed a proprietary Full Spectrum extract formula that features a combination of three teas specially selected for their antioxidant properties. We have called this formula Trinitea™.

We were seeking a product that could provide significant UV protection against lipid peroxidation, at a concentration as low as 1mg per ml. In an in vitro test performed by a reputable independent cosmetic bioassay lab in California, Trinitea™ was dissolved in deionized water, added to an emulsion with lecithin as the reactive substrate, and then irradiated with UV light against a control of lecithin in water alone. The results showed that at a concentration of 1mg per ml of Trinitea™, there was 100% inhibition of lipid peroxidation even after four hours of irradiation, compared to the control of water with lecithin. This very low concentration can be easily formulated into any product without concerns for color or staining. Even at a concentration of 0.1 mg per ml of Trinitea™ there was 65% inhibition of UV induced lipid peroxidation.

While these remarkable results show how effective this product can be for UV protection, all of the other known benefits of tea for the skin with regard to UV protection will be provided with Trinitea™ as well. Please contact us if you would like more detailed information on this study and Trinitea™'s effects.