We all know that fruit and vegetables are good for our health, but did you know that the so-called ‘superfoods’ are great for our skin too?
From leafy greens and avocado to green tea and berries, superfood beauty can keep your skin nourished and protected, with a host of complexion-boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
With offerings including Tatcha’s award-winning tea-based serum and Glow Recipe’s ‘almost good enough to eat’ moisturiser, these are the superfood beauty products worth adding to your routine.
TEA
Tea is trending in beauty – and not just because of our caffeine habits. Naturally rich in antioxidants – especially green tea – this ingredient can help protect against environmental aggressors such as sunlight and pollution. It has also been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, leaving skin feeling soothed and de-puffed.
TATCHA
This serum, designed for fine lines and wrinkles, contains two key complexes bursting with amino acid-rich superfoods. Particularly noteworthy is Uji green tea, which contains powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, as part of a moisture-locking trio with Akita rice and Okinawa alage. Then, to keep skin looking bright and smooth, superfruit cranberry extract gently exfoliates, teamed with soothing sea fennel. Beauty editors are obsessed.
FRESH
You may have heard about caffeine as a hero ingredient for tired eyes, but the superfood benefits of tea can do more than just re-energise. Fresh uses two types of tea – antioxidant-rich black tea extract and tea ferment – to protect the delicate under eye area from environmental aggressors, and the formula is boosted by blackberry leaf and lychee seed extracts which have similar properties.
OLE HENRIKSEN
Ole Henriksen's purifying face mask utilises nature in more ways than one; its inspired by the Scandinavian cold water plunge technique of detoxifying the body. The superfood highlight here is the blend of green botanicals – which includes green tea – plus a host of other antioxidant-rich and nourishing ingredients such as eucalyptus, algae, alpine willowherb, snow lotus and Irish moss extracts. Just want you need to give your skin a refreshing hug.
GREEN VEG
Your parents weren’t wrong when they tried to encourage you to eat your greens – leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium, as are other green vegetables including broccoli and radishes. They also all contain health-boosting phytochemicals (chemicals made by plants), such as indoles, thiocyanates and nitriles, which are said to improve your diet and your skin.
ELEMIS
Elemis' award-winning Superfood range is probably the UK's most famous beauty superfood offering, and it definitely delivers. One of the standouts is this facial oil, which contains nine science-backed superfoods including broccoli, Daikon radish, rosehip and flaxseed. Together these ingredients noticeably plump your skin and help boost radiance without leaving an oily smear; that's due to a noticeably lightweight texture.
YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE
Youth To The People is powered by superfoods across its product range so you can trust the brand to provide an effective and skin-nourishing way to start your skincare routine. This gentle, vegan gel cleanser contains cold-pressed leafy greens such as spinach and kale and is supercharged by green tea, alfalfa and gentle cleansing surfactants to provide a soothing yet effacious clean.
BERRIES
Small but definitely mighty, research increasingly shows that berries are among the healthiest foods you can eat – and they deliver skin benefits too. Firstly, they are loaded with antioxidants, with one study suggesting that blueberries, blackberries and raspberries have the highest antioxidant activity of commonly consumed fruits next to pomegranates. Many berries are anti-inflammatory too, while others, including strawberries, are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant famed for its ability to tackle skin dullness.
SUNDAY RILEY
Dubbed by Harvey Nichols as a 'Beyond Beauty' product, which means expert buyers deem it one of the luxury retailer's most exciting beauty offerings, this face oil contains over eight cold-pressed superfood seed oils. That includes a whole host of berries – blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, grape and raspberry – as well as wild carrot, black cumin and broccoli seed oils; all of which focus on supporting your skin's natural moisture barrier to banish irritation and dehydration.
CAUDALIE
If you've ever heard that red wine is good for you, here's why: the grapes contain a polyphenol compound that is incredibly rich in antioxidant properties, with possible anti-carcinogenic effects too. Its this compound, called resveratrol, which is the hero ingredient in Caudalie products; a brand born from the vineyards of France. In this particularly delightful whipped moisturiser, resveratrol helps smooth fine lines and lock-in moisturise, as its paired with hyaluronic acid and vegan collagen.
Q + A
There's lots to get excited about when it comes to this antioxidant-rich nighttime facial oil; the little bottle packs an impressive punch. In fact, there's quite the long list of superfood ingredients inside: strawberry, blackcurrant, pomegranate, cranberry and raspberry are all included, boosted by the moisturising prowess of jojoba and prickly pear seed oils.
HONEY
All hail the humble honey bee: the creator of one of nature’s sweetest superfoods. The health benefits of honey have been known for centuries – Aristotle, for example, believed consuming it prolonged life – which is probably because of its proven antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It’s not a surprise then that the antioxidant-rich, moisture-locking ingredient is often found in products designed to soothe and nourish your complexion.
FARMACY
Buckwheat honey is the star ingredient of this glow-boosting facial oil. It also contains sea buckthorn oil (a particularly impressive antioxidant) and a five-flower oil blend of hibiscus, rosehip, evening primrose, crambe and sunflower, which means your complexion benefits from nourishing omegas three, six and seven. Our advice: use it on your hair as well to tackle dry, unruly ends.
PSA
If you want to be one step ahead of the skincare crowd, PSA has formulas that always seem to predict the next big ingredients. Case in point this cleanser that combines the antibacterial and soothing benefits of manuka honey with another superfood powerhouse – yoghurt, which is naturally rich in probiotics and vitamins A, B, C and E.
AVOCADO
Where would a superfood salad be without the creamy avocado? This nutrient and antioxidant-rich fruit is said to contain over 20 vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. The fact it is high in fat, especially oleic acid, also makes it an especially rich and nourishing oil for your skin. Look for it in skincare designed to help with dry skin conditions, such as eczema and impaired barrier function.
GLOW RECIPE
So many of Glow Recipe's fruit-based serums and moisturisers could be included in this superfood beauty round-up, with another CF favourite being the Plum Plump Serum. But, if you are looking for a quick solution for inflamed or dehydrated skin, this avocado-based offering is our favourite. The avocado oils are combined with ceramides and pre, pro and postbiotics, meaning this milky serum can help support both your skin moisture barrier and the skin microbe for a less reactive complexion.
KIEHL'S
It's true that applying this makes you look remarkably close to avocado on toast, but there's a reason our beauty editor always uses it before she flies home from sunny climes. The rich and creamy texture, which contains both avocado fruit extract and avocado oil, quickly hydrates and seals-in moisture. That means you can avoid any dryness-based peeling on the plane and leave your skin soft, supple and refreshed.
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Lead photo credit: Glow Recipe
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