What is Botanic Skincare?
Natural skincare products contain botanical ingredients pertaining to, or derived from plants which contain NO nasty harmful synthetic chemicals such as petroleum, parabens or SLS. Botanic skincare tends to be all-natural, and are an essential mix of plant-based ingredients, containing extracts from: flowers, plants, herbs, spices, roots, grass and bark. Today we are seeing a trend of consumers turning to age old - time proven, natural skincare remedies. People are turning to botanic skincare products because they are gentle and posses curative benefits for ageing and problematic skin.
The History of Botanic Skincare
Botanic skincare is steeped in history, the ancient Egyptians were pioneers of botanic organic and natural skincare. The earliest recorded cosmetic recipe was found in the Papyrus Ebers one of the earliest medical text which dates back to 1500 BC. Their knowledge accumulated from previous civilisations, but it is the early Egyptians who are credited with providing medical material outlining the art of apothecary. The hot, dry and harsh climate made it a necessity for early Egyptians, men and women of all social classes to use cosmetic skincare treatments to protect, nourish and heal skin. The Papyrus Ebers mentioned about 700 hundred different substances from the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, including such well known drugs as aloes, castor oil, pomegranate, peppermint, honey and many other substances according to C. J. S. Thompson, M.B.E author of Mystery and Art of Apothecary. The early Egyptian practitioners really knew their stuff when it came to botanic plant-based ingredients, which either grew around them or were traded on the Nile.
Ancient Egyptian Herbalists
The Egyptian herbalists paid great attention to the care of skin, they learnt early on that botanical oils were effective as anti-wrinkle treatments. Evidence suggests, that botanic plant based treatments used in natural skincare were very sophisticated in ancient times. Remedial concoctions were used thousands of years prior to Cleopatra's era c. 30B.C. In terms of our current knowledge of botanic skincare we owe a lot to the ancient Egyptian herbalists whose recipes have come down from a period of remote antiquity and are still extent today.