Nature's rx for flawless skin: complexion woes from sun spots to wrinkles can be fixed with the help of skin-perfecting botanicals. Here are straight-from-the earth ingredients that beauty companies are putting big bucks behind—and how they can help your skin

Natural Health, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Lambeth Hochwald

Nature is finally getting its due. For years, only health-food stores offered plant-based skin-care products. Now almost every skin cream available contains some element derived from plants. The beauty industry is spending millions of dollars to discover, investigate--and, in some cases, confirm--the benefits of what the earth has to offer your skin, hair and health.

First, botanical hunters like David Hircock, 45, a Philadelphia-based Aveda consultant, scour the far reaches of the globe in search of healing plants. Hircock looks for flora steeped in native history and passed down through generations. He and his fellow explorers are also avid conservationists. "You can't go into the jungle and just grab a bunch of herbs," he says. "You have to be sure that the people who are growing the plants are rewarded and aren't overharvesting them, so there's something left for generations to come."

These wondrous botanicals--along with the people who find, develop and test them--are anything but skin-deep.

licorice

SKIN BENEFITS Lightens hyperpigmentation.

Licorice root, which comes from the licorice plant glycyrrhiza glabra, is a traditional remedy for health troubles like bronchitis, but it's quickly becoming a popular skin lightener. Recent research at the Laboratory of Natural Compounds for Medicinal Use in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, suggests that it works by blocking tyroslnase, a skin enzyme responsible for the pigmentation process. And an independent team of Filipino dermatologists has found that purified licorice extract started lightening dark skin spots after just seven days. What's next for licorice? "We've always known it's a potent anti-inflammatory," says Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an alternative-medicine expert in Corrales, N.M. "But now we're learning that the glycyrrhetinic acid in licorice improves hydration and reduces inflammation in those with eczema." Found in: DDF Brightening Cleanser ($26; sephom.com), Chanel Dark Spot Corrector ($75; gloss.com), Estee Lauder WhiteLight EX Concentrated Brightening Stick ($30; esteelauder.com), Aubrey Organics Lumessence Rejuvenating Eye Creme ($22; 800-282-7394) and Body Bistro AHA Lightening Remedy ($25; bodybistro.com), all of which help diminish the appearance of dark spots.

green tea

SKIN BENEFITS Helps prevent signs of aging; fights breakouts; may offer sun protection.

Since the late '90s, skin-care manufacturers have been mixing this potent antioxidant (the unfermented part of the tea leaf from the camellia sinensis plant) into their lines because of its ability to neutralize free radicals. These rogue molecules, found in pollution, ultraviolet sunlight and cigarette smoke, are a primary cause of premature skin aging. Now researchers at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila, Philippines, have found that a cream with 3 percent green tea significantly improved moderate to severe acne after only four weeks. The theory: EGCG, one of the active ingredients in green tea, has a potent antibacterial effect on the skin. "It won't be the new Accutane [the powerful prescription acne drug], but it does seem to help decrease breakouts," says Jeanine B. Downie, M.D., a dermatologist in Montclair, N.J. Found in: Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Facial Creme ($19) and Revitalizing Eye Creme ($20; both at avalonorganics.com) and Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiance Fluid ($37; 800-328-0849), which fight free-radical damage; and Jurlique Foaming Facial Cleanser ($33; jurlique.com), which is great for oily, acne-prone skin.

boswellia

SKIN BENEFITS Helps relax expression lines and prevent wrinkles.

Boswellia, also known as Indian frankincense, comes from the boswellia tree in the mountainous regions of central and west India. It's been used orally and topically for thousands of years in ayurvedic medicine for its soothing properties. Modern-day researchers at L'Oreal found that by adding a special complex (which they call Boswelox) of boswellia extract and manganese to a moisturizing cream, the resulting product helped relax tense facial muscles, naturally softening expression lines that can lead to wrinkles. "We also know that boswellia can inhibit certain compounds, like prostaglandins and leukotrienes, that lead to inflammation," says Low Dog. How well the herb does that remains the next frontier of research. Found in: L'Oreal Wrinkle De-Crease ($20; at drugstores).

soy

SKIN BENEFITS Slows the growth of unwanted hair.

Soy, from the soybean plant, has long been used in moisturizers because of its hydrating properties. Now it's revolutionizing the way we think about facial and body hair. In clinical trials conducted by Johnson & Johnson, 65 percent of participants found that unwanted hair looked finer and was less noticeable after two weeks of use. "Soy appears to penetrate into the hair shaft, minimizing the thickness of the hair and decreasing its pigment," explains Downie. On another beauty front, topically applied soy phytoestrogens (the plant-based form of estrogen) have been shown to decrease the skin thinning and collagen loss common among postmenopausal women who don't take estrogen-replacement drugs. Found in: Aveeno Positively Smooth Facial Moisturizer ($14) and Moisturizing Lotion ($8; both at drugstores) to decrease the growth of unwanted hair; Get Fresh Soy and Shea Butter Hand Treatment ($18; getfresh.com) and Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer ($14; at drugstores) for hydrating skin; Murad AgeDiffusing Serum ($60; murad.com), Pharmaskincare Soya C Purifying Toner ($40; pharmaskincare.com) and Lancome Absolute Night Recovery Cream ($115; lancome.com) to help improve the tone and texture of aging skin.