The bounty that we see in the stalls of farmer's markets doesn't have to exist solely on your summer party menu. Fresh produce can be just as nourishing when used for the glow and texture of your skin.
Vintner's Daughter CEO and founder April Gargiulo knows this all too well with her Active Treatment Essence and Active Botanical Serum, which contain over 50 ingredients that include things like pineapple, apple, papaya, lemon and hazelnut. She likens most skincare to a meal replacement bar, but says her ounce-size products that hydrate and moisturize, are more like "going to the farmer's market, buying the most beautiful local, organic produce and then coming home and preparing a beautiful plate of food."
"We begin with whole plants; we take them through weekslong extraction processes that are very gentle, and temperature controlled to extract all of the most incredible skin-beautifying nutrients so they can be delivered directly to your skin," she said.
It takes 21 days to make every bottle of serum; and every bottle of essence takes 35 days to make, according to Gargiulo. "Most skin care is made in hours and that does not include the month of sourcing that we do for ingredients around the world and then the weeks of testing that we do when they come into our lab to ensure their quality," she added. "It doesn't matter what age you are, it doesn't matter what skin tone you have, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, it doesn't matter if you're someone who deals with rosacea or someone who deals with acne. It's nutrition; all skin thrives off the same nutrition."
And feeding the skin can come in different ways.
"So many of our products are about artful combinations of things _ fresh raspberry juice, almond milk, dragon fruit. For fruits and vegetables we try to go local as often as we can," said Erica Vega, a brand and product expert at Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in Chicago. "Our stuff is closer to a farmer's market than it is to a pharmaceutical lab _ whole, simple fresh ingredients."
We found some skin care that will feed the side of yourself that you show to the world.
Parsley may be decorative on a plate, but when it comes in an herbal soap with ground oatmeal, thyme, tea tree oil and aloe gel, it exfoliates and keeps disturbed skin cleansed and clear. Parsley Porridge Soap, $7.95, lushusa.com
Dull, dry, red and uneven skin tones have met their match with Volition's Strawberry-C brightening serum. This product has strawberry fruit and seed extract in it and kakadu plums, which means it's rich in vitamin C to help brighten skin and reduce excess oil, and aid in skin's luminosity. $42, volitionbeauty.com
Moon Fruit Superfruit Night Treatment sounds like an exotic vacation when looking at some of the ingredients: prickly pear, goji berry, papaya and red raspberry. The extracts and enzymes in this night treatment brighten the skin's appearance and kokum and shea butters hydrate skin while you sleep. $58, herbivorebotanicals.com
Bliss' What A Melon Water Jelly Hydrator for Combination Skin offers cucumber to moisturize and soothe and some watermelon fruit extract (read: lycopene) to help prevent dehydration when it comes to skin. What's not to love? $20, blissworld.com
