100% PURE® / Skincare

Gentle Natural Cleansers Made with Flowers

How skin-friendly florals stack up against common cleanser ingredients

January 3, 2023

Building a skin care routine can be a complicated ordeal. Even with the best intentions, your routine can come crumbling down if one building block is out of place.

Every skin care routine begins with the same step: cleansing. A balanced, natural cleanser can help suppress bacterial growth, remove makeup and impurities, and create a clean slate for nutrient absorption.

Unfortunately, not all cleansers are suitable for your skin – and may even contain harsh chemicals such as sodium laureth sulfate or alcohol. So if your skin care regimen has been failing you lately, you may want to check the ingredients in your daily cleanser.

We’ve found flowers to be supremely gentle on delicate skin, while other ingredients can be downright destructive.

Cleanser Ingredients to Avoid

To know what’s really in your cleanser, you have to first analyze the ingredient list. This may seem like a daunting task, but eventually you’ll learn that many undesirable ingredients have been hiding right under your nose.

Here’s a cheat sheet of ingredients to avoid, especially in a facial cleanser:

  • Mineral Oil

  • Sodium Laureth Sulfate

  • Artificial Fragrance

  • Parabens (methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, and ethylparaben)

  • Aluminum

For those with acne-prone skin, harsh cleansers can actually be appealing. But don’t let that burning sensation fool you: you shouldn’t be fighting fire with fire to rid yourself of acne. All skin types can benefit from gentle cleansing, especially on a daily basis.

4 Floral Ingredients for Happy Skin

Thankfully there are plenty of clean, natural cleanser ingredients that can actually be more gentle on your skin. This is where flowers come into play!

Lavender
While a soothing scent certainly adds to its appeal, lavender flower is also known for potent oil-regulating and antibacterial properties. Lavender can prevent or alleviate acne breakouts, while relieving inflammation and redness.

Lavender is also noted for its ability to calm eczema, not only through its anti-inflammatory properties but thanks to natural antifungal abilities.

Cornflower
While these beautiful blue flowers contain a vast array of beneficial compounds, anthocyanins are what make them prized for use in skin care.

Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid associated with an immense amount of properties that can benefit human health. They also fight free radical and inflammatory damage, which is helpful when you’re washing daily impurities and pollutants from your skin.

Rose
Rose hydrosol – a steam-distilled concentrate of rose petals – boasts ancient botanical fame. Rose continues to reign as a staple not only for natural cleansers, but also for toners, eye creams, and hair care.

Much like lavender, rose is a flower valued for much more than its delicate fragrance. Its anti-inflammatory properties are legendary for sensitive skin. Rose is also popular in anti-aging products, as it may help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Rose petals and rose oil are also rich in antioxidants. According to one study, commonly used Rosa Damascena can inhibit lipid oxidation. This research claims that rose could potentially be “considered as a medical source for the treatment and prevention of many free radical diseases.”

Coneflower
Coneflower, also known as echinacea, makes up a group of flowering botanicals known for their versatility in herbal medicine. These big, vibrant flowers have been known for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties for centuries.

Coneflowers are concentrated with antioxidants, which is great news for our skin. As we know by now, antioxidants are our allies against free radicals like pollution and UV rays – major contributors to aging skin.

Antioxidants can reduce free radical activity, so including them in your diet and natural cleanser will go a long way in preserving your skin.

It’s also been found that coneflower’s anti-inflammatory benefits can slow the growth of Propionibacterium, a bacteria known to cause acne.

Try a Flower-Boosted Cleanser (or Two)

If you’re ready to reset your cleansing routine with a natural cleanser packed with flower power, look no further than our Gentle Cleansing Duo. This set is a limited edition, so if you miss out don’t worry: it includes our Lavender Oat Milk Soothing Cleanser and Rose Micellar Cleansing Water.

Our Lavender Oat Milk Soothing Cleanser + Rose Micellar Cleansing Water contain a combined floral blend of 9 skin-soothing flowers:

  • Rose

  • Calendula

  • Lavender

  • Geranium

  • Coneflower

  • Chrysanthemum

  • Chamomile

  • Cornflower

  • Mallow

POWDER
The featured powder cleanser has a light, creamy consistency with just a bit of grit. Finely milled oatmeal – another gentle ingredient – acts as a humectant to draw water towards the skin while cleansing. Powder cleansers can also make gentle exfoliants, and can be a gentle alternative for those with acne-prone or oily skin.

MICELLAR
The micellar portion of this duo employs rose water and cornflower water to remove any remaining makeup, while helping to expel other environmental toxins and impurities. “Micelle” are far more gentle than chemical surfactants, which can strip and dry delicate skin. These impressive little molecules are small enough to grab the tiniest bits of debris, while simultaneously providing ample moisturization to skin.

Quick Floral Cleansing Routine

To get the most out of this natural cleanser team, it’s best to start with a blank canvas.

STEP #1
Start with the Matcha Cleansing Balm to remove every last bit of makeup. Nourishing cleansing balm made with antioxidant-rich matcha green tea, plus shea and avocado to sweep away stubborn makeup, debris, and impurities. – all while deeply moisturizing.

STEP #2
Once your makeup has been removed, take about a coin-size amount of Lavender Oat Milk Cleanser and combine with a small amount of Rose Micellar Cleansing Water. Activate the powder by creating a light, creamy lather – a little grit is normal. Gently massage into the skin using circular motions, before rinsing off with water.

STEP #3
Follow up our Lavender Niacinamide Pore Minimizer Tonique to lessen the appearance of facial pores, lines, and wrinkles, while reducing inflammation, increasing firmness.

STEP #4
Finish with a moisturizing face cream to re-hydrate the skin. Our Green Tea EGCG Concentrate Cream is a highly nutrient-rich moisturizer that softens and fortifies skin with key phytonutrients, protects against environmental damage and neutralizes aging free radicals.

While this is a natural cleanser routine that should be suitable for all skin types, it should be cautioned that even the most gentle exfoliation may irritate some skin types with overuse. Carefully observe the way your skin reacts during the first few days to weeks of use, to ensure you are following the absolute best cleansing routine for you!

We carefully hand-select products based on strict purity standards, and only recommend products we feel meet these criteria. 

The information in this article is for educational use, and not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as such.

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