Starflower Essentials’ healthy, effective ingredients are food grade with minimal processing. The small molecule size of the active ingredients we use has a big impact on the effectiveness of our skincare products. We all know our skin is the largest organ of the body, and whilst most products simply sit on top of the skin due to having a molecule size that is larger and damaged because of over-processing, but Starflower products DO have the proper molecular structure for deeper absorption.

 

 

How Your Skin Absorbs

The route of absorption is through the dense, outermost layer of skin, the Stratum Corneum. This layer of skin is 15 to 20 layers thick. Only very tiny molecules can absorb into the skin this way. Once ingredients come in contact with the dermis (the second layer of skin) they reach live blood vessels and structural tissue like collagen and elastin. This gives the ingredients in our skincare a chance to work their magic, making skin look firm, tight, and plump. It also means those compounds circulate into lymph and blood, so the healthier the ingredient, the better.

There are also ingredients that enhance the chances of other ingredient penetrability, appropriately known as penetration enhancers. These ingredients penetrate the skin and decrease barrier resistance, allowing other ingredients to absorb along with them. Herbal extracts, essential oils, and all of our other nourishing ingredients couldn't perform their intended purpose without the help of penetration enhancers. Some examples are natural, unrefined oils (like jojoba, evening primrose, almond, olive, coconut, apricot, moringa, etc.), aloe vera (one of the most loved and smallest molecular-sized ingredients in the skincare industry), organic essential oils, essential fatty acids found in oils (oils which are of a small molecule and loaded with the healing, nutritive properties of essential fatty acids), and Vitamin E. These various natural ingredients have even been scientifically investigated for skin penetration enhancement activities. Unlike synthetic penetration enhancers, like propylene glycol, the all-natural and organic ones Starflower uses also offer skin additional benefits, like preventing moisture loss from the skin and providing lots of nutrients.

Starflower Essentials uses organically grown plants and oils that are cold-processed for food consumption, therefore holistic by nature. Their minimal processing allows substance integrity (literally the heart of the matter) to remain intact and vital. These substances nourish and better absorb into the skin because their molecular structure has not been compromised through high-temperature refining, bleaching, decolorization, standardization, etc., as many cosmetic-grade ingredients are. Starflower uses unrefined, unadulterated oils which are rare in the skincare industry. 

Our oils that have this high absorption rate are great for conditioning skin and providing nutrients that can actually penetrate the skin, absorbing and quickly adding vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants to the skin, giving it natural plumpness. Our organic essential oils are also small, oil-based molecules and that makes them easy to absorb into the skin. 

 

 

Tips to Improve Skin Penetration

  1. Exfoliate lightly before applying serums and moisturizers - Removing skin cells that are at the end of their life cycle can also help skincare penetrate the skin more easily. Using our Exfoliant Cleansers will provide a gentle exfoliation and ensure your skin soaks in all the revitalizing and nutritive ingredients in Starflower Essentials products. Be careful not to overdo exfoliation as too much can irritate skin and cause problems instead of helping.
  2. Warm skin will have better absorption than cold skin - One factor that also has a big effect on how much skincare products will penetrate the skin is temperature. Warmer temperatures affect the actual structure of the skin cell layers themselves, increasing permeability. Consider doing a warm compress with a hand towel soaked in our Herbal Essential Steam first before applying your toner and moisturizer to boost the rate of absorbability.
  3. Emulsions, hydrating toners, and oils improve skin penetration - Emulsions, a combination of oils and water-based ingredients, are also an effective delivery method to improve skin penetration of the active ingredients. Hydrated skin allows better penetration than dehydrated skin. Think of the oil and water combo as a 2-in-1 punch for your happiest, best-looking skin. As an added bonus, it also helps other nutrient-rich ingredients to penetrate the skin, as some are water-soluble and some are oil soluble. Great Starflower products for this would be our Crème Cleansers, Toner Mists, Nutrient Intensive Moisturizers, and serums such as Royal Rejuve Hydrating Serum and Restora Night Serum. Mist clean skin with a facial mist and then apply an emulsion-based moisturizer morning and night.  For cold or dry climates, where skin needs more hydration, apply a facial oil or face crème over top.  These products applied last will help lock in the water-based hydration from the previous steps and will absorb much better when applied to hydrated skin.

The small molecular ingredients in our formulas work together synergistically to provide a result that is more potent and long-lasting for the skin than any of its individual parts. Starflower keeps the micronutrients and trace minerals intact by not standardizing our herbs and/or using cosmetic-grade oils. Our uncompromising, holistic philosophy is what makes us unique in this industry. Starflower's customers swear by the beautiful results, and now that you’ve learned about just one of the reasons why Starflower Essentials products are so effective, we encourage you to see and feel the results for yourself. But be warned, you are unlikely to go back to whatever skincare products you previously used and wonder how you could have used other products!