Facial Lotion: Why does it contain the ingredients it does?

by Citri California October 14, 2020

Have you ever read the ingredients label on one of your cosmetic products and wondered why the formulators that made that product chose to include those specific ingredients? What goes into deciding which ingredients are good enough for your skin and which ones should be avoided?

At Citri California, Kathleen considers every ingredient and the benefits it will add to the skin care regime before those ingredients are included in our artisanal, small batch products. Starting this week, we will go over every product, what ingredients it contains, and why—starting with the facial lotion.

What’s in Citri California’s Facial Lotion?

Facial Lotion Ingredients:

Organic green tea (Camellia sinensis), organic aloe vera organic grapeseed (Vitis vinifera) oil, organic coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil, vegetable wax, Vitamin C (100% pure ascorbic acid), organic rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil, geranium rose (Pelargonium graveolens) essential oil, organic neroli (Citrus aurantium) essential oil

Why did Kathleen choose to include those specific ingredients? How do they benefit your skin?

Hold on tight—we’re about to get a little scientific here. But we’re excited to share all the wonderful effects these carefully-chosen oils and extracts can have on your skin (and even your mood).

Green tea extract contains high levels of polyphenols, which mainly consist of four catechin derivatives: epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatequinagalato, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). This makes green tea one of the most health advantageous teas in the market. Green tea extract has good skin barrier function and retention, which can enable it to provide antioxidant protection and moisturizing properties.
Aloe vera’s cosmetic action is anti-inflammatory, soothing, toning, moisturizing and protective.
Coconut oil reinforces the surface skin’s natural barrier function and moisture retention abilities.
Grapeseed oil is easily absorbed by the skin, it boosts the skin’s barrier repair and helps balance moisture levels. It has anti-inflammatory properties for calming the skin. It is rich in polyphenols, or phytochemicals, which are chemicals from plants that possess beneficial antioxidant properties.
Vitamin C accelerates the production of collagen and elastin. Collagen is the protein fibers that make skin plump and prevent sagging; elastin are also protein fibers that help skin bounce back.
Rosemary oil is an antioxidant and will provide your skin with iron, calcium and several essential vitamins.
Rose geranium essential oil is a rich source of antioxidants, it can help the skin to retain a younger and healthier appearance.
Neroli essential oil is beautifully fragrant oil that is derived from aromatic orange flower blossoms. Neroli is renowned for its regenerative effect on the skin. Neroli boosts the complexion and will also help to soothe and uplift the emotions.

We include only fresh ingredients and we use organic whenever available.

It is also important to note what we don’t use. No parabens, artificial fragrances or colors are ever added to any of our products.

Our formulations are only ever tested on human volunteers (starting with ourselves). We never test on animals. And our direct-to-consumer model allows us to provide our fresh skin care products directly to our customers. No middle man, no sitting on shelves, always fresh to nurture your true beauty within!

Stay tuned for next week’s edition of Formulator's Corner, where we’ll take a look at the ingredients that make our Vitamin C Serum a key part of a healthy skincare routine.