We Don't Do Trends

I have been asked over the last couple decades what Benedetta’s new trends are. For the majority of this time I have consistently said, “We are not a trend, and we do not follow trends.” Furthermore, we are tried and true with authentic formulations. No private label, outside labs, no internet searches on DIY formulas, and no following Youtube viral trends in skin care, organic, natural, or farm to face.

There is a comprehensive design behind how the skin functions, what it needs to correct, protect, and rejuvenate (anti-aging), through the holistic introduction of plant intelligent botanicals.  There needs to be a cohesive symbiotic communication between the two: the function of skin and its ability to receive the synergy of our botanical components. These are key to skin’s health and longevity.

Make Sense?

Without ingredients there is no formula. But as I am always barking, I started before sourcing ingredients was as simple as searching the numerous suppliers online. However, there is far too much information and confusion amongst competing internet blogs that often spread misinformation and some, may be just trying to climb up their own pyramid scheme ladder. In other words, buyer (and maker) beware!

In addition to the obvious opportunists out there, trends are what seems to be making the industry of personal care tick, especially amongst millennials. For the first time I will admit that I now have become, after only 30 years, a TREND-SETTER. But that, I can accept.

At a recent marketing meeting, I asked my staff what are our trending products and how can Benedetta speak to them with honesty and authority from our prospective of design, purpose and plant intelligence. I admit that the one I had a good laugh about was oil cleansers. What an easy concept for all the kitchen cosmetics around the world: to create a simple cleanser without the ultimate effectiveness a true cleanser should deliver.

Oily or Creme Cleansers

Enter Crème Cleanser for Most Skin. This all-inclusive preparation, and the ultimate foundation to our  5-Step Daytime Facial Regimen and 3-Step Nighttime Facial Regimen, was created after years of customized facial treatments. The intent was to create something that purified at deeper levels without stripping the skin. Simultaneously, I wanted it to tone and exfoliates dead skin cells, thus preparing the skin to receive further water integration, bioavailable organic and biodynamic antioxidants, polyphenols and phytonutrients, all designed with our own unique delivery system. 

I started creating the Crème Cleanser for Most Skin in 1991 with a finished product ready for launch in 1994. It took another two years to get out the gate with the Benedetta brand label on it in 1996. I had many back-to-the-drawing-board moments over those three years, but I was determined to utilize the botanicals I wanted and at a high percentage of oil and rose hydrosol, along with green clay, a vital amount of essential oils and much more. This authentic and truly unique formula was not only ahead of its time, it was absolutely NOT TRENDY!

Thank goodness I persisted until it became the same product we have today, as it has more than paid off in giving so many radiant, purified and balanced skin. I knew then that oil was better than soap and wanted to create a professional product that estheticians could use in a Benedetta Holistic Facial. Used for 20-30 minutes depending on the condition of the skin, the user will be amazed at the amount of debris that comes out, as well as our cleanser's ability to stimulate lymphatic drain as it prepares the skin for the next treatment.

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration

This is a subject I can speak to with passion since I have decades of experience as the designer and founder of literally the first of its kind Crystal Radiance Hydrating Elixirs. The sole purpose and design of this product was to lock in hydration under oil-based preparations and to be used alone without oils at night to bring the skin into its natural hydration balance. The Crystal Radiance Hydrating Elixirs were created in 1986 and sold to the public one year later after a clinical year of study. 

With years of using and loving this product with great success time and time again, it’s no wonder I feel skeptical over the new trends on hydration including but not limited to “hydrating masks.” More often than not, they are a cheap, inefficient way to aid the skin as they are filled with petrochemicals and are typically adhered to a plastic surface. It goes without saying that in our attempt to get more water integration, we are introducing materials the skin does not recognize and therefore does not utilize holistically.

But What About Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a long, unbranched chain of simple sugar molecules. The body uses it to provide connective tissue such as cartilage, and it's also used to repair the skin. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause skin cells to reduce their production of hyaluronic acid. It has also been found to increase the viscosity of parent fluids and is often used as a lubricating component as well. Supposedly, hyaluronic acid increases its weight in water 200x fold. With all these attributes, it’s no wonder that the newest kid on the hydration block would be hyaluronic acid. 

But did you know that so called natural hyaluronic acid is obtained from rooster combs or from the aqueous humors of cows' eyes. Vegans beware! And artificial sources of hyaluronic acid are synthesized in a laboratory using other chemicals as raw materials called biosynthesis. One source states the use of the streptococcus bacteria strain to utilize the synthesis of hyaluronic acid. This water-soluble material is cheap and easy to incorporate into almost any skin care formula.  

Although we have adopted a similar botanical hyaluronic acid in the form of cassia angustifolia for our Nighttime Serum, I have been confident in my original formulas and systems of use to provide the best and most usable forms of hydration the skin and its connective tissues need. After decades of perfecting my water integration approach and experiencing the ultimate in hydration with the Crystal Radiance Hydrating Elixir series, I see absolutely no need to follow this trend further.

Stay tuned for more on current skin care trends as we confront those trends head-on with our tried and true preparations.