Two botanical beauty brands are plumping for healthy skin, the natural way.
Antedotum
Founder Karina Perez Marconi grew up in Puerto Rico and knows firsthand the damaging effects of the sun on skin. When the former Chanel exec moved to Aspen, the high altitude, intense sun, cold, and wind exacerbated her hyperpigmentation and melasma. She wanted a natural fix, so she turned to her backyard. Aspen trees are the hero ingredient in her five-year-old CBD skincare line, Antedotum. The tree’s chalky white bark is a natural SPF with antimicrobial properties. Like Perez Marconi, I grew up by the ocean, overexposed to the sun before moving to the moisture-sucking mountains of Colorado. Antedotum’s serum, oil, and sunscreen have become my daily three-step ritual to heal and protect the skin.
Vital Face Oil is loaded with alpha-hydroxy acids to remove dead skin and with vitamin E to help repair UV damage, while vegan squalane provides a moisture boost. I use it every morning, but it’s also my favorite to reduce redness after a cold day on the slopes. Elixir Firming Serum, made with 500 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD, evens skin tone, minimizing dark spots. But if stranded on a mountain or island and only permitted one skincare product, it would be Essential Daily Sunscreen. Many zinc-based SPFs feel thick and goopy, but this one is silky and light. Key ingredients include Aspen bark, amino-rich pea protein, and vitamin C. It’s reef-safe and offers blue-light protection.
Leaf People
The ingredients in Leaf People products read like a list of superfoods for your skin: ashwagandha, Amazonian acai, goji berries, pumpkin seed oil. Many are hand-harvested by founder Julie Williams, a medical herbalist who sources aspen bark and arnica from the Rocky Mountains and forages for juniper in far-off Buddhist lands. Leaf People’s extensive line has a remedy for everything from a teetering immune system (try the Immunity Aromatherapy) to breakouts (the Blemish Spot Treatment is a lifesaver). The ultra-hydrating Green Tea Helichrysum Radiant Mask is my secret weapon on planes. Unlike most masks, you don’t wash this one off, but let its healing ingredients melt into the skin. It goes on clear, so your seatmates won’t notice, and you’ll arrive with dewy, fresh skin.
During ski season, the Herbal Sports Balm, crafted from high-alpine arnica and turmeric, is excellent for soothing muscles. The Essence of Colorado collection makes great gifts for outdoorsy friends. Curated beauty packs include the Back Country Buddy, a trio of invigorating mint and wheatgrass soap, herbal sports balm, and a roll-on bug bite relief remedy made from tea tree and calendula oils, and the Colorado 14er, which includes mint soap bar, sports balm, plus the best-selling arnica and turmeric hand and body lotion, a hydrating recovery serum for the face, and a soothing arnica and frankincense face cream with plumping hyaluronic acid.
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