Welcome to part Five of our ingredient breakdown series! This is a small collection of posts that will dive a bit deeper into specific ingredients that we use here at Adonis Arcana. This will appeal to those of you that are curious to take a more in depth look at both the story behind our ingredient choices and the ways in which these ingredients are used from a skincare perspective. Now it is time to look at the third ingredient: Strawberry, one of the world’s best-known Aphrodisiacs.
Strawberries have always had a special place in my heart. I was the kid that always went for the strawberry ice cream… I just really liked that it was pink to be honest! Truthfully, any strawberry desserts will always be at the top of my favorite’s lists. Knowing them as an aphrodisiac later in life, well… I’m all about them now. So as soon as I started seeing them as skin care ingredient, I had to know more!
As it turns out, there have been strawberries in the beauty world for quite a long while now. The seeds are commonly used as a scrub to exfoliate, sometimes ground, sometimes not. The juice from strawberries and other berries is probably one of the oldest makeup hacks of all time. Strawberry enzymes are also commonly found in gentle natural peels. (non-physical exfoliation – big fan)
They fill the role of the Aphrodisiac in our products. I know, you are wondering why we would use an aphrodisiac in our products. Sex has always been a creative force in the universe, and it features prominently in the myth of Adonis. He was not just beautiful but also super sexy, and really good at what he did if you catch my drift. We just had to give a nod to this aspect of the myth… because sex is not shameful, but an essential part of nature, a beautiful part of our existence as human beings. By using Aphrodisiacs in our skincare, we aim “excite” the skin to perform: yes physiologically… but also psychologically.
Let’s talk science for a minute though, because there are some really great things when it comes to strawberry extract on skin. The Journal of Food and Function published a study in 2004 that studied strawberry extract and found that it markedly increased human dermal fibroblasts viability. This is huge. Fibroblasts are responsible for the creation of Collagen (the main structural building blocks of the skin, responsible for firmness and fullness) as well as Elastin (this is the protein responsible for the “bounce back” of skin – its elasticity).
Keeping fibroblasts protected from oxidative stress and maintaining their health has always been a goal in the skin care game.
The same study also looked at the mitochondria of skin cells. Colloquially known as the “powerhouse of the cell.” They saw that the base production of ATP (the cells main energy source) was more efficient… after exposure to free radicals. Even more so without the exposure to oxidant stress. What does this mean? That Skin Cells are able to do everything they need to better. After knowing this, how could we not make it a part of the Essence of Adonis? There is more research going on every day with this fantastic ingredient, and I for one am staying on top of it. Stay tuned, because this awesome ingredient may feature a bit more prominently in the future.
I hope you have enjoyed this look behind the curtain for another piece of what makes our ingredients so interesting. In part Four we will explore another piece of our unique mix: Strawberry.