I love formulating with ingredients that other brands aren’t really working with and when I was formulating my holi (crème) filter face cream in Europe, the formulation journey was no exception. One of my drivers for creating the holi (crème) product was that I wanted to create a daily moisturizer that would never contribute to break outs because so many on the market caused me to. To do this, I had to take out a ton of irritants that other brands have in them and not only did I succeed at doing this, but I also succeeded at packing the formulation full of so many incredible ingredients that I know will be huge in the years to come. Some of these ingredients are the natural nutrients that you already know and love from some of our hero products in the Agent line (like cucumber distillate and pitaya extract) but what makes this new face cream really special is the new additions that I think are the best of the best. 

Introducing tomato extract, the ingredient that is packed full of rare, UV-absorbing, colorless carotenoids, which help your face not only be protected against light absorbance but that also protects skins against free-radical induced damage, oxidative stress, collagen degeneration and that generally fights the good fight against aging.

When I tell people about tomato extract, they’re always so intrigued about why I chose to formulate it and what it does for the skin. A lot of people haven’t heard of it but the truth is that it does a lot to support day to day health, and long term health, of the skin. Tomato extract gives a BIG boost to skin health and it is actually a really gentle ingredient that most of the time doesn’t cause any irritation, even for the most sensitive of skin.

Tomato extract is backed by scientific research into the impact it has on skin health and skin appearance.

A study linked here gets into this in more detail and explains that tomato extract can boost collagen and ceramide levels within the skin and together, these benefits lead to significant improvements in skin appearance. For a long time, people have thought that the only way to increase collagen within the body is to take collagen supplements (like our best-selling product, holi (mane)) but this study suggests that topical application of products like holi (crème) could do the same thing to help protect and preserve collagen levels. The reason that this tomato extract holds so much power for building collagen within the body is that tomato extracts are packed full of carotenoids as well as other naturally occurring phytonutrients like tocopherols.

A lot of the power, both topically and internally of tomato extract, is that the carotenoids and the tocopherols in the tomato extract are also antioxidants and these are so, so important for general skin health but also for fighting anti-aging. The more and more you learn about aging at a cellular level (not just on the surface) you understand that the processes of glycation and oxidative stress both impact skin at a cellular level and are driven by reactive oxygen species (also known as ROS) within the body. These ROS drive inflammatory processes and inflammation within the body and the skin and this inflammation increases the production of matrix metalloproteinases in the skin. Over time, this leads to collagen degradation and aging of skin over time.

To control aging, we need to control inflammation and oxidative stress and antioxidants are the perfect addition to a skincare routine to combat excessive oxidative stress within the skin or body. The good news? Tomato extract can do this and more thanks to the high amounts of lycopene and tocopherols in it. Another study here looked further into the connection between tomato extract and oxidative stress and also concluded that tomato extract could protect the skin from oxidative stress also when incorporated into topical products.

The study also highlighted something else really interesting which was that the carotenoids and other phytonutrients in the tomato extract could also reduce oxidative stress-induced skin damage which can lead to not only aging but also skin damage like freckles and sun spots. The study looked into skin damage caused by UV radiation and environmental pollutants and also confirmed that tomato extract held the power to also combat the damage that these external factors can do as well.

So, everyone can use holi (crème); it isn't heavy, it doesn't make you break out (I have tested it, and tested it some more!) and it is fragrance-free. I formulated it without any essential oils and as well as being perfect for all types of skin, including the sensitive or ultra sensitive, and as well as being a light matte cream that gives a filter-like finish and feels like velvet when you apply it, this product not only helps you to look flawless but also helps to protect your skin from some of the most damaging external pollutants out there - UV rays that drive aging, aging and more aging.

Buy yours here.

Love Jena x

***THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR REGULATED BY THE FDA. WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, THEREFORE ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST