anokha skin care journal

ingredient focus: sake

sake is well-known as the national alcoholic beverage of Japan, but it also has a long tradition in beauty. sake, or nihonshu, has been produced since 300 AD. Japanese head brewers, or toji, of sak...

skin pH

you may have heard or read about “pH-balanced skin care” without knowing what it means or why it’s important for your skin. pH plays a significant role in skin barrier function and skin pathology, ...

ingredient focus: arnica

it’s used before and after surgery to improve wound healing, limit bleeding and swelling, and reduce pain. but does arnica really have the scientific chops to back these claims? we dive into the me...

skin cycling

you may have heard the popular term, but don’t know what it means: “skin cycling”. briefly, skin cycling refers to applying active skincare products on specific days, then allowing the skin to rest...

rice bran oil for skin

in addition to being a universal food staple and symbol of fertility, rice is a key player in the beauty world. rice powder is an excellent exfoliant, and rice bran oil moisturizes and brightens th...

beeswax for skin

beeswax, an ubiquitous ingredient in cosmetic preparations, is typically used as a thickening agent, emollient, and humectant. also believed to have healing properties, it’s commonly found in cosme...

medicinal plants for wound healing and scars

the use of medicinal plants for wound healing and scar treatment dates to ancient times. the basis for use of many of those original plants have been studied scientifically and verified. with the i...

rosehip seed oil

the Andean Indians of Chile have long relied on the power of rosehip seed oil as part of their medicinal, skin, and hair regimens. in recent years, rosehip seed oil has made its way into skincare p...

coenzyme Q10

also known as ubiquinone, coenzyme Q10 is a lipid molecule found in almost all living cells. although it was originally thought to have a role only in the transfer of energy, it’s now known to func...

bakuchiol vs retinol

retinoids – retinoic acid, retinaldehyde, and retinol - are seen as the gold standard in topical antiaging ingredients, but they have some serious limitations in terms of side effects. enter bakuc...