Plantioxidants is a natural skincare brand that does its best to practice its ethos into its products and company with their missions and values. The company values health, education and transparency, social awareness, ambition and empathy, environmental awareness, and caring. The products are so healthy that they are close to being food grade! Better yourself and your environment with Plantiodixants!
1. What inspired you to create Plantioxidants?
Plantioxidants is a direct extension of my worldview that developed over the last 20 years. Living a healthy life and doing so sustainably has been important to me ever since I was a teenager. Plantioxidants is my attempt to put these values into practice for others as an adult. When I first started using skincare products I realized the products I was using did not account for either of these two things. This is where Plantioxidants grew from, simply creating healthy products in a way that does little to no harm to the planet while actually benefiting people who use it.
2. Can you tell us about the featured ingredients and the brand mission?
One of the most exciting things about Plantioxidants is that every ingredient is a featured ingredient. This is because 100% of Plantioxidants formulas are certified USDA organic, which means we don’t use one organic ingredient here or there and instead draw on the benefits of 90+ unique certified organic ingredients. We spent over a year formulating Plantioxidants to make sure every ingredient benefits your skin. There are specific ingredients for each product that ensure your skin gets what it needs (ex: Japanese sake in the Brightening Cleanser is rich in kojic acid which helps restore your skin’s glow), and each formula includes our proprietary Plantioxidants Complex. The Complex includes 21 highly potent antioxidant-rich ingredients to help you fight free radicals, which are one of the biggest offenders that harm and age the precious skin we all work so hard to preserve. There are no fluff ingredients in Plantioxidants products as literally every ingredient has a purpose to make your skin better!
3. What is your favorite Plantioxidants product and why?
I love all of the products, but I am very seasonal with my skincare use. The cooler winter weather means less moisture in the air, which means dry skin. Dry skin means less sebum on the surface of your skin, which also means your skin lacks lipids that help retain moisture. In turn, fine lines and wrinkles can form more easily. To combat this dry weather, I use the Hydration Treatment often – definitely one of my winter must-haves. Also, the Toning Essence is a 365 day moisturizing miracle for your skin that I use almost daily.
4. What grooming essentials do you carry with you on a daily basis?
I am always on the go, which includes a good amount of air travel, so it was important when creating Plantioxidants that most of our products be carry-on ready and TSA-friendly. I also always want to fight sun damage caused to my skin and any bags under my eyes from being on the go. That’s why my skincare essentials always in my bag are the Brightening Eye Cream and Reparative Serum. I always have a reusable mug for coffee and water.
5. What does beauty/grooming mean to you?
“Cherish your body” is the first part of the Plantioxidants mission and it encompasses all things self-care. Self-care runs from internal beauty/grooming through external beauty/grooming and I do my best to follow my “three-to-one” self-care ratio for my beauty/grooming. “Three-to-one” means for every three minutes of internal self-care (studying, reading, writing, etc.) there is about one minute of external self-care (skincare routine, basic hygiene, getting ready for work, exercising, etc.). The latter of the two is how I define “beauty/grooming.”
6. What is your morning and evening grooming routine?
My current weekday AM and PM skincare routines are similar to that of others and only take 20 minute a day. The most important part of these 20 minutes though is the internal self-care I do when doing the physical routine of putting on products. It is vitally important to remember to check-in daily and looking in the mirror while applying skincare works as the perfect time to be honest and do so. My check-in entails a review of my goals (both short and long), a recap of my day, reminding myself of things I am grateful for that happened in the day, thanking those around me for their efforts, and thanking myself for taking care of my body.
When it comes to my physical routine, after showering and shaving in the morning I wash my face with warm water for 30-60 seconds using the Rejuvenating Cleanser to give it a little glow to start the day. Then comes the Brightening Eye Cream. The caffeine in the yerba matte tea helps circulate the blood and fight the bags under your eyes. It is especially important to gently pat on the eye cream with your ring (I prefer pinky) finger and to not pull the skin under your eye. This takes half a minute to do and is followed by one of the Moisturizing Creams (Soft in the summer and Rich in the winter). I apply my eye cream first because I don’t like touching my skin after applying my moisturizer. For moisturizing, I apply 2-3 pumps and it takes about 30 seconds to apply throughout my face. During active days I use the Reparative Serum instead.
At night during the week I usually cleanse with the Purifying Cleanser. The watercress and dandelion work as great detoxifiers to help clean my skin after a long day. Depending on my needs for the day and where I am, I’ll use the Toning Essence as a post-cleanse polish and then use either the Hydration or Purifying Treatment Mask for 10-15 minutes. After rinsing, I apply the Restorative Eye Cream and then the Reparative Serum. Recently I’ve been applying the Moisturizing Soft Cream at night as well to help lock the Serum in. This takes another 1-2 minutes.
7. What’s your best grooming tip?
Two tips. One: water, water, water. It is nearly impossible to drink too much. Two: you need to know your surroundings to know your skin. I cannot tell you how many customers and people in general I talk to who know their skin type (dry, oil, normal, combination, etc.) but are still unhappy with their skin. For example, in San Francisco, the micro-climates and quick-changing temperature drive even those with normal to oily skin to have dry skin by the end of the day. It is not always about doing the same routine over and over, but instead letting yourself learn and adapt to your surroundings as needed.
8. What’s next for Plantioxidants?
While we have done a remarkable job with our sustainability (ex: 100% post-consumer recycled plastic used for all bottles, no virgin materials used for any boxes or shipping materials, contributing 1% of annual sales to help empower others to fight climate change, etc.), there is plenty more to do. Our Mail-Back Program has rolled out well, and we are looking at how we can make it even better! Being more and more sustainable is something we are always working on at Plantioxidants.
In terms of products, we will be expanding a bit of the skincare to fit a few extra needs that have come up and already have plans to go beyond skincare. We will be sure to let you and your team at Blushcon know once we have gotten there!
