Meet The Honest Youth™

Every day we are faced with stressors, whether they’re environmental (air pollution), physical (muscle tension), or psychological (financial worries). These stressors can build up and affect our bodies–showing up on our largest organ, the skin. Research has shown that psychological stress can actually accelerate skin aging¹. It’s a dual reaction as well where skin issues can be a major source of stress and the skin is a major target for stress reactions.

While it’s important to support our skin from the outside, it is equally important to nurture our skin from within. Along with a healthy diet and drinking plenty of clean water, herbs can be an incredible ally for supporting glowing, youthful skin. The Honest Youth™ is our new herbal tincture formulated with a unique blend of skin-nourishing herbs. Each herbal ingredient plays a special role in helping manage our stress response over time, aiding in detoxification for more clarity, supporting collagen production, deeply hydrating the skin, and helping to remove free radicals that can lead to premature aging. Beyond showing the world a youthful glow, our skin serves as the primary protective organ of the body. Its health is important for protecting us from our external environment and supporting our internal environment at the same time.

Each herb within our skin support tincture was carefully selected to target a different area of skin health. Let’s dive into their benefits:

Tremella mushroom (Tremella fuciformis)

Your hydration ally

Tremella or “snow ear” is an edible and medicinal mushroom widely used in traditional Chinese and Japanese Kampo medicine. The use of tremella mushroom dates back to the Tang dynasty when it was utilized by royalty to maintain the skin’s radiance and youthful appearance. When used externally and internally, this beautifying mushroom can help support skin hydration by locking in moisture. The hydrating properties of the polysaccharides within tremella have been compared to an all-natural alternative to hyaluronic acid². Beyond stress, exposure to UV rays is one of the main causes of premature aging of the skin. Tremella has our backs there as well. Internal and external use of tremella has shown promise for counteracting the damage associated with UV exposure and photoaging³. Damage from photoaging shows up on our skin as premature wrinkles, dryness, poor elasticity, and more.

Amla berry (Emblica officinalis)

Cleansing and protection

Amla berry or “Indian gooseberry” has been utilized in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Its traditional uses are vast including promoting longevity, deep tissue nourishment, digestive stimulation, toxin removal, and immune support. This sour berry truly offers total body support, including to our outermost tissues. Similar to tremella, amla has shown promise in its ability to counteract UV damage to skin tissues⁴. It also has powerful cleansing properties that help remove damaging free radicals from the body and decrease oxidative stress⁵. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the production of free radicals and your body's ability to detoxify or eliminate them from the body. Oxidative stress can lead to inflammation and tissue damage—impacting all cells including our skin.

Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma spp.)

Stress ease and beta-glucans.

Reishi, also known as the “queen” of mushrooms, is a large, woody polypore that can be found growing on dead logs of hardwood trees like elm, oak, and maple in forests throughout the world. Reishi mushrooms have over 4,000 years of use in traditional Chinese medicine and have been traditionally used for balancing vital energy and promoting longevity. Reishi is a mushroom that just seems to do it all—from supporting our stress response and immune system to supporting our liver health and skin⁶.

Reishi, like all mushrooms, contains compounds called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are soluble fibers that have been well-researched for their incredible skin benefits⁷. They help the skin’s ability to retain moisture—hydration is key for skin health and renewal. In addition, beta-glucans play a crucial role in regenerating collagen-producing cells, fortifying the skin against environmental stressors, and contributing to the promotion of anti-aging and anti-wrinkle effects. Time to embrace the wonderful benefits that mushrooms can offer to your skin's wellbeing.

Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)

Resveratrol antioxidant defense and repair

The root of Japanese knotweed has been traditionally used across traditional Asian medicinal modalities for thousands of years. It is considered a highly invasive plant—so it’s best to avoid it if you find it in your home garden. But for this reason, Japanese knotweed is prized as a medicinal herb. Its traditional uses have been for supporting circulatory and gastrointestinal health. Modern research has shown its powerful ties to skin health due to its high content of resveratrol. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol compound that’s found in abundance in certain plants like red grapes. Within the human body, resveratrol’s powerful antioxidant properties can help decrease oxidative stress⁸. When not properly balanced, oxidative stress can exacerbate skin conditions, increase dryness, and lead to premature aging.

Bamboo (Bambusa spp.)

Collagen-building, elasticity, and strength

Bamboo is a popular plant known in nearly every corner of the world. As one of the most abundant non-timber plants on the planet, bamboo has been used for biofuel, food, textiles, architecture, and more⁹. It plays an important role in creating jobs in tropical regions around the world, decreasing soil degradation, and even capturing large volumes of CO2 from the atmosphere. Its fast growth and incredible strength—even greater strength than steel or concrete by weight—make it highly beneficial for structural integrity and even supporting skin tissues. Bamboo contains up to 70% of the mineral silica, more than any other plant known to man. Silica is important for the synthesis of collagen, and in turn, for improving skin strength and elasticity¹⁰. In addition to silica, the leaves and stems are rich in polyphenols, vitamins C & E, selenium, iron, and manganese—further contributing to its skin-loving benefits¹¹.

Acerola (Malpighia emarginata)

Vitamin C boost

Acerola, commonly known as Barbados cherry, is a cherry-like fruit native to the Americas and the Caribbean. It’s considered one of the richest natural sources of ascorbic acid a.k.a. vitamin C in the world—up to 100 times more than found in a typical lemon or orange¹². In addition to vitamin C, the fruit contains carotenoids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids—all of which contain beneficial phytonutrients for glowing skin. Ascorbic acid is essential for collagen synthesis and contributes to the protection of the skin. Skin age and sun damage lower the concentration of vitamin C within our skin, so additional supplementation can be particularly beneficial as we age¹³. Natural forms of vitamin C, like those found in acerola cherry, are more easily absorbed by the human body compared with synthetic types¹⁴. Lastly, the tart and sweet flavor of acerola rounds out the flavor of The Honest Youth™ making for a tasty extract right on the tongue or added to your favorite beverage.

Milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum)

Calm and clarity

Milk thistle seeds are an incredible ally for the liver and a great addition to this formula for improving skin clarity. The liver’s inability to detoxify itself can lead to skin issues from toxin buildup. The active compound within these medicinal seeds is called silymarin. Silymarin is a group of flavonoids that help protect the liver and flush out harmful free radicals—think of it like a shield, protecting your liver cells from excess damage.

When studied, these potent seeds have shown skin protective properties, helping to slow down premature aging associated with solar radiation¹⁵. An in-vitro study revealed when used in combination with amla berry, milk thistle seeds can help improve collagen production and skin elasticity¹⁶.

Conclusion

As you can see, each herb in The Honest Youth™ was carefully chosen to help you unleash your inner glow. Whether you’re looking for a boost in natural collagen production, more clarity and balance, or more support to fend off oxidative stress, The Honest Youth™’s herb profile will have your skin looking, and feeling, like new.