The latest breatkthrough in skin care – from the produce department

Kaitlyn’s question: I know you say that chemical ingredients work better on your skin, but aren’t there ANY natural ingredients that are really good for you?

The Left Brain’s fruity reply:

I’ve posted several times on the debate over natural vs synthetic ingredients and I still recommend that you look for safe, efficacious ingredients and not worry so much about where they come from.

But I certainly don’t mean to imply that NO natural ingredients work. In fact, I just read a report in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science (29, 219-238) that says avocado sugars are highly beneficial for skin.

A research team from Laboratoires Expanscience (that’s French, not a typo) have found that certain sugars found in avocados, like D-manno-heptulose, can improve the structure of the epidermis by boosting collagen. They can also provide a protective antimicrobial barrier.

This doesn’t mean you should smear fresh avocado on your skin. The sugars need to be deposited from the right kind of vehicle and they need to be left on the skin to work. While there are plenty of products with avocado oil on the market (Avo-med even has a line of pet care products with avocado,) we’re not aware of any products that use this sugar technology. If any of you Beauty Brainiacs out there find any, let me know and I’ll review them.

So there you have it – a fruit sugar that’s scientifically proven to help your skin. If you’re looking for natural ingredients, it doesn’t get much better than that.