| Feed Your Skin Lola Clark, lead esthetician at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel Spa, says you can make your own superfruit mask by mashing up one tablespoon of your superfruit of choice, moistening it with enough noni gel for a smooth consistency and applying it to clean skin. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water. |
Acai is now more than just a breakfast bowl. Since antioxidant-rich superfruits have been making their way through the health food circuit, it should be no surprise that they have taken a turn into the beauty aisle.
Beauty and skin care products as well as spa treatments have been incorporating exotic superfruits like goji, acai, mangosteen, and noni into their ingredients lists. Spa Gregorie’s, for instance, offers an Ultimate Signature Facial (75 minutes for $115) using a superfruit mask with goji berry, noni, acai, and pomegranate.
“Superfruits are rich in antioxidants and high in something called ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity,” says Sophia Parmenter, lead esthetician at Spa Gregorie’s in Newport Beach. “Superfruits are also rich in vitamin E, which helps with inflammation and helps fight free radicals.”
By fighting free radicals, superfruits can help support healthy aging and potentially reverse damage caused by sun and other environmental factors, says Jeremiah McElwee, executive global Whole Body coordinator at Whole Foods Market. “Acai is the most popular of the superfruits,” McElwee says. “It has a long history and comes from Brazil. Known as the ‘beauty berry,’ it has a strong antioxidant profile, which promotes healthy cells and healthy skin.”
Mangosteen, a tropical fruit from Southeast Asia, contains unique molecules called xanthones, which support healthy inflammation processes, McElwee says. Noni, a small tree fruit in tropical areas like Polynesia, is known for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties, making it ideal for acne blemishes and various skin traumas, and reducing cellular DNA damage, says Heather Lee Lindbergh, director of media and public relations at Laguna Hills-based Epicuren Discovery, which uses a variety of superfruits like noni and goji, and just released an ORAC Age-Protect Serum ($150) containing goji fruit extract. She says goji extract, often from berries found in China, is known to visibly lift and tighten wrinkled and sagging skin, and stimulate collagen production. “The general theory behind this is: What is generally beneficial for you internally is also beneficial for you topically,” says Lindbergh.
Katerina Bisbikis, licensed esthetician and owner of Nova Vita Salon and Spa in Tustin, says superfruits in the beauty and spa world are helping meet the needs of consumers looking for a more natural and healthy approach to skin and body care. “I have found that consumers really do their homework and oftentimes specifically request treatments and products that harness the power of superfruits,” she says.
Though the more exotic superfruits tend to get a lot of attention, there are other fruits like grapes, blueberries and pomegranate that are also high in antioxidant power.
Karen Behnke, founding partner at Juice Beauty, a makeup and skin care line based on a 100% certified organic juice base, says grape seed might be able to starve tumors and blueberry juice could help inhibit breast cancer growth, according to studies from City of Hope.
“Several studies have shown that the skin, the largest organ in the body, absorbs over 64% of what is placed on it, so therefore one should place the most results-oriented yet healthiest products on the skin,” she says.
Find Beauty Fruits
PreVious Hydra Serum Triple Action from Beauty by Clinica Ivo Pitanguy contains papaya, aloe vera extract and acai oil for youthful skin. $150 at Neiman Marcus/Fashion Island
Radiant Refining Brightening Masque from June Jacobs contains goji berry, pomegranate and grape seed extracts to help neutralize free radicals and protect skin from environmental toxins. $62 at junejacobs.com and available through special order at Spa by the Sea at Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas
Renight Recover Cream from [comfort zone] contains goji berry oil, hyaluronic acid and lycopene to combat dehydrated and stressed skin. $87 at The Spa at Island Hotel/Newport Beach
Color/Makeup collection from Juice Beauty contains acai and goji for brilliant colors in this cosmetic line with products for complexion, cheeks, lips, and eyes. $12-$35 at juicebeauty.com
Nutritional Acai Berry Avocado Shampoo and Conditioner from Organix contains acai berry extract and guava, avocado proteins and Moroccan argan oil to nourish and moisturize all hair types. $6.99 each at CVS/pharmacy
Acai Berry Anti-Aging Facial uses acai berry, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry rhubarb to help reduce hyperpigmentation, smooth skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles for any skin type. $90 for 60 minutes at Nova Vita Salon and Spa in Tustin
