The face of anti-aging skin care is changing, because it’s now about much more than just your face.
Thanks to the continuing popularity of the body positive movement, the beauty industry has reevaluated what anti-aging skin care should entail. Traditionally, the face was the primary and only focus of anti-aging products and procedures. Creams, injections and cosmetic surgeries targeted under eye bags, forehead wrinkles, smile lines and only occasionally the neck. Even fewer products and procedures addressed visible aging of the rest of the body’s skin.
Now, however, the body positivity movement has encouraged the beauty industry to focus on just that: the body. Social media has a part to play in this as well, especially when it comes to younger consumers. Sharing photos and fitness routines online has made it more socially acceptable in both North America and elsewhere in the world to proudly show off your body, which in turn means a growing desire for many people to care for the entirety of their bodies.
Not only are consumers looking for anti-aging body care solutions, but consumers are much more conscious of the health and environmental impacts of the products they buy. Skin care products need to have all-natural, sustainably-sourced ingredients that work.
The Botox Plant
In Brazil, a holistic approach to anti-aging has long been a part of the beauty culture, so it is unsurprising that the ingredient beauty companies are now turning to for this new approach to anti-aging skin care is a plant native to Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest that locals call "Jambú" but commonly known as acmella oleracea.
This flowering plant is more commonly known as paracress in North America and as jambu in Brazil. Acmella oleracea has traditionally been used as a culinary spice and as an herbal oral anesthetic, earning it the nickname “toothache plant.” Only recently has it become widely recognized as a highly beneficial skin care ingredient, earning a new nickname: the Botox plant.
When applied topically, acmella oleracea extract has been shown to have myorelaxant properties. In other words, it can reduce facial muscle tension and movements in a similar manner to Botox. But where Botox needs to be injected and paralyzes the facial muscles for several months, acmella oleracea extract only needs to be applied to the surface of the skin, and its myorelaxant properties are temporary, lasting only for about eight hours after the initial application. These differences are significant because Botox is restricted to clinical applications, but acmella oleracea extract can be used at home and in a broader range of cosmetic products.
How Acmella Oleracea Extract Works
The compound in acmella oleracea that soothes toothaches is also responsible for its Botox-like effects. This compound is a type of analgesic or painkiller known as spilanthol. When applied to the skin, spilanthol reduces facial muscle movements, which in turn immediately reduces the appearance of dynamic wrinkles. In a clinical study, 75% of participants noticed that their skin was visibly smoother one day after applying acmella oleracea extract on its own. When combined with other anti-aging actives, the potential for near-instant results only grows.
Even though its muscle relaxant effects are temporary, acmella oleracea extract helps the skin in the long-term. With regular use, acmella oleracea has cumulative effects. Relaxing the muscles regularly will relieve built-up tension and retrain your face to rest in a more neutral position, eliminating one of the main causes of facial wrinkles. Additionally, acmella oleracea extract can help stimulate the skin’s collagen and elastin fiber network, resulting in healthier, firmer skin.
In clinical studies with a formulation containing just 1% of acmella oleracea extract, mature participants saw a 12% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles of the neck, up to a 22% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles of the decolletage, along with improving the general firmness and texture of the skin. Unlike Botox treatments, which are only approved for use on certain facial areas, acmella oleracea extract can be used topically to help improve body skin as well as facial skin.
The Brazilian Age Reversal Solution
Inspired by Brazilian home remedies, the Brazilianfacelift regimen incorporates naturally-derived ingredients commonly found in the Amazon Rainforest, including a clinical dose of 2% acmella oleracea extract. Combined with essential antioxidants, a powerful collagen-boosting peptide complex and a smoothing mineral veil, acmella oleracea shines most in Bratoxin, a twice-daily use serum for the face and neck.
In an 8-week study, 35 male and female participants tried Bratoxin as a part of the entire three-product Brazilianfacelift regimen to see the results for themselves. Participants saw a significant 10% increase in skin density in just two months and reported revitalized, more youthful-looking skin. 78% of participants felt that they looked 5 years younger after using Bratoxin, while a whopping 94% of participants reported significant visible reduction of wrinkles, fine lines and crow’s feet.
Based on these results, the Brazilianfacelift collection does more than help prevent the signs of aging; it helps reverse the signs of aging with the powerful help of the active acmella oleracea extract.
