The Bare Essentials

Ingredient Close-Up: Essential Oils

Much more than just an aromatic enhancement, essential oils play a pivotal role in modern skin care. Used for centuries for their medicinal and therapeutic properties, essential oils today serve a variety of purposes in beauty, from soothing stressed and irritated skin to providing vitamins and antioxidant protection.

Essential oils are derived from the volatile, aromatic oils in plants that give them their distinct scent. Once extracted, these oils are water distilled, isolating the “essence” of each. While there are thousands of essential oils, only a select number provide therapeutic benefits beyond simple sensory indulgence.

Rose hip oil is one example. Rich in vitamins A and C, rose hip’s skin-softening properties help soothe dry skin and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles while offering antioxidant protection from damaging free radicals. At Pür Minerals, we’ve combined this potent ingredient with several other key hydrators to create Petal Pür-fect, a therapeutic treatment for dry skin.

In addition to rose hip, many citrus essential oils offer superior antioxidant protection. Because they’re derived from sources rich in vitamin C, orange, lemon and tangerine essential oils impart many of their trademark benefits when applied to the skin, hair or nails. The medley of citrus oils in Pür Balm, for instance, helps treat dry skin, split ends and brittle nails, while in Mineral Melt, lemon peel combines with other botanical essential oils to cleanse skin of makeup and nourish eyelashes.