Blending flowers with skincare

FLOWERS impart a sense of grace, symbolise beauty and is often used as a metaphor to describe a woman’s beauty. The close link between flowers and women blooms even more with Korean beauty brands like Mamonde, which creates a line of beauty products made from flower extracts.

The Koreans’ penchant for using natural ingredients in beauty products shows no sign of slowing down. Now, flower lovers can not only smell them but they can also actually use them.

Mamonde joins three other brands under Amorepacific Malaysia, which includes Laneige, Sulwhasoo and Innisfree, says Margaret Chin, general manager of Amorepacific Malaysia.

This premium cosmetics brand offers an array of skincare and make-up products to suit a woman’s daily needs.

At the debut of Mamonde in Kuala Lumpur, a Mamonde Garden was on display to explain the various types of flowers used in the brand’s product formulation.

A fLOrAL WOrLD

Mamonde, which means my world in French, believes that flowers possess amazing power and energy to re-invent beauty within a women. Some of the flowers used are honeysuckle, evening primrose, hibiscus, peach blossoms, camellia, lotus, magnolia, narcissus, damask rose and heartless houttuynia.

“The brand is the first of its kind in the cosmetics market to use only flowers as its key ingredients in the formulation of all its products,” says Chin.

Some of the products in Mamonde’s latest beauty range are the Cover Powder Cushion, Age Control Power Eye Cream, Lotus Micro Cleansing Foam, Rose Water Toner and Floral Hydro Cream.

But what caught my attention were the newly-upgraded First Energy Essence and First Energy Serum. These products act primarily as a booster to uplift your skin, giving it an overall healthier and supplier looking appearance.

The upgrade sees both products formulated with Lactobacillus antioxidant, which is extracted from the Honeysuckle flowers.

The Lactobacillus is then blended together with the one year Flower Vinegar, a substance that is obtained through a one year natural fermentation of the Honeysuckle flower. This in turn, helps to promote the skin’s immunity leaving the skin more resilient to external aggression.

The First Energy Essence and Serum should be used as the first step in your skincare regime after the cleanser and skin softener. To see if it really boosts the skin, I gave it a go and tried it myself. The Essence, is a water type booster that gave my skin a refreshing feel, while the serum is an emulsion type booster which provided a soothing effect.

fLOWErs AnD ThE skin

According to Mamonde, some of the properties that the flowers possess are to revitalise the skin. For example, the honeysuckle delivers nutrients found in the flower to the skin for a smoother and firmer skin that is vitalised from within. The evening primrose on the other hand, contains high concentra-

nhanna@nst.com.my tion of fatty acid and other nutrients that is essential to improve cell structure and skin elasticity.

Besides its benefits in moisturising and hydrating, camellia has therapeutic properties to help protect the skin from free radical damage and reduce signs of ageing.

The Lotus flower has the ability to cleanse and purify, while the Magnolia, an ancient type of flower, has numerous medicinal values.

Mamonde’s first beauty counter will be available in Aeon Bandar Utama next month. Syahirah Mokhtazar