FRESHLY SQUEEZED

The maker of a revolutionary new skincare range maintains that using his serums instead of traditional moisturisers is akin to the difference between eating raw food and McDonalds. Biologi, made from pure undiluted plant extracts, is the creation of cosmetic chemist Ross Macdougald, an Australian with 30 years’ industry experience. The clean, organic approach offers a limited diet, however, with currently just three serums to feed skin on the face, body and around the eyes.

But, says Ross, it’s the extraction and nutrient delivery methods as much as the single ingredient focus of each serum that stands out. Skin isn’t merely being anointed with raw plant juice. The extraction takes fruit, pith and all, to get to the core of a plant’s goodness. Better than maceration, he says, the method maintains natural vitamin C. Usual industry practice is to add the ascorbic acid version at the laboratory stage. Ingredients can also be deactivated over time and when used in combination.

Binders, emulsifiers and silicones are common cosmetic additives that Ross says merely mask skin, offering a fast fix not a healthy lasting solution and why moisturisers aren’t on the Biologi menu. Instead, there are extracts of antioxidant-rich Kakadu plum, Davidson plum and finger lime.

Biologi general manager Lucy Kuper, a Kiwi beauty technician turned trainer, says skin doesn’t need moisturisers, although anyone who is very dry may want to top up with a plant oil. She believes that for most people, other than using a cleanser, exfoliator and sunscreen, plant serums are all they need.

It’s food for thought.