What flavors can do for me
Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. What are you smelling? Flavors? Hopefully something pleasant. Maybe the smell of cinnamon and vanilla that reminds of the fresh waffles from your childhood? Or a touch of lavender that makes you think of fresh bed linen? Or the great perfume of the colleague who exudes subtle citrus notes? Whatever it is, when you consciously perceive it, it has long since unfolded its powerful effect in your brain.
Because none of our senses has such a direct line in our innermost. Smelling is the most original, the first sense that even unicellular organisms and - incredibly, but true - sperm have: it helps them to find their way around.
roseThe queen of flowers not only smells wonderful - essential oils of the rose also soothe sensitive skin (eg in the series "Harmony Calm" by Decléor)
With a little practice, we can distinguish up to 10,000 scents because there are olfactory receptors in our nose. These are cells that transmit signals to the brain when a matching scent molecule hits them. Although we have only 350 different such receptors in our noses, fortunately we can do more than 350 smells with them. Because our brain decodes the information of all the receptors addressed together - and so we recognize the rose scent, fresh apple pie or the fish shop around the corner. After all, even the scent of a daffodil is composed of 900 different scent molecules.
Flavors can do much more than just evoke memories: scientific experiments have shown that a blend of orange and lavender scents improves mood. People who were allowed to sleep in rooms with rose scent could learn better. Jasmine and hop aroma help to fall asleep.
Flavors make a good mood
But concentrated plant fragrances (such as in essential oils) do not only affect the nose. The fragrance molecules are so small that they easily penetrate the skin and even enter the bloodstream. Cosmetic manufacturers have been trying for some time to use essential oils in creams, serums and lotions: not only because of the good smell, but also as a substitute or supplement to synthetically produced active ingredients.
Exact investigations of how fragrances work in human skin are still lacking for most of these substances. But there are first findings: For example, the fragrance oil of geranium geranium should make the skin cells just as well as proven anti-aging ingredients from the laboratory.
In the selection but still applies: always nose. Because when a cream smells pleasant, she is already in a good mood. And that makes us look better anyway.
What flavors can do for the face
Creams that offer beautiful fragrance plus herbal care are on the rise. For example, French plant experts use the essential oil of the Italian strawflower (Immortelle), which neutralizes free radicals. In experiments with skin cells in the Petri dish, it could also increase the production of collagen, which makes the skin firm and elastic. The smell of the immortelle is something for connoisseurs: warm and spicy, with a subtle curry note.
For example, in the line "Precious" by L'Occitane, line "Excellence" by Decléor
The Rose
pomegranateHe is an exotic beauty maker (eg in the body milk "Eau de Paradis" by Biotherm, "Kenzoki Bare Body Night Cream" by Kenzo, "Pomegranate Regeneration Oil" by Weleda)
There is hardly a flavor of nature so fascinating, feminine and flowery-sweet as that of the rose. It makes creams luxurious and sumptuous, because rose oil not only smells great, it also soothes sensitive skin and helps it store moisture better. And those who like the scent of roses will appreciate the aroma of the geranium. At least in laboratory tests with skin cell cultures, their essential oil has such a positive effect on the skin cells that the cosmetics brand Sanoflore even offers it in their products as an alternative to the classic anti-aging active ingredient retinol (vitamin A): rose geranium is said to stimulate collagen synthesis as well as stimulate cell regeneration and has anti-inflammatory properties.
For example, "Jalë" series with Damask Rose by Tautropfen, "Wildrose Smoothing Face Care" by Weleda, "Rose Cream" by Dr. med. Hauschka, "Beneficial Fortune Balm" with geranium of Sanoflore
Melissa oil smells fresh and spicy - and can do so much more: Melissa essential oils are, according to initial tests on women, able to reduce the depth of wrinkles by ten percent after one month, and the oil also makes the skin firmer and tighter.
For example, "Crème Élixir Anti-Age" by Sanoflore
What people like to smell depends mainly on where they grew up and what aromas they were surrounded with in their childhood.Japanese women therefore love the smell of dried fish, Europeans like anise. The only fragrance that hits the world equally well is the smell of fruity-sweet orange - a universal happy-go-lucky, who appears in creams around the globe. Citrus flavors, even the slightly stronger ones of lemon and grapefruit, undoubtedly make you awake and fresh. In creams, they should also have a regenerating and anti-inflammatory effect on the skin - making them the ideal ingredient for the morning care ritual. Citrus notes can be well combined, for example, with camphor, Muschelingwer or star fruit, which are also real awakens with their tart notes. If you like earl gray tea, you can also let your skin awaken by the fresh bergamot scent that is supposed to clear your head.
For example: "Sensai Cellular Performance Wrinkle Repair Collagen Energy" with citrus fragrance, star fruit and muskeling by Kanebo, "Crème Intemporelle Intense" with geranium and camphor by Kibio, series "less = more" with bergamot by Greenland
What flavors can do for the hands
lemonThe fresh smell is a real eye-catcher - and on the skin the flavors have an anti-inflammatory effect (eg in "Sensai Cellular Performance Wrinkle Repair Collagenergy" by Kanebo)
The orange berries of the sea buckthorn are true beauty powerhouses: they contain a lot of vitamin C, which traps free radicals in the skin and keeps it young and smooth. The fruity, orange-like fragrance is just right for the small dose of wellness in between when hand creaming.
A tea made from freshly brewed ginger root is an old recipe against shivering - and if you have cold hands all the time, you can try a hand cream with warm, spicy ginger flavor. Applied with powerful, massaging movements, it promotes blood circulation in the skin and fingers and makes the hands warm and supple.
For example, "Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream" from Weleda, "Hand and Nail Balm Ginger Lime" from Primavera
What flavors can do for the entire body
If it is to be the great wellness ritual, nothing beats pleasurable creaming and massaging with a wonderfully scented body lotion after bathing or showering. Now the skin is ready to take a shot, and the moist-warm air in the bath transports the scent molecules particularly well.
basilIdeal for tomato and mozzarella and also in cosmetics: the fragrance has a balancing and stress-reducing effect (eg in the body oil "Huile Relax" by Clarins)
For those who have a soft spot for fresh herbs, they can pamper their skin and their nose: Thyme oil, for example, is supposed to boost the blood circulation in the skin, and its intense scent stimulates and makes you fit. Or how about basil? This spicy-warm, yet fresh fragrance is used in aromatherapy as a balancing, stress-reducing agent, but still awakens. The perfect scent for a relaxed start to the day.
Eg "Baume Velouté Corps" with thyme from Kibio, "Crème Corps Veloutée Eau Ressourçante" with basil from Clarins, body oil "Huile de Soin Corps Ki-Relax" with basil from Kibio, "Ayana splendid body butter" with basil from dew drops, "Baume Hydratant Tonic "with rosemary by Clarins
The classic among the wellness fragrances is lavender: Some fragrance experts attribute true miracles to it. In fact, lavender oil is slightly antibacterial, and the fragrance relaxes like no other from the plant world. Patients who have been scented in their dentist's waiting room with a mixture of lavender and orange have far less fear of treatment - scientists from the University of Vienna have found out. What makes you so relaxed is the ideal ingredient for beautiful body lotions, rich body butter or body creams.
For example, "Body lotion Lavender Secrets" with almond oil from Lavera, "Orange Lavender Organic Body Balm" by Dr. med. Bronner's, "Bodylotion Pyrenees Lavender & Cardamom" by Pangea Organics
Pomegranate seed oil is not produced by distillation, such as essential oils, but is a fatty oil obtained by pressing. It has a very subtle fragrance, but has a great effect on the skin: it can trap skin-damaging free radicals and stimulate the renewal of the cells. Apricot kernel oil has long been an insider tip for extremely dry skin and smells pleasantly fruity. A nice bedtime kiss for the skin, which can relax in peace while we sleep.
For example "Weleda's pomegranate regeneration oil", body cream "Kenzoki Bare Body Night Cream" with pomegranate milk from Kenzo, line "Oil Therapy" with apricot from Biotherm
What flavors can do for the feet
lavenderThe classic among the wellness fragrances: helps against fears and when falling asleep - and has a slightly antibacterial effect on the skin (eg in the "lavender organic body milk" by L'Occitane)
Essential rosemary oil is considered an energy donor, it promotes blood circulation and anti-inflammatory - so just right for legs and feet that need a little rest after a long day. Incidentally, rosemary keeps your feet fresh for hours as it has mild antibacterial properties and makes preservatives in cosmetics almost liquid.Those who love the scent of pine forests can instead use a cream with the essential oil from the young needles of the mountain pine. Mountain pine oil also works against bacteria and fungi and makes the feet supple. In combination with ginger and rosemary, it promotes blood circulation and warms. Those who get their feet wet quickly in shoes can try foot baths or sprays with sage leaves, because sage is a proven remedy for sweating in herbal medicine because it contracts the pores. The aroma of mint, which also makes tired feet fit again after a long day, has a fresh and cooling effect. The peppermint scent, which increases when creaming in the nose, promotes concentration and makes the mind receptive - great, if, for example, evening cinema or concert is pending.
For example, "foot balm toasty & warm" with mountain pine, rosemary and ginger from Allgäu mountain pine, "rosemary leg lotion" and "rosemary foot balm" by Dr. med. Hauschka, "Cornea Reducing Cream" with rosemary from free, "Sage Deodorant" from Weleda
