Add ‘harungana’ and ‘gorse’ extract to your skincare shopping list this season. Clarins adds both to the new generation of Super Restorative Creams to help lift, regenerate skin & target wrinkles.
Since its inception in 1954, French skincare brand Clarins has searched the world for the most potent and effective plant botanicals for its prestige creams and serums. Jacques Courtin-Clarins understood the power of plant extracts when he first started blending oils for his massage clients in Paris. Today, the company has an official ‘ethnobotanist’ on staff who travels the globe studying how people in different cultures make use of indigenous plants. Some trees and bushes have remarkable healing effects on human skin – knowledge that indigenous elders have known for centuries.
This knowledge is studied in Clarins’ phytochemistry lab in Paris where 95 research and development staff look at 400 plants to see if there is any benefit to human skin. These scientists observe all parts of the plant: leaves, flowers, stems, fruit…with the exception of the roots. It’s important to ensure the plant extract is sustainable. A year’s worth of work studying 400 plants yields ten successful investigations. It then takes another three-to-eight years to develop, test and approve an ingredient for consumer use.
“Of the 300,000 plants on Earth, scientists have only categorized and studied a couple thousand of them. There are so many plants we know nothing about,” says Nathalie Issachar, Clarins Research and Development Director. “When someone asks me what my favourite plant is, I always say, ‘It’s the one we haven’t discovered yet’.” In this high tech world of synthetic ingredients and headspace technology, nature still offers incredible mysteries and breakthroughs. You’ll notice that every staff member at the company’s headquarters has incredible respect and appreciation for plants and trees. It’s a part of the company’s culture.
“The most exciting innovative plant discovery for fall 2022 is our Harungana extract,” adds Marie-Helene Lair, Director of Responsible Innovation at Clarins. She says the wide-leaved plant is nature’s answer to retinol. “It’s demonstrated that it is as afficient as retinol to replenish skin. Three kinds of significant tests have assessed this strong claim: in vitro, ex vivo and clinical data.” Researchers first uncovered the replenishing ability organic harungana eight years ago and began extensive scientific testing. It quickly proved to be a true botanical ‘treasure’ capable of revitalizing and replenishing the skin. The plant’s efficacy was proven on the five aspects of skin ageing: collagen, pro-collagen 1, elastin, laminin-5, and CRBP1. A scientific publication is pending.
For decades, retinol or Vitamin A has been the gold standard in anti-aging skincare. No other ingredient has as many scientific studies from universities around the world scientifically proving the effects on skin. The derivative of Vitamin A has been proven to work on skin firmness, wrinkles, dark spots and radiance. It does this by stimulating collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production to help visibly improve the quality of skin. Thanks to its plant-based expertise, Clarins’ researchers were able to find a plant-based alternative to retinol, which is just as effective as retinol and well-tolerated by all skin types, even sensitive skin. This is important to anyone who has tried retinol in the past but found its strength caused redness and irritation. Harungana appears to be much gentler on skin.
So just what is harungana? It’s a small African bushy tree found in evergreen forests throughout South Africa to Sudan. It’s characterized by its large, glossy leaves that thrive on a cylindrical trunk. It’s crown appears as a golden-green colour and the blooms are cream-coloured with an almond aroma. The tree has been used by indigenous communities to treat a wide range of health issues such as headaches, fevers and sore throats for generations. What’s particularly interesting about harungana is that its sap is a fluorescent orange colour which discharges when leaves or stems are snapped off. Clarins has found sustainable farms to grow the tree organically for skincare purposes.
The second ‘Skincare Super Power Plant’ sounds like a dish you’d order at a restaurant in Norway. It’s called ‘gorse’ and it is a powerful new addition in fighting skin slackening. An emblematic plant from Brittany, France, gorse is a very resistant ‘pioneer’ plant with vibrant yellow blooms that grows in almost any type of soil and can be found primarily along the coast. One plant can produce several thousand seeds every year that remain healthy for more than 20 years. And its nectar and pollen are a favourite food source for bee populations.
Gorse extract has remarkable effects on the skin’s vital fibroblast behavior. Fibroblasts help produce collagen and elastin fibres within the skin which help maintain skin tissues, firmness and elasticity. They help keep you looking younger, longer. Unfortunately, over time, production of these fibres diminish, implying a loss of density, firmness and elasticity in the skin – the skin’s natural ageing process.
Organic gorse extract to the rescue. This plant active was proven to help restore tone to fibreblasts by 89% in In Vitro scientific tests. It significantly helped in targeting skin slackening. Now, here’s the wonder of nature in action: organic harungana extract boosts the efficacy of organic gorse by 95%. The synergies of the two plants working together led to even better results.
Skincare & Hormonal Balances: New Advances
Now that we know the two new “Skincare Super Power Plants”, where do we find them? And what are they best used for? Targeting skin slackening linked to hormonal changes. In 2014, Nathalie Issachar’s team discovered how fibroblasts in the skin change during hormonal balances. Their shape changed due to a reduction of estrogen. Their activity slowed down and their number declined. Consequently, the skin’s renewal slowed, wrinkles set in and the signs of skin ageing intensified. Fast forward eight years and thanks to a partnership with a network of scientific laboratories across France (INSERM), the brand studied the impact reduced hormonal activity can have on fibroblasts’ ability to maintain fiber tension to which they attached. After menopause, fibroblasts lose 99% of their tension strength compared to young fibroblasts. Besides producing less collagen, affected fibroblasts lose tone. They aren’t as ‘strong’ as before so they struggle to pull on fibres to maintain their tightening effect on skin. The result? Skin slackening.
Thankfully, there are two new formulas that can help with this skin concern: the NEW generation of Clarins Super Restorative Day and Night Creams.
Super Restorative Day Cream
With a new ultra-comfortable second-skin texture, the day cream is formulated to work with the skin’s chronobiology to meet the skin’s specific needs during the day. It protects against external aggressors all day long and is enriched with vegetal squalane that helps restore the hydrolidic film.
Super Restorative Night Cream
The skin focuses most of its repair work during the night while we sleep. The skin’s natural rhythms change which is why you need to use a night cream. The plant actives work to support fibroblast activity and organic sea lily helps counterbalance any dehydration.
Clarins Super Restorative Day and Night Creams are available in Canada at clarins.ca
362 Comments
Sonia Chang
August 24, 2022 at 8:40 amAmazing natural skincare solutions for all ages. Love it .
Christine Crescenza Barta
August 24, 2022 at 8:39 amI as impressed and interested to learn that organic harungana extract boosts the efficacy of organic gorse by 95%. The synergies of the two plants working together led to even better results.
Joanne Lowery
August 24, 2022 at 7:18 amI love learning and adore plants and trees for all their gifts to us. I did Love reading about the plant products Clarins is using in their products! ♥️
JANET EMPSON
August 24, 2022 at 6:19 amvery prickly but hope the plant formula works
Susan B
August 24, 2022 at 4:37 amFascinating! I’m fairly sure that it is illegal to allow gorse to grow on farmlands in some countries, certainly New Zealand. Excellent that it has properties suitable for skincare.
Andrea Craven
August 24, 2022 at 2:43 amPower of nature has to be a good thing
Catrina H
August 24, 2022 at 1:22 amI have never heard of harungana or gorse plants. Very interesting!
Gianna Katal
August 24, 2022 at 12:35 amI would love to try the products!
@MikieTheDog
Sandy Trojansek
August 24, 2022 at 12:25 amLoved reading about the plant products Clarins is using in their products!
Gayle B
August 23, 2022 at 11:32 pmWow, Organic gorse extract & organic harungana, these names are completely new to me!
Mama foofo
August 23, 2022 at 10:44 pmIt sure takes a long time to approve an ingredient! I’ve learned that it can take anywhere from 3-8 years just to approve one ingredient!
Peggy D
August 23, 2022 at 10:12 pmGreat to see natural products used in beauty products
Dian Anderson
August 23, 2022 at 9:36 pmWOW Of the 300,000 plants on Earth, scientists have only categorized and studied a couple thousand of them. And so many are becoming extinct. Love the idea of plant based creams, but I giggled when I read gorse, I still remember stumbling into a gorse bush as a young child in England/ A little painful
Dave S
August 23, 2022 at 9:09 pmWas interesting to read about the Harungana extract plant discovery and how it is nature’s answer to retinol
Eileen
August 23, 2022 at 8:51 pmThe most interesting thing I learnt from this article is that The skin focuses most of its repair work during the night while we sleep, and the skin’s natural rhythms change!
Emily
August 23, 2022 at 8:45 pmVery interesting and thorough review! Clarins is one of the most trusted names in skincare and I can’t wait to try these new dreams!
Sherry Keef
August 23, 2022 at 8:07 pmNatural is absolutley the best way to go in skin care formulation’s and the fact explaining super plants that are like using retinol is awesome. Thank you for sharing this information with us.
Polly Roushias
August 23, 2022 at 7:59 pmIt’s interesting to learn that Clarins lab have almost 100 research and development staff that look at 400 plants to see if there is any benefit to human skin. It’s good to know that so much work, time and research goes into developing new products that actually have benefits to our skin.
Kerry D
August 23, 2022 at 6:01 pmHappy to read that Clarins have found a plant based alternative to retinol which is too harsh on my skin. Great review, I’ll most definitely be trying this!
Pat B
August 23, 2022 at 5:59 pmGorse!! who would have thought. it is invasive here @bcgirll
Helen Newton
August 23, 2022 at 4:57 pmVery interesting read and really like the information and plant products that Clarins are using
@mummynewton
Nafeeza Nazirbage
August 23, 2022 at 4:01 pmLove that Clarins are using these amazing plants in their formulas.
chris s
August 23, 2022 at 3:01 pmIts so interesting – it just makes sense to use natural products.
Catherine Badenhorst
August 23, 2022 at 2:59 pmSuperb review. Very fascinating information regarding the skin health benefits of the harungana and gorse plants.
Nancy Jachcik
August 23, 2022 at 2:34 pmMost interesting reading about the two plants. Great for sensitive skin and skin that is lacking in firmness. Love that Clarins has formulated them into their Clarins Super Restorative Day and Night Creams.!!