Nature's Botox (Croton Lechleri).

Beladoce is  celebrating the return of the Dragão Toner a year and a half later, so we thought we'd delve into the star ingredient of our most popular line. By far our most interesting ingredient we use, not only named after a mythical creature... but magical for its traditional, medicinal and cosmetic uses too.

First things first, to clarify, dragons blood refers in general to the blood red sap of a few different trees. Used anywhere from incense, to dye, to skincare, depending on the source. Today we’ll focus on the dragons blood of the croton lechleri tree, the one used in skincare.

 

What it means for skincare

Its most common use in skincare is anti-aging and plumping, but its also been said to soothe the irritation and redness associated with eczema, acne, psoriasis, and rosacea.

First and foremost, it’s heavily loaded with antioxidants to fend off free radicals and environmental aggressors.

Another trait, and arguably the most impressive in terms of skincare application, is its ability to aid in rebuilding damaged connective tissue such as collagen.

Proanthocyanidins are the compound responsible for the lifting and plumping effect. It’s believed to bind collagen fibers, in other words actually repair damaged collagen.

This is a rarity of naturally occuring and lab created ingredients.

• Its plumping effect and protective bubble is a very unique mechanism
• Many ingredients such as vitamin c, silica etc, can boost collagen production by triggering skin's production, but it cannot repair collagen thats been damaged.
• Dragon's blood (croton lechleri sap specifically) has been shown in multiple studies to repair collagen already damaged. The same reparative compound is also responsible for stopping the break down of collagen. 

The importance of anti-inflammatory elements in effective anti-aging skincare:

Anti-inflammatory properties are very important factors of a successful anti-aging skin care routine. As we get older, the metabolism of our skin cells dramatically slow down.

The constant environmental assaults, like harsh weather, free radicals, pollution etc, start to take a toll on our skin. There are also many internal autoimmune, hormone & health factors that can deeply affect our skin as well.

As we get older, our skin can begin to carry chronic low grade inflammation. In order for significant improvement in signs of aging, skin resilience needs to be restored. Often times it needs to be soothed and healed to recover before all else, to see a real difference from anti-aging products. That chronic inflammation of our skin, starts to break down the connective tissue that lends to a youthful appearance of skin at a faster rate.

The healing process that dragons blood can trigger in our skin, is particularly useful in anti-aging, because of its ability to begin to repair and boost lost collagen under its protective bubble for more significant results. 

 

What's the catch with dragon's blood?

1. Nothing is an actual miracle. With consistent use, you’re more likely to see noticeable results. However, nothing you apply topically will have dramatic or instantaneous results like surgery, so it’s important to have realistic expectations. This is not to say you won't see a visible difference in your skin with regular use over time, but don’t expect equal results to an actual face lift from any topically applied ingredient.  
2. Irresponsible harvesting of dragons blood from outside companies can have a dangerous impact on rain forests and their inhabitants.

We only use ethically and sustainably farmed and sourced dragons blood sap in our products.

The pure croton lechleri sap we use is ethical, sustainable, and comes from a living tree, non timber product. It is single source origin from Peru.

We recommend always making sure when buying any natural product, especially ones from environmentally sensitive areas, that they practice fair, sustainable and oppression free means of obtaining these ingredients. 

Beladoce Botanicals Dragão toner returning soon!