Super foods in skincare – what’s all the hype?

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Kale.

Kale … worth putting on your face? Photo: William Meppem

If you’re a kale lover, this’ll be music to your ears. In the latest beauty trend, you can now wear your favourite leafy green on your face, along with all of the other “buzz” food products like quinoa, chia seeds and goji berries. 

Recently, UK nail brand Nails Inc – known for kick-starting the infamous “caviar” nail trend – announced model and it-girl Alexa Chung as the face of its new nail line, Nailkale, a line of basecoats infused with, yep, the leaf-of-the-moment: kale. Enriched with vitamins A, C and E, they’re hedging their bets on this salad-staple as the new answer to strong, healthy, durable nails.

But it’s not just nail wear. Cosmetic developers have found most of the health-food aisle products can have beauty benefits. Dermatologist Dr Perricone’s latest product, Chia Oil serum, features chia seed extract, together with a host of essential vitamins to load your skin up with omega-3 fatty acids for a hydrated, glowing effect. Hungarian brand Eminence delivers a Citrus & Kale serum to serve skin with antioxidants, defending against everyday free radicals that destroy healthy skin cells.

Salma Hayek’s Nuance hair care brand has gotten in the game too, with the popular protein grain quinoa being hydrolysed (meaning it’s been broken down into its component amino acids) and used to form a protective barrier around hair follicles to retain moisture and add shine. Meanwhile, Chinese skincare brand Wei offers goji berries in its Age Defence Serum, touted to energise and renew skin appearance.