Almost all of us are guilty of hoarding bottles and vials of beauty products that promise the key to the fountain of youth. Many of these products rely on “secret” recipes of harsh chemical ingredients that can actually strip away the skin’s surface and result in a thinning of cells – leading to faster skin aging in the longer term.
At UMA, our approach to anti-aging through organic skincare is very different – we work with the skin’s natural processes and entirely organic ingredients to clarify, rejuvenate, and strengthen the skin from within so it is better equipped to protect itself from damage and aging. It’s a family tradition backed by over 800 years of practice & research. So read on if you want to declutter that medicine cabinet. These natural and gentle solutions are all you need for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful skin.
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We Believe in Frankincense: A Natural Healing Substitute for Retinol
Retinol, also known as Vitamin A, seems like the answer to all of our skin prayers due to its short-term benefits; it can leave your skin glowing and blemish-free. Retinol works by removing the outer layer of skin–both weak and healthy cells alike–but can thin your skin over time, which makes your skin even more vulnerable to sun damage and aging. At UMA, we prefer to restore and nourish the skin, delaying the aging process gently instead of stripping and peeling away layers. Frankincense–one of our favorite natural ingredients and ever-present components in all of our anti-aging products–beats out retinol in this head to head competition. Unlike retinol, Frankincense for skin is able to distinguish between dead and healthy cells and strengthens weak cells. This allows your cells to create healthier, younger-looking skin with fewer scars and less visible signs of aging. Frankincense’s soothing qualities generate a healthier form of cellular turnover, while keeping the delicate layers of skin intact.
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We Believe in Healing vs. Peeling
Another popular anti-aging practice is skin peels. Like retinol, peels strip away the skin’s surface and in the process, cause thinning of your skin over time. At UMA we avoid using typical anti-aging products such as glycolic and lactic acids that strip your skin of its natural oils. Stripping layers of your skin is simply attacking the issue at the surface, which over time can be very damaging to your skin. Instead we approach the problem from within. We add nourishing oils back into the skin as a way to combat early signs of aging while simultaneously creating an effective barrier to toxins.
By adopting natural anti-aging techniques, we aim to promote healthy and youthful-looking skin without causing any harm to the skin’s natural integrity.
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We Believe that Beauty is Wellness and Wellness is Beauty
Nobody knows or does that better than us, understanding that the very same imbalances that can lead to signs of aging on the skin can also be leading to emotional imbalances.
As we get older, our epidermis loses lipids (fatty substances) which is what typically keeps our skin moisturized which in turn contributes to aging symptoms such as – collagen loss, sagging and wrinkling of skin etc.
The ideal approach to any skin concerns, specifically aging is to treat the symptoms and nurture and replenish the skin with nutrients. Our theory is if something isn’t broken – don’t strip it! Repair and nourish your skin instead of looking for short term solutions, the goal is to aim for longevity with healthy skin. At UMA we use nature’s most robust components as natural substitutes for some of the most popular Anti-Aging ingredients.
For example, Rose in our Absolute Anti Aging also helps balance hormones that accompany aging in the body, click here for the full list. Thinner, more mature skin can’t recover from water loss as quickly, is more vulnerable to inflammatory diseases, and less effective at blocking damaging UV rays and balancing pH levels. Adding time tested ingredients such as essential oils back into the skin is the best way to combat early signs of aging and maintain an effective barrier. Goop‘s Jean dabbles on a similar theory of using cleansing balms for your face instead of harsh cleansers, she elaborates on the wonderful benefits oils can have on your thirst quenched skin and their Anti-Aging properties.
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We Believe in Ayurvedic Application Techniques that Boost the Efficacy of Topicals
UMA implements some ancient Ayurvedic skincare techniques to apply our anti-aging skin products to our face. It is a practice to pair with your skincare regime because it provides excellent collagen boosting, muscle firming and wrinkle banishing support to the skin, leading to skin rejuvenation. Spending just a few minutes each day massaging and stretching the skin on your face can have wondrous effects. Face Yoga is one of our favorite exercises for Anti-Aging and skin rejuvenation, it takes 4-5 mins a day and it awakens your whole face at once. We use yoga for our body regularly, why not bless your face with the same detoxifying and toning benefits of sun salutations!
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We Believe that Price Tags Should Always Reflect The True Cost of Ingredients
Unfortunately, many companies skimp on quality to reduce the costs of production. In trying to create a larger profit margin, shortcuts are taken on everything from ingredient sourcing to distillation methods. You have no way of knowing where the plants were harvested or how the raw materials were extracted, with little accountability for the potency, effectiveness, and social responsibility.
Many of these companies don’t have the means to keep production in-house, so they outsource to get the job done in a quick and efficient manner. They aren’t working with the luxury of time on their side, as the focus is on output rather than quality. The actual source of ingredients and focus on craftsmanship gets lost with so many middlemen working to create a product as quickly as possible.
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For centuries, the UMA estate has farmed and crafted the world’s finest organic oils. All of our botanicals are raised on our 100-acre meadow, which was carefully chosen for its nutritious soil. Our dedicated caretakers select only the finest seeds and nurse their plants through the growing season – making sure to harvest each plant no more than two times before re-planting. We use nature’s best ingredients at their peak, drying, extracting, and formulating them right next to where they’re grown.
We use specialized and hand-made machinery that’s heat powered by the remaining botanicals that have already been extracted, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Real humans oversee every part of the process – from carefully hand-plucking thousands of botanicals to fueling the machines and formulating the products you know and love
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We Believe in Longevity of Testing and Results from Ingredients & Formulas Used
Our team of scientists has refined every step of the organic farming process so that each ingredient is nutrient rich and remarkably effective, yet gentle enough to be used on the most finicky skin. UMA’s formulas have been tested and perfected over nearly 800 years of our work with the Royal Family in India. Thousands of women and men have found benefit from, and fallen in love with, these ancient UMA healing recipes.
The results speak for themselves:
- Over 1000 women have tested Uma’s proprietary formulas and have reported seeing a visible improvement in their skin’s brightness and clarity.
- 93% of users said they saw a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
- Customers also found that Uma’s formulas provided relief from cosmetic skin issues like redness, acne scarring, sun damage and general sensitivity.
- Dermatologists recommend Uma for rapid healing after chemical procedures.
- Over 65% of our buyers are repeat customers.
With centuries of practice, we take our skincare very seriously. Wellness and beauty go hand and hand, our goal is to always address the issues from inside out for long lasting results. Feel free to leave any more questions and comments on skin concerns and we would love to answer your questions in our next post!
Click here to shop UMA’s Absolute Anti-Aging line.
