It just occurred to me, as I'm writing ingredient features, that the common thread seems to be that the ingredients are expensive. You might wonder if that is my selection criteria. The answer is no...and yes!
1) No, the pricey ingredients are rare, hard to extract, or difficult to formulate it, but they are worth it.
a) That is why formulators from luxury brands include ONE of these luxury items as their key ingredient:
*L'Occitane might use immortelle extract (in M2)
*Drunk Elephant uses marula oil (in M2)
*Biossance uses squalane (in M3)
*Neal's Yard Remedies uses macadamia nut oil and frankincense (but it is the Boswellia neglecta oil, not the prized Boswellia carterii essential oil) (in M2)
*Strivectin uses peptides (in M1, M3)
*Skinceuticals is known for Vitamin C (which is actually not an expensive ingredient-it is hard to formulate with) (in C2.5 and SPA)
* La mer uses seaweed extract (seasonally in C2.5)
b) Also, let's not forget about the ingredients that often don't make it into commercial skin care because they are fragile, but can be found as single ingredients at your health food store, often as raw ingredients or supplements:
* MSM (in M1)
* Evening primrose oil (in M2)
* Rosehip seed oil (in M2)
* Aloe juice (in C3, M1, M3)
* Argan oil (in M2, M3)
* Green tea extract (C2)
* extracts of grape, banana, licorice root, cucumber. (M1)
* etc. There’s more. Pls see ingredient list.
c) And the other obscure ingredients that can only be found at specialty trade wholesalers or those that are valued by aromatherapists
* cupuacu butter (M3)
* broccoli seed oil (M2)
* pomegranate seed oil (M2)
* myrrh essential oil (M2)
* carrot seed essential oil (M2)
* rose geranium essential oil (M2, M3)
* the "good" frankincense (Boswellia cateri) (M2, M3)
* sandalwood essential oil (M2)
* mandarin essential contains l-limonene which aids absorption of other ingredients into the skin (M2, M3)
* etc. Pls refer to ingredient list for details.
2) YES, I chose luxury ingredients that you couldn't buy yourself, that you couldn't possibly make for yourself, available for purchase in order to provide value.
I also encourage safe DIY with ingredients that are readily available at local drug store, grocery store, Costco. If you'd like DIY suggestions, please ask the friend who added you to the private Hyangii FB Group to also add you to the Secret Selfcare Society FB Group (a secret group).
I will never dilute the Hyangii face with good, but cheaper oils: caprylic/capric triglyceride or other coconut oil derivatives, oils of almond, sunflower, apricot kernel, almond, jojoba, olive, avocado, grape seed. I will use them for body products later this winter.
Enough rambling for today. Thanks for reading all the way to the end!
Written October 13, 2018 as FB post.