Bio-Active Care To Protect Your Skin, With Dr. Pauline Hili

Nourish Skin Range is an award winning organic skin care company based in the United Kingdom. Their whole range is vegan and cruelty-free, biodegradable, and made of ethically sourced ingredients. All products are developed and made in their certified organic factory in London. We interviewed their co-founder, Dr. Pauline Hili.

PMAG: A trademark feature in your products are bio-active ingredients. Can you tell us how they are beneficial?

Dr. Pauline Hili, Nourish: At Nourish we believe that ‘Healthy Skin is Beautiful Skin’. By understanding the natural metabolic processes of the skin and applying ingredients that work within those processes, we enhance the performance health of the skin. An example would be the bioactives used in our best-selling moisturiser – Argan Skin Renew. This features tripeptides which enhance the skin’s ability to renew collagen whilst myrrh and frankincense help to slow the breakdown of collagen. This takes a multidimensional approach to anti-ageing. An extract of Rose of Jericho together with hyaluronic acid ensure this delivers superior hydration.

PMAG: Nourish started in 2012, and is already an award winning company. To what would you attribute your success?

PH: Many people are now realising the importance of looking carefully at what they put onto their skin, and so the organic sector is flourishing. However, aside from branding, there is little differentiation between many of these organic products. I felt that the time was right to move organic skincare on to the next level to give customers more effective skincare options. Innovation underpins all I do and I look for new, beneficial natural ingredients to improve the effectiveness of our products.

Our organic Kale range is an example of this; kale applied topically has recently been shown to play a key role in helping to reduce the effects of airborne pollutants causing ageing of the skin – a real issue for urban living. It contains an enzyme system that helps to break down pollutants and protect the skin. I developed the kale extract myself to ensure it has the exact qualities I need for optimum effectiveness.

I like to listen to our customers and feed their responses back into the formulation process – one of the great advantages of doing our own formulation work.

PMAG: Your products are formulated to protect against urban pollution. Can you tell us more about this?

PH: By understanding the nature of the air borne pollutants and their effect on the skin we can design products that combat the negative impact. For example, using ingredients that actively help to oxygenate the skin, stop the particulate matter from damaging the skin, and add a reservoir of antioxidant protection provides 360º protection for the skin.

My formulations which feature my own kale extract, for example, Kale Enzymatic Exfoliating Cleanser, have been developed to improve protection against pollution.

PMAG: What changes to one’s skin care regimen do you recommend in the winter season?

PH: As the weather changes and gets colder, skin needs more help and protection. In addition, conditions such as central heating have a real drying effect on the skin which needs to be addressed. An important first step is to ensure the skin’s natural lipid layer is in good condition by applying omega-rich oils together with tocopherol. Including a powerful antioxidant such as Vitamin C will enhance the skin’s protective function and help to fight free radical damage. When formulating our Argan Skin Rescue I was providing all these functions in one product. Clinical tests have demonstrated the powerful hydrating qualities of Argan Skin Rescue with skin 25% more hydrated after 24 hours.

PMAG: Tell us about some great gift ideas for the holidays.

PH: We have a lovely new holiday gift called Radiance Collection. This features a sensual blend of organic geranium, rose and frankincense and several of our anti-ageing hero ingredients: omega-rich organic oils, tripeptides and hyaluronic acid to bring about a naturally radiant and healthy look.

Pauline HiliPauline Hili Co-founder of Nourish, Dr. Pauline Hili, is a scientist and specialist in organic skin care. Dr Hili’s research has involved looking at essential oils and how they can be used in formulations to reduce the use of conventional preservatives. Later she supervised research into natural extracts that protect the skin’s vital collagen and elastin. Particularly, how blends can give synergistic activity to protect the skin – one notable piece of research identified the anti-ageing properties of white tea. For more information, please visit Nourishskinrange.com.