You may have recently seen the emergence of spiritual cosmetics. What is it? Come and discover some of the basics of this concept, and see how we worked to develop the Boisé Vétiver skin care mist by aligning ourselves with the concept of spiritual cosmetics.

What is spiritual cosmetics?

The term spiritual cosmetics describes an underlying trend in our hyper-connected lives: taking time to reconnect, meditate, and use healthy products that reconnect us with Earth, Nature, Air, Fire and Water.

Spiritual cosmetics emerged from the west coast of the USA, avant-garde on practices like yoga-surfing. The idea is to havea double posture " deconnect-reconnect" : to be able to disconnect from the physical elements that surround us and to reconnect to our deepest self through the mind and the body.

This is where the notion of spirituality transcends cosmetics. Cosmetics become vectors of access to this deep self. One approach may be that of lithotherapy (using the energetic vibrations of stones in cosmetics), another may be that of aromatherapy and aromachology This is the approach we have chosen with the Boisé Vétiver care mist.

What is aromatherapy? What is aromachology?

Aromatherapy and Aromachology are both based on a natural approach to plants, particularly their essential oils. Aromatherapy is a natural medicine that uses the therapeutic and fragrant properties of aromatic plants to treat or prevent disease. It focuses on physical and psychological symptoms. Aromachology is defined as the science that studies the relationship between odors and the behavior, mood and psyche of individuals. It is interested in the positive effects of aromas and olfaction on the psychology of individuals: emotions, mood, behavior, sleep, etc. By combining the two approaches, we went in search of natural aromatic scents and active ingredients that make us feel good, that can help us "disconnect-reconnect".

Vetiver, the essential oil of meditation and mindfulness

It is in this movement of spiritual cosmetics that we studied Vetiver, known to allow the refocusing on vital energy. Vetiver is native to India and its name comes from the Tamil word vettiveru. It is a very fragrant wild herb, now cultivated in Reunion, Kenya, Brazil, Sri Lanka and of course always in India. To produce Vetiver essential oil, the roots are used. They have a persistent aroma, much sought after by perfumers. Vetiver offers a warm and deep woody ferny olfactory note that is very difficult to reproduce synthetically. In an evening ritual, Vetiver calms stress and anxiety. Vetiver root connects us to our nourishing mother, to "our earth" and leads us to reconnect with its power and strength in complete serenity.

Some villages in India specialize in the production of incense for mediation. It is necessary to mix with an expert gesture two products from Vetiver: rhizome powder and essential oil. Vetiver was initially used in a traditional approach to meditation. The Buddha would have allowed the monks to use Vetiver as a medicinal root (along with ginger, arums, galingale and acore among others).

The idea of reconnecting to the earth through Vetiver comes from its fragrant roots and this notion of "anchoring": these beneficial roots could reach up to 3 meters long. This essential oil is associated with the root chakra: it would bring back to Earth, to the here and now, the most cerebral of us. It is precisely this notion of here and now that mindfulness emphasizes: through mindfulness meditation, it is about focusing, refocusing, living in the present moment.

The Boisé Vétiver mist: an olfactory journey for a natural treatment

To create the Boisé Vétiver skin care mist, we used the evocation of a walk in an undergrowth where the sun's rays after the rain come dancing on large green leaves. The smell of moss, wood and earth brings us to our roots. We have thus associated Vetiver with cedar, patchouli, Scots pine and sandalwood from New Caledonia. The nose that accompanies us has balanced the olfactory pyramid of the composition so that on the pillow, the smell is enveloping but not heady. At bedtime and throughout the night, Boisé Vétiver will bring you serenity, calm and rest. You will feel like you are reconnecting with Nature.

The relaxing and soothing power of Vetiver

Regarding the relaxing and soothing power of the Vetiver Wood care mist, we have had particular feedback from customers on its effectiveness on children of college age. According to the mother of a little girl who has anxiety problems in the evening: " My Loulou has always had trouble falling asleep and we tested Boisé Vetiver, which calmed her down a lot! I've tried a lot of rituals and this scent has really helped reassure her! And we are happy that Boisé Vetiver has entered the evening ritual of some of you and brings you serenity. It's a natural treatment that can help avoid medication in some cases to facilitate sleep and rest.

For the beauty part, the healing and anti-oxidant properties of Vetiver are known to give a purer complexion. Your hair, in addition to benefiting from better hydration thanks to the Benu Blanc silk, will have the positive effects of patchouli and sandalwood for more balance and shine.

Vetiver: a scent with an emotional charge

We have also developed the Vetiver Woody Care Mist taking into account its emotional charge: Vetiver has for many people a very strong resonance with members of their family. Why is this? Because Vetiver has been used for a very long time in perfumes, some of which are olfactory signatures, chosen and worn for many years by a father, a friend, a grandfather. You may recognize Guerlain's Vetiver, Hermes' Terre d'Hermès and Baiser du Dragon, or Chanel's Sycomore.

Vetiver and natural smoking cessation

Finally, one of the last secrets of the olfactory use of Vetiver is in smoking cessation. Inhaling Vetiver in a handkerchief would calm that sudden urge for a cigarette in smokers looking to quit completely. This is a typical aromachology approach: our olfactory receptors, stimulated by the components of Vetiver essential oil, send a message to our brain to calm and serenity. This is a natural way to reduce tension and impulses.

The association with the virginian cedar: a woody, suave complement, typical of the cedar

To give a woody note to our care mist, we looked for an essential oil that could both complement the notes of Vetiver and provide an answer to depression, fatigue, as well as to states of sadness. For this, Virginia cedar seemed to be the most appropriate essential oil.

The Virginia cedar, or Virginia juniper, is a small conifer also called red cedar because of the color of its wood. It is found in North America, but also in the southwest of France.

Its essential oil is known for its decongestant and draining properties, but also sedative. Cedrol molecules act on the central nervous system, leading to a relaxing and even sedative effect.

Benu Blanc's values: innovate while respecting the Human being and the planet

We have deliberately chosen to make spiritual cosmetics a concern in our innovation process, but not a primary value. We have indeed developed our company around our core values:

• For our customers: to guarantee simplicity, naturalness and effectiveness. To think and produce skincare rituals that are easy to fit into our busy lives. To choose natural elements that are full of beneficial properties for us all. To seek efficiency through technological innovation that respects humans and our planet.
• For our partners: trust and respect for work. We know all our partners, we meet them very regularly since our entire chain of innovation and production is located in the Grenoble-Montpellier area.
• For our planet: minimize packaging and favor recyclable materials. For example, the packaging of Nuit de Soie is made of recycled materials (cardboard and aluminum). It is made in France and is reusable and recyclable. Another example: for the pockets and mini-pockets, we wanted to avoid the plastic envelope (blister type) and opted for an attractive paper envelope with a worked closure. There is a noticeable difference in cost between the two options, but it is a choice we made in relation to our values.

Other companies have made spiritual cosmetics their core value. They advocate a holistic approach to beauty and wellness - which is what we do, but without claiming it. We want our products to bring wellness and well-being as well. As Gérard Redziniak, who leads Benu Blanc's scientific developments, points out: " In our beauty and wellness rituals there is the word rite . This word has its deep origin in a social practice of sacred or symbolic character. Through the eveningritual , we take the time to reconnect the individual to their deepest self. The ritual of spraying the mist on one's pillow, waiting a few moments, then lying down and relaxing also sends a message to our brain by its gestures: it is time to rest. With the aromatherapy of the mists and the sensoriality of the Benu Blanc silk pillowcase, the ritual solicits touch, smell and thought so that our body and mind align in a moment of well-being, of letting go. Through our approach to nighttime ritual, we aim to bring soothing and relaxation: to feel good in mind and body through reconnection to the self and the natural elements.

This is how we worked to develop the Vetiver Woody Mist. We have added a pinch of spiritual cosmetics to our recipe for natural innovation. We hope you will enjoy this mist: it has already conquered many of you and we appreciate your very positive feedback on this moment of well-being and beauty.

See you soon for more innovation while respecting Nature!

*Customer testimonial received by email on 06/25/2020, the child's name has been changed to maintain anonymity.

Sources:

Dave V., Yadav S., 2013, Aromatherapy for stress relief, International Journal of Research and Development in Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 2(3): 398-403

Burger, P.; Landreau, A.; Watson, M.; Janci, L.; Cassisa, V.; Kempf, M.; Azoulay, S.; Fernandez, X. Vetiver Essential Oil in Cosmetics: What Is New? Medicines 2017, 4, 41.

Couic Marinier F. and Touboul A., 2017, Le guide terre vivante des huiles essentielles, ed. Terre Vivante