The latest trend in natural beauty isn't something you put on your face, but rather tasty powders to gobble up with your breakfast. Fermented beauty products are made from ingredients that we should arguably be eating on the regular, but most of us don't have the time or taste buds to wolf down each day. The Beauty Chef is one of the biggest manufacturers of fermented, edible beauty products at the moment, and their careful selection of ingredients are from nutrient rich, organic fruits and veggies that are a major component to clear, glowing skin. If your diet is already on point, you may not have ever though to question the food you put in your body and how it relates to your outbreaks or dull complexion. For those who know the root of their skin woes lies in the hands of your stomach contents, then the Beauty Chef's line of fermented beauty products could possibly be your new bestie.
So what, exactly, is fermentation? In an interview with Refinery29, Laura Filancia, education director at Korean brand Sulwhasoo, explained that the process "breaks down the molecular structure of the ingredients and actually makes the nutrients more concentrated and more easily and rapidly absorbed." That means your skin is getting more of the benefits from these powders than they might if you were smearing the raw versions of the ingredients all over your face.
Obviously, I'm not going to just sling the alleged benefits of fermented products at you without giving it a go myself. The beauty powder I tried was called Glow Inner Beauty, a fermented concoction rich in probiotics, vitamins, and antioxidants. As the name implies, its goal is to make your skin more radiant and glow-y in general, rather than treating specific woes.
For starters, I was incredibly surprised by how delicious it tasted. The first few days, I diluted my powder with boiled tap water and sipped it with my morning oatmeal. The recommendation for these fermented powders is to include in a smoothie or water for maximum benefits. Of course, if I had a favorite smoothie, I wouldn't be drinking fermented beauty products, but once I upgraded to using seltzer water, the bubbly goodness of fermented beauty was not a chore, but a rather delicious snack for my face.
Of course, having a relatively high fiber diet as a vegetarian did make for a few reoccurring stomach aches. Nothing horrendous, but I will say that if you already have a high fiber diet, you may want to cut the dosage in half to avoid any weird tummy stuff. I did just that and interestingly enough, I definitely felt like my morning beverage was a great energy booster.
Carla Oates, The Beauty Chef, did not come up with this unique fermented beauty process overnight. According to the Beauty Chef team, it took over two decades to perfect the magic and science behind these fermented treats with over 20 living super foods and an exclusive fermentation process only used in Oates' products. The thought process behind her products is that organic skincare and food is the foundation for true, natural beauty — I obviously couldn't agree more.
However, if I'm being totally honest, I didn't notice a change in my skin during my time using the powders. It could be because I already have a pretty solid, natural routine that I'm diligent about sticking to, so my skin didn't need any of that detoxing. I definitely DID notice a boost in energy, however, so I'm still using it as a supplement with my usual breakfast!
If you're still curious to give it a try (even if it's just to help you cut out coffee), for about $60 you can purchase the Body Beauty Inner Powder, the Glow Inner Beauty Powder, or the Detox Inner Beauty Powder. Real talk though, this isn't an excuse to skip meals or eat like tween that's been left home alone for the first time. Eat your fruits and vegetables and use your Inner Beauty Powder in addition to your current diet, not instead of.
Image: The Beauty Chef
