Trend Spotting: mushrooms of the world

Here Cosmetics Design looks at a sampling of brands working with mushrooms.

Africa​

Based in Olympia, Washington, the 15-year-old natural personal care brand Alaffia has close ties to the West African country of Togo. In fact, the brand sources many of its botanical ingredients from countries all over the African continent.

Alaffia uses reishi mushroom extract in a few of its products: a hand and body crème, a body lotion, a deodorant, and a home fragrance spray.

“Reishi mushrooms are,” ​according to WebMD, “among several medicinal mushrooms that have been used for hundreds of years, mainly in Asian countries, for treatment of infections.” ​And for nearly 50 years the mushroom has been cultivated in South Africa.

Asia​

South Korea-based Amore Pacific formulates with mushrooms too. The brand’s Future Response Age Defense Cream is made with “hand-cultivated green tea, pine mushroom and Future Response Complex [to provide] powerful antioxidant benefits and [help] to alleviate signs of skin irritation, while protecting the skin against external pollution,” ​according to that brand’s product page.

And out of Japan, Shiseido’s relatively new skin care brand WASO​ uses the white jelly mushroom as the key ingredient in its Fresh Jelly Lotion. “The White Jelly Mushroom has long been treasured in Japan as a food for beautiful skin. Like a sponge, it holds onto water and bounces back to its plump, just-picked state when soaked. White Jelly Mushroom Extract helps deliver moisture to skin’s deeper layers,” ​explains the WASO product page for the lotion.

North America ​

On the West Coast, Moon Juice Beauty’s Shroom Plumping Jelly and ingestible Beauty Shroom Vegan Collagen Protection product are both made with Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp or Silver Ear Mushroom. (The serum formula also includes reishi mushroom.)

The brand promises that “this topical and ingestible pair work synergistically to protect your natural collagen, increase hydration levels, and minimize fine lines and wrinkles,” ​and notes that “they each contain the same key ingredients – Silver Ear Mushroom, Hyaluronic Acid, and Tocos.”​

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.