Foraging for ingredients in the wild yields more potent plants, which leads to more luminous and glowing skin for you.
At Codex Beauty, we rely on wild harvesting to source most of our ingredients. But what does that mean exactly? Master formulator and herbalist Tracey Ryan reveals why this method is the gold standard for your skin—and the earth.
Q: What is wild-harvested?
A: Tracey Ryan, Bia Master Formulator: “Wild harvesting, or foraging, is the practice of harvesting botanicals in an environmentally conscious way. This means an herbalist would only take only the part of the plant required for extraction—the physical leaves, stems or flowers—and leave the rest of the living plant intact. This is the essence of wild harvesting, but there’s more to it, as well. For example, it’s common practice to leave the roots intact and not take more than a quarter of the plant, so it can continue to grow. It’s also important to avoid picking endangered species, so they can still flourish.
Herbalists like to use wild-harvested native plants that are rich in nutrients and not readily available at your local farmer’s market. Since they live in the wild, these plants have not been grown in a monoculture, or protected from every pest, weed and adverse conditions, which makes them hardier, stronger, and ultimately more effective as skincare ingredients. They have adapted to their natural environment and developed a certain resiliency. And on a deeper level, these species are connected to the local rhizome—the system of roots and stems that runs underground—which helps plants ‘communicate’ with each other and thrive. These are special plants, and we’re proud to wild harvest our ingredients at Codex Beauty!”
