Ingredients Index: Strawberry

I want to talk to you about one of my favourite fruits… strawberries! This superfruit is amazing for you, inside and out. Not only do they taste delicious on their own but work beautifully in things like smoothies. They have some really fantastic benefits… let’s talk about a few!

Inner Beauty

The vibrant red colour of strawberries is due to large amounts of anthocyanidin, which also means they contain powerful antioxidants and is thought to protect against inflammation, cancer and heart disease. They’re rich in vitamin C… one serving is enough to give you your whole day’s recommended intake!

Their leaves can be eaten raw, cooked or used to make tea. The fruit can also be infused in water to give it a tasty boost!

Outer Beauty

So what makes Strawberries so effective when it comes to skincare?

Strawberries, like many other fruits, have naturally derived AHA’s, which is the natural fruit acid found in many skincare and skin peeling products to slough off dead skin, leaving you with a more radiant complexion. Strawberries are also in rich Vitamin C, which has proven antioxidant properties and evens out your skin tone, shields skin from the visible impacts of pollution, improves hydration, and keeping your skin looking younger. Strawberries also contain Salicylic Acid (you can read our piece on Salicylic Acid here), which makes this fruit kick-ass against acne as it’ll penetrate deep into the pores and clean them out.

One way you can use Strawberry in your skincare is through a body wash… we’ve been enjoying The Body Shop’s Strawberry Body Polish. It isn’t overly ‘scruby’ – it’s more of a cleanser with the added crushed walnut shells and kiwi seeds for an incredibly gentle scrub. I love this range, it smells delicious and this polish cleanses the skin nicely. This polish also contains cold-pressed strawberry seed oil which provides the gorgeous colour and scent, along with nourishing the skin and the AHA which will cleanse the pores. It has a gel-like texture so is easy to use in the shower and it isn’t sticky either. It is a refreshing body wash with the added benefit of a gentle polish.

Strawberry is also used in face masks and this light pink clay-based Strawberry Tonic Mask from Mario Badescu is luscious. It takes around 20 minutes to dry. As you’d expect from a clay mask, it dries hard so it’s best to do this mask when you don’t need to move for a while. It washes off very easily. This mask is perfect for more oily to combination skin type. It works to absorb excess oils from the skin (without drying it out). Strawberry also has AHA’s and Salicylic Acid in it, which are chemical exfoliants. These will refresh and brighten the skin, along with exfoliating and cleaning the pores. It feels soothing and refreshing on the skin.