Once found only in alternative health stores and on top of pizza, the humble mushroom is now taking over the beauty scene. As it turns out, fungi really are fantastic—with a whole slew of science-backed benefits for skin and overall wellness. Keep reading to discover the magic of the mushroom, including the benefits of fungi for skin.
How long have mushrooms been used in skincare?
While use of fungi in health and beauty routines is only recently catching on in the West, the magic of mushrooms has been well-known for centuries in Asia. Reishi and cordyceps mushrooms, for example, have been used for their healing and restorative properties in traditional Chinese medicines for years. Today, mushrooms are gaining traction in Western wellness spaces thanks to their adaptogenic properties—many varieties of mushrooms are said to help the body regulate stress, balance hormones, and reduce inflammation.
What are the skincare benefits of mushrooms?
Applied topically to skin, mushrooms can have a host of benefits, including hydration, anti-aging, nourishing, soothing, and brightening. (Kojic acid, a well-known brightening ingredient, is found in shiitake mushrooms.) Of the roughly 14,000 varieties of mushrooms, many have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits that may help to target the root cause of skin issues like fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, and redness: oxidative stress spurred by environmental stressors. Other types of fungi, like the tremella or snow mushroom, are powerful hydrators that can hold up to 500 times their weight in water.
Via: Beautylish.com
