Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.) comes from a tree native to the east coast and Mid-Atlantic. Infusions and decoctions of the leaves and bark were infused by indigenous groups to treat hemorrhage, inflammation, hemorrhoids, and other painful swellings. The high tannin content provides the plant’s astringency, which means its effective at tightening and toning tissue (like skin). Relatedly, it has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties.[1] It’s also an effective wound-healer and acne-fighter, and is high in free-radical scavenging antioxidants.[2]

What this means for your skin: it’s great at tightening and toning pores, removing dirt and gunk, and calming inflamed, stressed-out skin. It’s effective for balancing acneic skin but isn’t over-drying, so works well for normal to dry skin, too. We use an organic, alcohol-free witch hazel in our toners. Flower Child has a higher concentration of witch hazel, so is ideal for normal to oily skin types. Blood Moon has a little less witch hazel, and is formulated for normal to dry skin types. Choose your own witch hazel adventure.

Find it in

Flower Child

Blood Moon

Citations

[1] H. C. KortingM. Schäfer-KortingH. HartP. LauxM. Schmid. Anti-inflammatory activity of hamamelis distillate applied topically to the skin. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. May 1993, Volume 44, Issue 4, pp 315–318. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00316465

[2] Touriño S1, Lizárraga D, Carreras A, Lorenzo S, Ugartondo V, Mitjans M, Vinardell MP, Juliá L, Cascante M, Torres JL. Highly galloylated tannin fractions from witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) bark: electron transfer capacity, in vitro antioxidant activity, and effects on skin-related cells. Chem Res Toxicol. 2008 Mar;21(3):696-704. doi: 10.1021/tx700425n. Epub 2008 Mar 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311930