Author: Catherine

Kerry has released research uncovering the psychology behind consumers’ botanical preferences and perceived benefits, according to a press release. The research examined 44 emotions that consumers associate with botanical extracts. Between 2017 and 2020, botanical use in beverages rose 46%. The global market for botanical beverages and foods is expected to reach 1,489 billion by 2025, the press release states. This includes herbs, roots and barks, plants and trees, and flowers. Kerry surveyed over 6,500 consumers across 12 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa to discover attitudes towards over 55 botanicals. The research found that consumers think of botanicals as being energetic, interesting, useful, trustworthy, and safe. For example, a drink cont...

Inflammation is a critical element of human survival. It’s the body’s defense against infection and damaged tissue, and yet chronic inflammation can damage cells and organs, creating many of today’s common health problems. In the aging population, finding ways of slowing down inflammation becomes all the more important. David Foreman, RPh, popularly known as “The Herbal Pharmacist” and president of Herbal Pharmacist Media LLC, discusses the need to curb inflammation in aging populations and in all stages of life. As consumers become more aware of the harmful effects of inflammation and its impact on different parts of the body, he says, the number of nutritional ingredients to consider grows. From diet to supplementation, researchers are increasingly learning about how the ingredients we...

For people with sensitive skin, botanical ingredients have long been considered a big no-no. Because many of the most commonly used plants and flowers on the market can cause irritation, those with reactive complexions have been conditioned to simply stay away from them. “Botanicals have gotten a bad rap for a very long time,” says Tata Harper, founder of Tata Harper Skincare. “But what I’ve come to realize is that people with reactive skin are afraid to try anything that they consider too powerful, and they end up with a very simple routine that tends to be quite synthetic.” Thanks to innovation from Harper and others in the skin-care space, though, there’s a new crop of sensitive-skin friendly botanicals that are about to turn that “bad rap” around.  First up, let’s address why botanica...