100% Natural & Organic Suncare from Dr. Hauschka

Natural sun care from Dr. Hauschka

Summer. Sun. Prickly pear.

Good morning, sunshine! It's so great to see you. To feel your warm beams on our faces as we squint into the light. Getting a charge out of the ease and airiness that summer brings. It’s a feeling of immaculate bliss. The proper sun care lets us appreciate the sun in a healthy and carefree way, helping us protect the skin without depriving it of crucial sunlight.

Keeping us in balance. With the sun. With nature. And with ourselves.

Apricot

The Golden Fruit.

They taste their best when it's still warm from the sun: we cherish apricots – and not just because of their scrumptious, smooth, sweet-tasting flesh. A number of other abilities make apricot extract a fabulous ingredient in our Sun Care Range

Waking up with the sun.
The apricot is a member of the rose family and knows how to form the foremost of the primary beams of daylight. Its title is inferred from the Latin word “praecoces”, which means “early to mature”. The fruit tree was so named in Roman times because of the fact it is one of the first in the

A feast for all the senses.
Orange-yellow in colour, smooth delicate and seductively fragrant. Then the first bite of the fresh fruit’s flesh – sweet, smooth and impeccably balanced with a hint of acidity. Once you have experienced apricots like this, you'll need to eat them until the end of time!

A treasure from the East.
The apricot is said to be one of the most seasoned developed natural products, as far as anyone knows, discovered in northern China 4,000 a long time prior. The golden-coloured fruit was traded by means of the Silk Road, finding its way over Syria to the Roman Empire.

A vegetable among fruits.
The apricot might nearly pass for a vegetable on the premise of its wholesome value: no other fruit contains such high levels of carotenoids, minerals and fibre. One to three of these velvety fruits provides 2 mg of carotenoids, which is our recommended daily intake.

Beautifully effective.

Apricots are full of healthy plant power: carotenoids fortify the immune system, protect the skin from UV radiation and avoid deposits in the arteries, vitamin B5 is nice for the nerves, and folic acid increases cell turnover.

Nanoparticles in sun cream

Small in size but big in impact.

Our sun creams contain not only nurturing plants, but also nano-sized mineral UV filters. How do they work and why do we utilize them? Leonie Goller, food chemist and a part of our Cosmetic Safety and Information team, provides the answers.

Leonie: A nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre. To visualise this, if the human body were the size of the Earth, a nanoparticle would be the size of an orange.

So, nanoparticles are minor particles that measure between 1 and 100 nanometres in length. But what are they doing in my sun cream?

Leonie: To understand this, you first have to know what the nanoparticles are made of. In our sun products, we use only the mineral UV filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These are the only natural UV filters that are listed in the EU Cosmetics Regulation, approved according to the NATRUE criteria for certified natural cosmetics, and that meet our own high quality standards. Both occur naturally in the minerals of the earth, are not hormone-active, are very well tolerated by the skin, and are effective as soon as the sun cream is applied. We use nano-sized particles of these in our sun creams.

What exactly is titanium dioxide and how does it work?

Titanium dioxide is insoluble in water and is formed when the natural mineral ilmenite is broken down and ties with oxygen. In sun creams, these nanoparticles sit on the skin and reflect UVA and UVB radiation like a mirror. By the way, this is often why we utilize two different mineral UV filters. For comprehensive sun protection, the skin must be protected from a broad spectrum of UV radiation. This not only helps prevent sunburn and skin maturing, but moreover protects against the more profound penetration of the sun’s radiation that can cause skin cancer, for example. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide cover both.

If the nanoparticles are mineral UV filters, does that mean they are harmless for my skin?

Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide cannot penetrate the skin. The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has affirmed this is true even for sun-damaged skin and delicate children’s skin. The use of nanoparticles is even beneficial when it comes to the effectiveness of UV filters. The smaller the particles, the more effective the sun protection they give the skin. A mineral sunscreen with nanoparticles is additionally easier to spread, thus decreasing the “whitening” effect.

So, nanoparticles are completely harmless?

Because nanoparticles have so many different properties, answering this question in broad strokes is impossible. But one thing is certain: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles are completely safe for use in cosmetic products such as sun cream.

What about chemical UV filters?

In the EU, 29 UV filters are currently approved for use. These include both of our mineral filters, as well as chemical UV filters like octocrylene, oxybenzone, and octinoxate. These are small molecules that penetrate the top layer of the skin and, through a chemical reaction, convert UV radiation into heat. Many of these, however, are suspected of altering hormone levels and causing skin irritation. Chemical UV filters, on the other hand, pollute the environment. That is why, in 2021, Hawaii and Palau imposed a ban on sunscreens containing certain chemical UV filters.

Yet another reason to choose Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products, right?

Natural skin care is always the better option for me, simply because of the natural ingredients, our expertise in dealing with the sun, and the social and ecological projects that these sun creams support. Furthermore, I do not believe there is a better argument than the fact that the UV filters we use do not penetrate the skin and thus pose no risk. The science is truly self-evident.

Prickly pear

A rich desert fruit.

The prickly pear was sacred to the Aztecs for its tasty flesh, but also for its properties as a medicinal plant. The cactus’s expert qualities when it comes to dealing with the heat make prickly pear extract an excellent ingredient in our Sun Care range.

A spiny water tank.
The prickly pear's spiny green pads are not leaves, but rather shoots that store water. They can still photosynthesise, so they act as the plant's leaves, branches, and trunk all in one. The actual leaves of the prickly pear have been transformed into spines. Anyone who wants a taste of the sweet fruits must first get through these.

Gift of the gods.
The Aztecs were already aware of the unique properties of this plant. They revered the prickly pear as a divine plant, giving it the name "nopal." They also made a highly potent drink from the fruits, which was served at sacred festivals.

Always ready to root.
Every shoot, fruit, and flower of the prickly pear can grow roots – and they don't need rain to do so. This allows the plant to absorb even minute amounts of moisture from the cool night air, for example, and form new shoots.

Locking in moisture.
Cacti have devised their own clever method of preventing water loss during the day: they close their pores and 'hold their breath' until the air cools or becomes more humid. As a result, these plants only exchange gases at night – the most energy-efficient method!

Bright and healthy.
The bright color of prickly pear flesh is due to the high concentration of natural pigments in it. These have an antioxidant effect, which helps to protect cells and organs such as the skin, kidneys, and blood vessels.

Nurturing Plants

Enjoy the sun with the power of plants.

When it comes to dealing with the sun, nature is full of expert knowledge. We combine apricot, prickly pear, calendula, anthyllis, and botanical oils in medicinal plant formulations for our Sun Care line to provide fivefold effective care. In doing so, we are utilizing the skills of some true sun specialists.

We are passionate about and inspired by the power of plants, which produce juicy, soft, and sweet fruits in abundance even when the sun is scorching and the soil is barren and dry. As a result, it stands to reason that for our Sun Care line, we would once again turn to the most qualified expert we know: nature. Plants like the apricot and the prickly pear live in harmony with the sun; they remain calm and serene even in harsh environments where they thrive luxuriously, bountifully, and beautifully. We use these skills to create our Sun Care products. Because we believe in the power of nature to protect and care for us.

Feeling and understanding the garden.
Those who dig with both hands in the earth understand the essence of plants. Those who take in the colors, blossoms, roots, and textures of nature, and who follow nature's rhythm. Joscha Huter, a gardener at WALA's medicinal herb garden, is one of these people. Huter is aware that the apricot is one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits. Apricot trees were present in northern China over 4,000 years ago and traveled along the Silk Road from Syria to Europe via Turkey. The apricot is unafraid of heat. "The apricot transforms light into warmth," Huter explains. "Anyone who stands under an apricot tree directly experiences this warmth and sweetness."

Sun-kissed.
The apricot tree is a giving tree. Its fruit is not protected by a hard shell, as the almond tree does. Instead, it catches the light, basks in the sun, and stretches its downy, round, and plump fruit towards it. The fruits turn pink, but not as a result of sun damage; rather, they become riper and more fragrant. "The apricot transforms heat into healthy sweetness and color," Huter says.

We adore the apricot's vitality and balance, as well as its ability to retain and give moisture at the same time. The golden-yellow pulp of Italian apricots in our Sun Care range imparts these qualities to your skin, strengthening its own defenses when exposed to the sun.

An oasis in the desert.
The prickly pear is also an all-star when it comes to dealing with the sun. It has cleverly adapted to life in deserts and steppes, developing properties that allow it to thrive even in harsh environments. "The leaves of the prickly pear have modified into spines over time, and the plant traps moisture under the waxy layer of its shoots," explains Joscha Huter. Only at night, when the prickly pear can absorb moisture from the cooler air, does gas exchange occur. As a result, the plant is excellent at storing water. Every shoot, flower, and fruit has the ability to form roots. It's as if a spring is drawing from itself."

Prickly pear from Sicily and Tunisia is used in our Sun Care line. Its potent properties allow you to enjoy the sun in a relaxed manner: fresh plant extracts protect your skin from dehydration, counteract sunburn, and stimulate regenerative processes. Furthermore, the vibrant pigments in prickly pear aid in the prevention of light-induced skin aging. Nonetheless, we recommend that you approach the sun with caution.

The power of five.
Our Sun Care products' formulations are completed with valuable extracts of calendula and anthyllis grown in our own medicinal herb garden. Because of their balancing properties, they are not only important ingredients in Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products, but they also help to soothe sun-stressed skin. This five-in-one medicinal plant formulation, when combined with high-quality botanical oils, effectively strengthens the skin's own moisture balance while providing pampering care. Take advantage of the plants and the sun!

After Sun Care: recovering after time in the sun.

After a day out in the hot sun, your skin yearns for calm and relaxation. Our after sun products allow you to replenish moisture loss and cool your sun-stressed skin. Your skin uses the night to renew itself from the inside out. Our Sensitive Care Conditioner ampoules support this regenerative process. They soothe sun-stressed skin and stimulate its natural abilities.