Does the science live up to the company claim that it helps dry skin? Each ingredient is presented with the science to back it up to see what works and what doesn’t, this is everything you ever wanted to know about Weleda Skin Food.

Weleda Skin Food Info

Fast Facts About Weleda Skin Food | Interesting Information about Weleda Skin Food

Ingredient Analysis is Complicated | Limitations of Ingredient Analysis

Claims | Company claims about Weleda Skin Food

Ingredients | Complete List of Ingredients as of Jan 21, 2018

Each Ingredient and its Science

Sunflower Seed Oil | Oils 

Lanolin | Wool Wax

Sweet Almond Oil | Oils 

Cera Alba and Hydrolized Beeswax | Wax

Alcohol and Fatty Acid Ester | Not enough information

Glycerin | Humectant

Viola Tricolor Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract | Herbal extracts

Limonene, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Coumarin | Scents 

Sorbitan Olivate, Zinc Sulfate, Arginine | An Amino Acid and Formula Stabilizers

Summary | What I think about Weleda Skin Food, in a nutshell

Weleda Skin Food Info

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Weleda Skin Food Fast Facts

• Created in 1926, it is Weleda’s best-seller.
• Weleda is Certified Organic/Natural by Natrue, Cruelty Free, GMO Free, and Vegetarian. It also restricts some common chemicals of concern.
• Available in Target, CVS, Amazon and Weleda online.
• A favorite of Victoria Beckham, Adele, Julia Roberts, Rihanna, Alexa Chung, Suki Waterhouse. The list goes on and on.
• This is a rich cream for dry skin, and the ingredients really work towards that.
• Sunflower Seed Oil and Sweet Almond oils hydrate, moisturize and repair the skin barrier and are all very respectable and well-known.
• Glycerin attracts moisture and Beeswax retains it.
• Various plant extracts such as Heartsease, Rosemary, German Chamomile and Calendula help soothe dry skin with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-pyretic, and antioxidant effects.
• Zinc Sulfate helps preserve it while Sorbitan Olivate helps stabilize the formula.
• I’m not a fan of sensitizing fragrance. Weleda has them here through the addition of essential oils.
• It’d be perfect without the fragrance, but I have to say that this really works well enough already.

Ingredient Analysis is Complicated

Scientific studies of sole ingredients and their interactions are not available for every ingredient.

Additionally, how something is extracted is often not discussed. Different extraction methods actually influence a compound and so there’s really a limitation into what we can figure out.

Still, by understanding what the science says about an ingredient we can understand what is possible from our skin care and what we really can expect.

Claims

Skin Food is a universal savior of dry, rough skin on faces, elbows, hands and feet. With extracts of gentle viola tricolor, calendula and chamomile, in a rich, thick base of oils and beeswax, Skin Food hydrates skin to give you a healthy-looking glow.

Ingredients

Aqua, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lanolin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cera Alba, Alcohol, Fatty Acid Ester, Glycerin, Limonene 1, Viola Tricolor Extract, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Sorbitan Olivate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Arginine, Zinc Sulfate, Parfum 1, Linalool 1, Geraniol 1, Citral 1, Coumarin 1 1 from natural essential oils

Each Ingredient and its Science

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Sunflower Seed Oil

In general, Sunflower Seed Oil has been shown to increase hydration and normalize keratinocyte differentiation. They theorize that this is because it is predominantly Linoleic Acid (60 plus %) in composition. It also been as effective as topical steroids in Atopic Dermatitis patients and can reduce inflammation.

• Sunflower Seed Oil (SFO) was applied twice daily to the forearms of a group of volunteers. Hydration increased 12-14% versus baseline without any side effects.
• Conflicting advice regarding SFO in newborn skincare was noted in 2 separate studies. In a study of 22 newborns, SFO increased Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL), suggesting that SFO might retard the maturation of the skin. In a second study (again in Berlin and with some of the same authors!), SFO was found not to impair maturation of the skin barrier.
• The majority of studies find SFO beneficial. SFO is more than 60% Linoleic Acid (LA) which is the predominant fatty acid in skin barrier lipids. LA can regulate keratinocyte differentiation through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-a).
• SFO reduces inflammation in vitro and in animal models.
• SFO was found to be as effective as topical steroids in 2 independent studies. In the first, 40 children applied either a hydrocortisone butyro-propionate 1 mg/g and a 2% Sunflower Oil Distillate twice a week for three weeks. Both groups showed improvement. Another study of 86 children compared 0.05% desonide to 2% SOD cream and found the same result.

Lanolin

Lanolin reduces TEWL, accelerates skin barrier recovery, and reduces skin roughness. Reduction in skin roughness lasts even 8 hours after application.

• Lanolin is a by-product of wool shearing, and no sheep are killed in its production. (For those that worry animals are harmed in its production 😊).
• Lanolin is similar in composition to the stratum corneum lipids or the fat in the outermost layer of our skin.
• It reduced TransEpidermal Water Loss by 32% while petroleum reduced it by 48%. However, it is better than petroleum in skin barrier recovery. (Steel, Ian. Lanolin and the Skin)
• Also, lanolin’s reduced skin roughness by 25% even 8 hours after application. (Steel, Ian. Lanolin and the Skin)

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet Almond Oil has some data to show that it is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and that it protects against photo-aging. In addition, it has many benefits for cosmetic formulations.

• Almond oil protects against photo-aging. 20 mice were divided into 4 groups, one control, one exposed to UV radiation, one using almond oil and another exposed to UV radiation and using almond oil. Almond oil was found to decrease the number of UVB skin tumors and to inhibit photoaging.
• It may have some anti-bacterial properties as it reduced bacteria by 98.9% when added to a culture.

Cera Alba and Hydrolized Beeswax

Beeswax has antimicrobial properties. It seems to be used mostly to retain water and as part of Skin Food’s hydrating base.

• Cera Alba is purified beeswax while hydrolyzed beeswax is an altered form. It is used to control the thickness of a formula and to retain water in the skin.
• It’s been shown to have antimicrobial effects although which strain it is effective against can differ with how it is extracted. 

Alcohol and Fatty Acid Ester

Can’t be assessed because the ingredients list doesn’t specify which alcohol or fatty acid ester has been used. Note that not all alcohol is bad for the skin as some can actually help the skin.

Glycerin

Glycerin is actually found on the skin and has proven beneficial actions for dry skin.

• Naturally found in the skin, Glycerin improves hydration, reduces water loss, helps skin barrier function, helps in healing and is also an anti-microbial.
• It is a natural humectant, meaning that it absorbs water from its surroundings.
• It has no side effects but a high concentration can feel very sticky on the skin.

Viola Tricolor Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

• Extracts are parts of plants that have been placed in a carrier, which is usually water or ethanol. Preservatives may be added. It would be interesting to know what was being used.
• There are a mix of anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties in these extracts, as well as wound healing.

Viola Tricolor Extract (Heartsease)

• Heartsease or Viola Tricolor has a high concentration of Rutin which has anti-inflammatory properties.
• It was also shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect in an experiment with Windsor rats exposed to UVB radiation where heartsease gels were applied once a day for 6 days. A concentration of 3% reduced the UVB induced edema. Anti-inflammatory effects have been noted in other studies.
• Heartsease is also an antioxidant.

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Common Rosemary)

• Rosemary oils were placed in lipid nanoparticles for better absorption. Significant skin hydration and better elasticity was seen in 10 female volunteers.
• Rosemary is a known antioxidant.
• Rosemary is also anti-fungicidal. When a mix of essentials oils with 5% Rosemary was given to 7 cats with ringworm, 4 of the 7 cats recovered and the others showed a regression of lesions. Fungicidal results were good.

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (German Chamomile)

• It is anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and an antioxidant.
• It was more effective than 1% hydrocortisone in reducing inflammation.
• Additionally, it helps lessen the impulse to scratch as seen in a mouse trial.

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Marigold)

• Caledula improved skin hydration and firmness measured in 21 volunteers for 8 weeks.
• It’s an anti-oxidant as well.

Limonene, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Coumarin

Fragrance compounds are skin sensitizing but can be added or already part of the essential oils in a product. Based on my understanding, European regulation requires all compounds in a skincare product to be listed regardless of whether they were part of the essential oil or not. Weleda notes that this is from natural essential oils.

• Most customers prefer fragrance despite it being sensitizing.
• Several studies show fragrance incites contact allergies. Several usual fragrance mixes composed of different fragrance allergens have been tested usually FM1, FM2, HICC or MP (mixes of fragrance compounds). The reactions ranged from2% in British children to 14.5% of over 10,000 dermatitis patients in Belgium.
• In addition, many compounds are activated outside the skin and on the skin to form new sensitizers.

Sorbitan Olivate, Zinc Sulfate, Arginine

An amino acid and two formula stabilizers

• Sorbitan Olivate is a surfactant that is considered safe for use by the CIR. They are used to help oils and water blend well.
• Zinc sulfate is used to stabilize a formulation and is a biocide.
• Arginine is an amino acid that is believed to have anti-oxidant, wound healing, and skin regeneration effects.

Mice who were treated with arginine showed early wound healing_. Topical applications of 2.5% arginine hydrochloride also helped decrease dryness. (I couldn’t access this last article, so it was just the article abstract, but this seems in tune with other opinions I’ve read).

Summary

I kind of geeked out here.

I’ve been reviewing products for a while and I’ve gotten to know a ton of ingredients.

In fact, I actually keep my own database of ingredients to see how they work and what the science is. Still, I wanted to do a more in-depth study and read the studies and such.

Weleda’s a good product. Solid ingredients choices all around, herbal extracts that would do dry skin good, and safe formula stabilizers.

I’m not a fan of fragrance, but that’s just me.

Ingredients are effective, potent, and generally non-irritating with the exception of scent.

A pretty solid buy.