Ocinium Journal

Clean, natural, organic, vegan, cruelty-free—when it comes to beauty products, there is little if no regulation on how brands can use these words. Definitions are subjective and often change from brand to brand, package to package, making it nearly impossible to navigate—or decipher—the truth from greenwashing. Here, we break down the most common buzzwords for some much-needed clarity. WHAT DOES CLEAN...

Stress triggers a wide range of physiological and behavior changes and responses as the body tries to adapt to the impacts of stress. The skin is a key stress mediator, acting as a primary sensory organ with a highly developed system where stress hormones and their receptors are produced in the skins cells.  Cortisol is the primary stress hormone in...

Your skin’s needs and behaviours are influenced by our body clocks and vary drastically during the day compared to overnight. Skincare products that have been designed and well formulated for night time repair can enhance the delivery of key active ingredients into the dermis and at a cellular level where their performance can be maximised while you sleep.  Throughout the...

With the explosion of DIY skincare tips all over YouTube, Pinterest and blogs, DIY skincare has seen us experiment with a range of natural skin care ingredients for at home skincare recipes from lemon juice, apple cider vinegar to sugars, Himalayan salt, bentonite clay and even charcoal. On the surface, natural ingredients can seemingly appear safe, but not every edible beauty ingredient...

Protecting your skin against atmospheric villains is paramount when it comes to maximising your skin’s capacity to achieve a healthy, youthful complexion. Everyday our skin is exposed to an array of factors that contribute to premature aging, this includes UV rays, infrared radiation, ozone pollution, oxidative stress and more, often resulting in the skin’s matrix becoming compromised. In turn, this...

Essential oils are present in a high volume of cosmetic products from serums and moisturisers to cleansers and toners. These natural compounds have a somewhat controversial reputation, however we’re here to separate the fact from fiction and help you understand the scientific truth! Essential oils are completely natural compounds, derived from plant material, such as leaves, stems, flowers, bark and...

Aloe vera is the oldest medicinal herbal plant ever known and the most used medicinal plant worldwide, rightly earning its position as “the plant of immortality” with its medicinal use dating back thousands of years and its proven history of safety in biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The fresh leaves of aloe vera secrete a colourless mucilaginous gel that contains...

One of the biggest misconceptions in natural skincare is the consumer messaging on the avoidance of skincare ingredients that you don’t recognise or simply cant pronounce the names of. Well if that was the approach you were taking then you have just dismissed the majority of active ingredients that are going to do all that hard work for your skin...

An increased understanding of the skin’s cellular and molecular biology including gene regulation, protein expression and enzyme activity has evolved the beauty landscape to the emergence of “hybrid” skincare ingredients that levitate the boundaries between traditional cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Advancements in scientific research coupled with the development of biotechnologies has enabled increased understanding on how to interfere with skin cell...

It is far from the new skincare fad, after it it has been around since the 1930's, but vitamin c is having a new moment in the sun! Our increased awareness of our environment and the ways it affects our skin is shinning a new light on this ingredients antioxidant super powers with its hero status showing now sign of...

Six Intelligent Ingredients Every Woman Should Be Using In Her 20s – Part Two Whether you want to ensure wrinkle-free skin is in the future or you simply want to maintain its long-term health, implementing these tips into your skincare regimen now is crucial. If your unsure about what first steps to take, we have you covered! We've asked our...

Whether you want to ensure wrinkle-free skin is in the future or you simply want to maintain its long-term health, implementing these tips into your skincare regimen now is crucial. If your unsure about what first steps to take, we have you covered! We've asked our brands founder, Cassandra her top tips for anti-ageing essentials that you need to be considering...

Atmospheric ageing is the biggest cause of accelerated skin damage in today’s modern world. From UV damage to ozone pollution, there are an abundance of factors, which can contribute to increased levels of oxidative stress damage to the skin. The good news is, there are steps you can take to minimise the effects of atmospheric aging on the skin and increase...

The role of collagen and its importance in maintaining beautiful skin is a topic that’s been dominating beauty recently, with the latest new treatments of topical collagen peptides, ingested peptides or collagen induction purporting to enhance collagen production and give your skin a smooth, youthful glow. But let's begin with the basics! What is collagen? Collagen is the most abundant...

You’ve probably heard the term probiotic in relation to gut health before but did you know that probiotics are also a highly effective tool in achieving glowing and age defiant skin? While the use of probiotics in skincare is still a relatively new field of research, the results indicate that the inclusion of probiotic ingredients in skincare are beneficial in...