Superfoods For Your Face: 4 Seasonal Superfoods for a Summer Glow

“I advocate eating a rainbow—fruits and vegetables of different hues”, says The Body Shop’s Beauty Botanist, Jennifer Hirsch, who we recently chatted with to discover some of the seasonal superfoods we should try reaching for this summer—and who knows, they may just help us achieve that coveted summer glow! “Beauty is as much inside out, as it is outside in,” Hirsch says, suggesting that we not only incorporate superfoods like seeds, berries, watercress, and honey into our diets, but also our skin care routine! Check out which four superfoods Hirsch recommends adding to your shopping list, and to your skin care routine, below!

“Packed with the right balance of essential fatty acids, super seeds, like black cumin, are a great summer superfood. [They] are filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and are small enough to make the perfect portable snack—an effortless way to up your superfood quotient.” In addition to eating these super seeds, there are countless products that incorporate them into their formulas, like The Body Shop’s Oils of Life Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil. The lightweight facial oil can nourish the skin, while working to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, for a complexion that will appear more youthful and radiant.

The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil, $39

“Berries, from the exotic acai to blueberries and raspberries, are pint-sized powerhouses of antioxidant activity,” Hirsch says. At Skincare.com, our favorite summer berry is the strawberry. These juicy berries are packed with goodies like vitamin C and folic acid. When we aren’t consuming these super berries, we are applying them topically with The Body Shop’s Strawberry Puree Body Lotion. This lightweight lotion formula is made of real strawberry seed oil and can leave the skin feeling hydrated and smelling sweet.  

The Body Shop Strawberry Puree Body Lotion, $13

“Spicy salads are a great way of adding superfoods to your repertoire—and if kale is not your thing, [try] watercress,” Hirsch says. “Watercress has more vitamin C than an orange and more vitamin A than tomatoes and broccoli!” Not big on salad? Get your vitamin C in smoothie form, thanks to our favorite vitamin C smoothie, or better yet, apply topically! When applied topically, vitamin C can help neutralize free radicals formed by pollution and smoking, while vitamin A—also known in skin care as retinol—can help with acne-prone skin and UV damage. We love getting our vitamin C in The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz. This face mist can refresh and energize dull-looking skin whenever your skin needs a little pick-me-up. In addition to vitamin C, it contains skin soothing aloe vera, for instant relief on a hot summer day.  

The Body Shop Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz, $20   

“With its high level of carbohydrates and easy digestibility, we know honey as a superfuel, as well as a superfood. But, what you might not have realized is that some nutritional anthropologists think honey may have helped us evolve big brains. Adding up evidence in paleolithic rock art of honey collection, the observation of modern primates, and the importance of honey to cultures around the globe, the anthropologists are proposing that honey gave early man and his predecessors the necessary energy to fuel a big brain. This gave them the edge needed to outcompete other species—truly a superfood!,” Hirsch explains. Whether you are applying raw honey—or manuka honey—to the skin as a hydrating face mask, incorporating it into your daily diet, or using products that are formulated with this superfood, like The Body Shop’s Honeymania Body Butter, honey can leave the skin feeling nourished, while promoting a complexion that glows.

The Body Shop Honeymania Body Butter, $21

Now… who’s hungry?