With the latest health trend leaning towards probiotics and fermented foods, the beauty industry has taken a jump on board the hottest health trend to fermented nirvana. It’s not that fermented foods, probiotics and mushrooms haven’t been around for thousands of years -- they have. But with the shifting of gears to cleaner formulations, bioactive additives and greater bioavailability of ingredients, many companies and consumers are making a beeline to be the first to give fermented skincare a try.

What are ferments and what do they do? In simple terms, fermentation is the process where a substance is broken down into finer molecules by the use of bacteria, yeast or other microorganisms. When used in skincare, these fermented plants then exhibit higher potency and concentration of skin loving molecules.

From a chemist’s point of view, fermentation takes active components in whole plant materials, like antioxidants and phenolic compounds, and enhances their potency and absorbability by decreasing molecular size.  These smaller molecules become more bioavailable and can go deeper into damaged areas of the skin tissue where repair might be needed.

“Fermented skincare is more bioavailable for dermal repair like reducing hyperpigmentation, boosting collagen + elastin production and overall refinement of skin texture”

Magical mushrooms, the skincare superhero The use of mushrooms is rooted in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda and has been used for thousands of years to correct imbalances in the body and protect against disease and cellular damage. Mushrooms are adaptogenic in nature, meaning that they can help to restore balance in body function otherwise known as homeostasis. When we apply these compounds topically, they can offer relief from environmental stressors, inflammation and photosensitizing agents. Now, as we ferment these already potent ingredients, we find that mushrooms are becoming the star of the show when it comes to glowing skin.

There are many forms of mushrooms that supply plant based alternatives to otherwise chemical based ingredients. Thanks to interest holistic wellness, we are becoming familiar with shiitake and reishi mushrooms in our grocery aisles, and now they are mainstreaming their way into our beauty products. They are a natural source of Vitamin D, and when applied topically, they provide benefits like brightening, anti-aging, nourishing, hydration, redness reduction, antioxidant protection and wound healing. 

“As a formulator, I’ve found that mushrooms like shiitake, reishi, chaga and cordyceps are not only effective in treating specific skin issues like dullness, dryness and uneven texture, but they are also gentle and effective for sensitized skin as well.”

At Buffalo Gal Organics, we have paired the power of fermented mushrooms, hyaluronic acid and healing oils into our new Every Day Glow collection where you’ll find Buffalo Gal's M2 hydroferment mist, M2 hydroferment serum  + M4 Magic Mushroom Beauty Oil. When used together, these products help skin retain moisture, even skin tone and allow for protection against stressors like photosynthetic aging and blue light exposure. All of our products are organic, vegan and ethically sourced, and our company is women-owned.

With the trend towards clean beauty, fermented and naturally derived ingredients are gaining popularity in more skincare formulations because they are clean, sustainable, provide results and are gentler on the skin overall. Look for fermented extracts of all sorts on your beauty bottle, from green tea to black tea and mushrooms when choosing what is right for your skin type. 

Now, go grab that kombucha while you give your skin a treat!

“What you put on your skin you eat. Make sure that you eat clean from the outside in too.”
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Kasia Cummings is a chemist and the Founder and CEO of Buffalo Gal Organics, with a mission to provide quality, plant based skincare that is good for you inside and out.

As 2021 opened up its doors to us, we have been working on finding better ways to share our message, our mission and our why with all of you.  Self admittedly, I'm the worst at sitting down and putting into words the reasonings behind the brands, but so many of you have asked me to share more of my journey, my why and what's important to me as a formulator, business woman and most of all, a regular gal just trying to live her dream.

We start the year with our mantra :  𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮.  It's been the best phrase to express how we view our products, our mission and our soul work.  If you take care of yourself and meet your needs one step at a time it resonates volumes on the soul level.  When you feel honored, supported, and deeply cared for your whole perspective changes.  Often, we look outside of ourselves to get those needs met... but, we are trying to change your perspective on that one day at a time.  Our biggest obstacle most times is actually creating that space that allows us the time to just be with ourselves.  To center.  To ground. To focus on what is important to us.  We're all busy and this past year has brought us new challenges and opportunities for growth that no one could have planned.  And yet, here we are... stronger.  

This year, we ask you to to take some time for yourself on the daily to really take care of yourself.  Simple tasks like a skincare ritual can take that day that has been overwhelming and make it feel more in balance, less stressful and ultimately more loving.  As the year progresses, you'll see us adding more health, wellness and self care tools to our boutique to help you have a resource, a touch point, of where you can go to get what you need on your personal journey.  We hope you'll take the time to join us on ours.

Namaste beautiful friends,
Kasia

P.S. below you'll find a snippet of a recent instagram post about our new basics line.  Find out a little bit of our why below!

Meet: 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓼
The basics is a complete, minimalist skincare line designed to take your routine from chaotic to chill just like that! It's comprised of five products that are plant based (99%vegan... Only because we use honey in one), full of organic ingredients and plant botanicals that are oh so good for your skin. The basics collection is designed to work with any skin type and is an amazing (and affordable) introduction into the world of plant based skincare.

Why: 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕒 𝕓𝕚𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕪
Let's be honest, last year changed a lot for us all. We had to take a look at our lives, habits, extras that we had been accustomed to and decide what was worth keeping and what was necessary to let go. With so many of us working more from home, wearing less makeup and taking athleisure to a new level we found that as a company we too needed to make adjustments. Sometimes ingredients and packaging were scarce (or nonexistant). We had to be more resourceful and decide on product mixes, what to discontinue and where to focus our efforts for the year ahead. This was not an easy process!!!!

But, out of the chaos and uncertainty came some truly beautiful moments of insight that has led us here to this day. We hope that you give this collection a try and take the opportunity to treat your skin. Our motto is 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 and we feel that taking care of you shouldn't break the bank either. All products in the skincare line are priced at $20 or less, with the complete 5 step ritual for $89.