What is Xenorhormesis?
The concept of Hormesis, otherwise theorised as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, is the concept that small doses of stress can boost resilience. (4)
Xenohormesis is this response applied to plant behaviour.
How is this relevant when it comes to Human health?
Xenohormesis looks at how environmental stress on plants encourages them to produce bioactive compounds that insulate them from this stress, and how humans and other animals benefit second hand, when we consume the plants or utilise plant extracts in skincare. (1, 5)
This is because some of the plant’s protective adaptations can be transferred over, allowing us to benefit from billions of years of evolution of plant intelligence.
Plants and plant products have been used for thousands of years medicinally, and plant-derived antioxidants and other bioactive compounds do seem to have beneficial effects when used in skincare. Improvements include improving skin resilience, reducing inflammation, and protecting against oxidative damage. (3) You can read more about the science behind our products here.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and a building body of evidence is showing us that our skin health may also impact our overall wellbeing. Read more about this in our Biohacking article here.
Botanical extracts are key to enhancing our skin’s natural defences to environmental stressors (such as UV, pollution, dehydration, blue light and even lifestyle stressors), maintaining skin barrier function, and improving skin longevity, as the right formulation signals the skin to go into maintenance mode. (6)
This is why we work almost exclusively with natural and seasonal botanical ingredients in our formulas, and encourage the care of our skin from head to toe. Our products provide your skin with its seasonally relevant adaptive needs, whether it’s antioxidant and sun exposure support (Summer Everywhere), or greater resilience to cold and dry environments (Winter Everywhere).
We also ensure to take care of Mother Nature by sourcing sustainably and traditionally farmed, local ingredients. You can read all about our environmental audit and sustainability practices here.
As always, this article has been written for educational purposes only, and is not to be taken as medical advice.
Article written by Ingrid van den Berg van Saparoea, Director of Radical Botanics, and medically reviewed by Mairead McCorry, Masters Sc. in Acupuncture, Bachelor of Nursing, Post Grad. Dip. Education, Adv. Dip. Ayurveda Medicine.
References:
- Hooper, P., Hooper, P., Tytel,l M., & Vígh, L. (2010) Xenohormesis: health benefits from an eon of plant stress response evolution. Cell Stress Chaperones. Nov;15(6):761-70. doi: 10.1007/s12192-010-0206-x
- Baur, J., & Sinclair, D. (2008) What is Xenohormesis? Am J Pharmacol Toxicol.Mar 31;3(1):152-159. doi: 10.3844/ajptsp.2008.152.159
- Bucciantini, M., Leri, M., Scuto, M., Ontario, M., Trovato, A., Calabrese, E., Calabrese, V., & Stefani, M. (2022) Xenohormesis underlyes the anti-aging and healthy properties of olive polyphenols, Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, Volume 202, 111620, ISSN 0047-6374, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2022.111620.
- Bondy, S. (2023) The Hormesis Concept: Strengths and Shortcomings. Oct 12;13(10):1512. doi: 10.3390/biom13101512
- Rattan, Suresh & Kryzch, Valérie & Schnebert, Sylvianne & Perrier, Eric & Nizard, Carine. (2012). Hormesis-Based Anti-Aging Products: A Case Study of a Novel Cosmetic. Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society. 11. 99-108. 10.2203/dose-response.11-054.Rattan. DOI:10.2203/dose-response.11-054.
- Stallings, A., & Lupo, M. (2009) Practical uses of botanicals in skin care. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2009 Jan;2(1):36-40. PMCID: PMC2958188 PMID: 20967187