Because we know there’s countless beauty products and trends winding through your wellness circles right now — probably inducing a strong dose of skincare anxiety — we're going to cut straight to the chase: if you have skin, amla berries belong in your skincare lineup.
Why?
1. They’re nature’s most concentrated source of antioxidants (the stuff that keeps your skin happy & healthy)
2. They’ve been used for millennia in Ayurvedic healing and beauty
3. Amla is hypoallergenic, as proven by our team of dermatologists
4. (and to top things off, Alo-style) The amla oil we use is vegan, never tested on animals, and 100% clean, natural, and organic
AMLA IN AYURVEDA
Now let’s go back to #2 for a second, because at Alo, this piece was essential as we created a skincare line that went hand in hand with our commitment to wellness.
While we’re still students of all things Ayurveda, what we’ve learned from the experts is that this ancient practice is an individualized form of self-care that keeps your life in balance. The key? Mind-body harmony.
In Ayurveda, the mind and body are intertwined into a profound system that determines health and well-being. It’s not just apple cider vinegar or a particular morning routine that delivers wellness — true wellness begins when you tune into yourself in an intimate, wholesome way.
When looking at beauty through the lens Ayurveda, your skin is a window into the innerworkings of your body. Greeting the bumps on your arms and the rosacea on your cheeks with gratitude and kindness rather than frustration and angst breeds good energy through mind, body, and soul – beauty from the inside, out.
Alongside this practice of self-love and acceptance, Ayurvedic beauty has employed ingredients that supplement and elevate self-care — ingredients like the amla berry, which just so happens to be chock-full of good stuff like vitamin C.
This jam-packed super-berry has a beauty resume a thousand years long (literally), so we thought we’d run you through why it’s earned its celebrated status in Ayurvedic self-care and MVP-ingredient status in Alo’s Glow System.
AMLA’S KEY COMPONENTS
NATURAL VITAMIN C
Vitamin C serums and moisturizers have become all the rage as of recent, but if the amla berry could talk, it’d be saying “I told you so.” This miracle berry, also known as an Indian Gooseberry, serves as the most concentrated, natural source of vitamin C in the world with additional nutrients and elements that make it more bioavailable and more resistant to damaging heat and light. Not only can vitamin C promote brighter, more even-looking skin, but it can also help minimize the appearance of everyday wear and tear such as sun exposure, pollution, and stress, when properly formulated.
ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSE
One of the biggest buzzwords around beauty and skincare communities? Anti-aging. The secret behind any youth-promising product is antioxidants — heroes that help protect the skin on a cellular level from free radicals, which are the invisible villains that can wreak havoc on natural collagen production, giving rise to wrinkles and sunspots.
The amla berry boasts 75x more antioxidants than goji berries, 60x more than pomegranate, and 50 x more than blueberries — yes, we’re tooting the amla berry’s horn.
THE BEAUTY BENEFITS OF AMLA
What does that boost of vitamin C and antioxidants do for you?
Brightens – has been shown to help brighten and refine the look of skin’s tone
Hydrates – helps restore moisture to dry, flakey skin and promotes a dewy, glowing complexion
Anti-Aging – studies show that amla extract has stimulated the production of pro-collagen, a precursor to collagen, which can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and discoloration (1)
With a track record like that, you can see why the amla berry has been used for millennia within Ayurveda and has now been adopted by Alo’s clean beauty line. Found in all 7 of the Alo Glow System products (and for good reason as noted above), amla has changed the clean beauty game for us. For more clean beauty tips and tricks, follow us at @AloWellness_ and don’t forget to tag us in all of your glow-up moments!
1. Fujii, “Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) extract promotes procollagen production and inhibits matrix metalloproteinase-1 in human skin fibroblasts,”(2008).
