An Eye-Opener on Coffee: It’s Not Just for Drinking Anymore

The latest scientific research on coffee not only gives latté lovers reason to celebrate—it’s uncovered a potent new plant-based skincare ingredient.

You may already know about coffee’s high antioxidant levels—which are equal or higher than most fruits. Researchers believe the power of antioxidants to repair damaged cells is why coffee drinkers appear to have a lower risk of heart disease and skin, liver, and colon cancer. According to a study by Harvard Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one of coffee’s antioxidants, quinine, can also help fight diabetes by increasing the body’s insulin resistance and regulating glucose metabolism.

But if you think a cup of decaf is a safer, healthier way to raise your daily dose of antioxidants, recent research on caffeine may surprise you. Studies have shown that in moderate doses, America’s favorite pick-me-up isn’t just harmless—it’s actually good for you. In fact, one of coffee’s cancer-fighting antioxidants, caffeic acid, comes from caffeine. That’s why caffeine is starting to pop up on sun block labels. In addition to repairing cellular damage, caffeine also appears to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, control asthma attacks, cure headaches, and even prevent cavities!

Many of these health bonuses are linked to caffeine’s effect on inflamed arteries and veins. By constricting blood vessels, caffeine decreases inflammation. A diuretic, caffeine also reduces swelling by flushing excess blood and lymph from skin tissue. This multi-action combination of properties explains the growing use of caffeine in cellulite and facial treatments to boost performance.

Mounting scientific data and years of hands-on experience have convinced me that caffeine helps repair and rejuvenate the thin, delicate skin around our eyes. This area is the first place to show the damage that age, environmental toxins, and poor health habits can do to our appearance. For the red, puffy eyelids and dark circles that can afflict young and old alike, this powerhouse ingredient provides the perfect all-in-one solution. Derived from pure Colombian coffee, the caffeine in myLaVie Organique™ Eye Cream meets my exacting Quality Standards. This pure plant-derived extract works in synergy with my proprietary blend of certified organic and natural botanical ingredients to nurture and revitalize the eye area. It’s a balanced health drink for your skin that will bring a smile to your face when you see the results.

Avocado Oil: Delicious Food for Your Skin

The rich, buttery flesh of the avocado is one of nature’s most perfect foods. The nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in this luscious fruit include vitamins E and C, as well as beta carotene—powerful antioxidants that help repair free radical damage from sun exposure and environmental toxins. Even the fats and sugars in avocados are the kinds that are good for you!

Early Spanish missionaries in Central America used avocados to treat wounds and improve the skin, a trick they most likely learned from the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans who lived in the avocado’s native rainforest habitat. In fact, many stories claim that the Indians’ ancient ancestors were the first to use the avocado as a cosmetic. Like so many herbalists and healers before the dawn of modern science, these ancient researchers undoubtedly relied and their on keen intuition and powers of observation to make a logical deduction: External application of a succulent, creamy food that nourished the body from the inside would also feed and enhance their skin and hair.

Now 21st century science is showing why and how this nutritional treasure lives up to its legendary reputation. In addition to repairing cell damage, avocados help revitalize our skin in several other ways. Research suggests that the D-manno-heptulose sugars in avocado help prevent infection by forming an antimicrobial shield on the skin surface. Even more important, these complex natural sugars appear to increase the strength and resilience of the skin’s underlying collagen network.

Avocado oil is also a superior softener and moisturizer. In fact, this natural emollient outperforms every synthetic moisturizer on the market. Petroleum-based moisturizers, for instance, sit on the surface and slow cell turnover—exactly what you don’t want! The avocado’s plant-based lipids, essential fatty acids, and sterolins, on the other hand, do all the right things: These rich, yet non-greasy, oils penetrate the skin, lock in moisture, and deliver vital nutrients that accelerate cell regeneration. All these healing and restorative properties help support and explain avocado oil’s effectiveness as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis.

The all-natural avocado oil in Lavie-Organique™ Face Cream and Day Cream is elegant food for your for your skin. Like all the ingredients in the Lavinia Borcau personal care system, this plant-derived oil is a simple, powerful, and luxurious way to nurture healthy, beautiful skin.

Aloe Vera Part 2: Can Aloe Vera Help Your Skin Look Younger?

Ancient herbalists and physicians believed in aloe vera ’s medicinal and rejuvenating qualities—and Mahatma Gandhi swore it was the secret of his strength and endurance. But even centuries of intuition and experience lack the persuasive power of the latest scientific knowledge. As today’s dermatologists and researchers continue rigorously investigating the science behind these claims, they're discovering that the medical instincts of these long-ago healers were way ahead of their times.

The websites of prestigious institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, now cite evidence that aloe vera helps heal a variety of skin conditions. A number of studies indicate that topical aloe vera treatments help improve psoriasis, seborrhea, and herpes. Preliminary research on aloe vera's anti-inflammatory properties and role in promoting hormonal balance also look promising.

But how exactly does this plant extract help turn back the clock for aging skin? According to a study by Dr. Ivan E. Danhof, M.D./Ph.D., president of North Texas Research Laboratories, and a retired University of Texas Professor of Physiology, the key appears to lie just below the surface in the skin’s collagen layer. Collagen’s network of protein fibers support the skin’s surface and helps repair blood vessels and tissues. When sun exposure and normal aging gradually weaken this support system, our skin starts to sag and develop lines and wrinkles. Danho’s research shows that aloe vera extract boosts the turnover rate of the fibroblast cells that produce collagen. In his study, fibroblast cells reproduced six to eight times faster than the normal rate. The result? Stronger, more resilient collagen fibers and firmer, younger-looking skin!

The most convincing proof, however, ultimately lies in the product. The Aloe vera 200X in my Lavie Organique™ care system is just one of the plant-based ingredients that work synergistically to balance and support skin health. Try it and see for yourself what my signature blend of traditional wisdom, 21st century science, and European luxury can do for your skin.

Aloe Vera Part 1: A Long, Cool Drink for Your Skin

Legend has it that Cleopatra bathed in aloe vera gel to impress Marc Antony with her fresh, glowing skin. Other tales count Aristotle, Alexander the Great, and Gandhi among the famous fans of this fabled desert plant. Although factual support for these stories may be scant, there’s plenty of evidence that aloe vera gel can work wonders on your skin.

Aloe vera’s proven benefits start with its effectiveness as a moisturizer. The gel derived from this plant consists of 99.5% water—the essential element that dry skin lacks. Yet despite its high water content, aloe vera actually beats water’s ability to penetrate skin. Scientific studies have shown that aloe vera passes through the skin surface 4 times faster than plain water. This exceptional ability to add as well as retain water helps new skin cells stay healthy and plump, so they fit together more closely. The result is tighter skin that helps keep moisture in and dirt and germs out. These qualities account for aloe vera’s healing effects on dry, scaly skin. It also explains its popularity as a burn treatment. In fact, burn units in hospitals throughout the United States use aloe vera gel to soothe and protect their patients’ badly damaged skin.

My LaVie Organique™ product line adds the moisturizing power of Aloe vera 200x to every step of your skin care regimen.

Aloe vera’s reputation as a superior skin rejuvenator doesn’t rest on its moisturizing power alone. If you suspect this claim is probably just another skin-care myth, stay tuned for Part 2. The results of recent dermatologic research on this legendary beauty secret may surprise you.

Sensitive Skin Part 4: Do Synthetic Moisturizers Deliver on Their Promises?

Once you’ve evaluated the risk factors, there’s another important question about synthetic skin care additives that remains to be answered. How effective are they?

Let’s start with a closer look at the world’ favorite moisturizer and all-purpose skin remedy: petrolatum jelly. Generations of consumers have relied on this sticky ointment to moisturize, soothe, and protect sensitive skin. Although petrolatum is often promoted as a remedy for sunburn, diaper rash, and dry, irritated skin, its physical properties actually worsen these conditions. In fact, this semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons actually repels moisture. Furthermore, physicians have shown that our skin can’t absorb petrolatum. The thick barrier this gooey substance forms on the skin may help keep germs out of wounds, but it also seals in the heat generated by any type of burn. Petrolatum jelly’s promise as a moisturizer is equally deceiving. Instead of the soft, dewy skin this product supposedly ensures, petrolatum leaves you with a greasy film. Other petroleum derivatives such as mineral oil—the main ingredient in baby oil—produce a similar effect.

What about propylene glycol? Unlike petrolatum, this additive can penetrate the skin surface. Propylene glycol is a humectant, a type of chemical whose molecules attract and easily bond with water molecules. Theoretically, then, propylene glycol should be a good skin moisturizer. But these two facts don’t tell the whole story of this widely used wetting agent and solvent. When humidity drops, propylene glycol tends to draw moisture from the lower layers of the skin instead of from the surrounding air. The ultimate result to your skin is increased dryness as well as irritation.

So why do cosmetic companies love these ingredients so much? The most likely reason is economic: Both petrolatum and propylene glycol are cheap.

The superiority of plant-based oils as skin moisturizers comes from a simple fact of nature: Botanical oils resemble sebum, the natural moisturizer found in our skin. One of the most effective of these plant-derived moisturizers, Aloe vera 200x, is an extract of a well-known succulent plant species. The water-retaining tissue of succulents enable these plants to thrive in the parched atmosphere of desert climates. Anyone who’s ever seen and touched an aloe vera plant’s sleek, juicy leaves has firsthand evidence of it’s amazing emollient and revitalizing properties.

To meet Lavinia Borcau Quality Standards, the Aloe vera 200x used in La Vie Organique™ Original Formulas must meet or exceed the Natural Product Association safety guidelines, as well as my own exacting criteria for professional skincare performance. So you’re assured of the highest levels of quality, purity, and safety.

In my next post, I’ll explain more about aloe vera’s power to enhance the health and beauty of your skin.

Sensitive Skin Part 3: Three Top Troublemakers

Parabens, petrolatum, and propylene glycol are the cosmetic industry’s three favorite synthetic additives. From skin cleaners and moisturizers to shampoos, sunscreens, makeup, deodorants, and shaving cream, virtually every beauty and personal care item in your local drugstore contains one or more these substances. In fact you’ll find all three on the label of almost every brand of baby lotion you can buy. That might be enough to reassure most consumers—but do evidence-based studies on these ingredients unanimously confirm their safety and effectiveness?

As it turns out, researchers at an organization specializing in environmental safety have challenged the widespread belief that parabens, petrolatum, and propylene glycol are harmless and even good for your skin. According to the database compiled by the Environmental Working Group, the potential health hazards of these ingredients extend far beyond their tendency to cause allergies and dermatitis. Let’s look at what EWG research reports have to say about each one.

Petrolatum jelly: Researcher classified this widely used moisturizer as a possible cancer risk and raised concerns about potential organ damage and the presence of toxic contaminants.


Parabens: This popular synthetic preservative may interfere with hormonal balance and has been found in the breast cancer tumors of 19 of 20 women studied. Approximately 250,000 beauty and personal care products contain parabens!

Propylene glycol: Evidence from animal studies suggests moderate doses of this petroleum derivative may cause widespread organ toxicity. Emerging concerns include potential damage to natural ecosystems.
In addition its use as a wetting agent in personal care products, propylene glycol is an ingredient often found in antifreeze—does that sound like anything you’d want put on your skin?

You can avoid all these health risks by maintaining an all-natural skin care regime. Every Orginal Formula product—from my daily cleanser, to my weekly exfoliating mask —in the Lavie Organique™ skin care system contains only certified organic and natural plant-derived ingredients www.lavie-organique.com/index.php?page=commitment&hl=en_US The complete line provides a total solution to the risk of skin and other health problems from exposure to synthetic additives.

In my concluding comments on sensitive skin, you’ll find out why safer and gentler natural alternatives to synthetic moisturizing and anti-agents can also deliver superior results.

Sensitive Skin Part 2: What’s in a Name?

When I advise clients with sensitive skin to avoid face creams and other beauty products with harsh chemical ingredients, they sometimes ask me to identify the major offenders. It’s actually a lot easier than you might think. In fact, anyone who’s committed to healthy eating already has a head start. If you check the labels of food products for harmful additives, you can probably spot synthetic chemicals immediately. Names like FD&C Yellow #6, sodium benzoate, BHA, BHT, and diacetyl tend to raise alarm bells in people who care about their diet. Basically, if the ingredient name looks like it belongs in a chemistry book, it probably doesn’t belong inside your body.

This same logic applies to the ingredients we put on our skin. For instance, ingredient names with –ly endings—ethyl, benzyl, methyl, and so forth—automatically spell trouble for sensitive skin. These alcohol derivatives are found in many high-priced cleansers, toners, and moisturizers—yet they can seriously damage your skin. Alcohols not only cause dryness and irritation, but also interfere with vitamin A absorption. The resulting deficiency may contribute to the premature development of fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging.

Obviously there’s nothing beautiful about beauty products that can make you look old before your time! You won’t find any alcohols in Lavinia Borcau natural skin care products. In fact, any ingredient that isn’t 100% natural is specifically excluded from the Lavie Organique™ product line by my official Quality Standards. And as my clients will tell you, that’s a promise, you can trust!

Stay tuned—I’ll be naming more of the prime suspects in cases of red, irritated skin in Part 3.

Sensitive Skin—Part 1

Do you have sensitive skin? A great many of my clients—with all different skin types and a wide variety of symptoms—complain of this condition. The fact is, skin sensitivity is a popular, loosely defined term used to describe various forms of dermatitis. What all forms of dermatitis have in common is inflammation—our body’s natural defensive response to a disease or an injury or irritant.

The symptoms of dermatitis can range from mild redness and stinging or itching to painful hives and other severe rashes. The causes of this condition also vary. In some cases, the client may require medical treatment for a potentially serious skin disease such as eczema or psoriasis or specific skin allergies. In most cases, however, the client’s symptoms indicate contact dermatitis, a rash caused by exposure to harsh chemicals.

So what’s the best way to care for your sensitive skin? Gently and safely! Start by reading the label on every product that comes in contact with your skin. That includes detergents and fabric softeners, as well as shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, shower gels, and body lotions. If a product contains any alcohol, alcohol derivatives, or other synthetic chemicals, keep it away from your skin! I’ll be going into more detail about the most common and harmful of these irritants in later posts.

Above all, be especially vigilant about the ingredients in the products you put on your face. Many popular sun blocks, cleansers, toners, and moisturizers can cause rashes, breakouts, and other complexion problems.

I also recommend my clients choose products with certified organic and natural plant derived ingredients for their daily and weekly skin care regimen. With my LaVie Organique™ product line you’re assured that only the purest and safest of natural and organic herbal and botanical ingredients touch your skin. But playing it safe, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice effectiveness. Lavinia Borcau natural skincare products combine the gentleness of nature with the power of 21st century science to provide the dramatic results that many synthetic skin care products promise—without any of the painful aftereffects they so often deliver.

Hyaluronic Acid: Nature’s Perfect Moisturizer

Age may bring wisdom of mind and spirit, but the natural intelligence of maturing bodies often needs a boost. Aging skin, in particular, benefits from treatments that help replenish its diminishing supply of the hormones, antioxidants, and other natural compounds needed to regulate cell functioning and renewal. One of the most beneficial of these compounds is hyaluronic acid.

Our body’s capacity to produce hyaluronic acid peaks when we’re teenagers. The fresh, supple surface of youthful skin reflects the concentrated power of hyaluronic acid to encourage collagen production and bind water to skin cells. A single hyaluronic acid molecule can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water! Long used to lubricate and plump tissues during orthopedic and eye surgery, hyaluronic acid has proven both effective and safe in numerous clinical trials.

The hyaluronic acid in LaVie Organique™ Original Formula skin care products works in synergy with other revitalizing skincare ingredients to visibly reduce the appearance of dryness and fine lines. With a daily and weekly LaVie Organique skin care regimen, every product from your daily cleanser to your face cream protects and nourishes your skin with this potent natural moisturizer.

Hops and Skin Health

If you’re skeptical about the effectiveness of natural plant-based treatments, the latest research findings on traditional herbal remedies may surprise you. Hops are a case in point. Several recent discoveries strongly support folk healers’ intuitive knowledge of this tiny fruit’s many beneficial effects on the skin. For instance, we now know why hops help heal bedsores and other skin infections. As it turns out, the hop plant is rich in several compounds that make it an excellent cleanser and antiseptic. In addition to two potent antibacterials, hops contain anti-inflammatory tannins as well as natural plant estrogens that promote hormonal balance. Hops are also a source of aspargin, a natural diuretic that helps flush out toxins and excess fluids. Other studies confirm the sedative antispasmodic properties of hops. In combination, these findings add up to convincing evidence that hops can help protect, soothe, and revitalize our skin.

The certified organic hop extract in my LaVie Organique product line is one of the many safe and effective natural ingredients in my personal formula for balanced skin care: intuitive Old World wisdom + next-generation science= an intelligent approach to health and beauty.