Where Living Botanicals Meet Radiant Results
Heat is often used to extract botanicals. Plants are commonly boiled, steamed, or processed at high temperatures to pull out active compounds as quickly as possible. It is efficient, but efficiency is not always synonymous with quality.
Imagine harvesting fresh calendula flowers. Their delicate aromatic compounds, vibrant pigments, and phytonutrients are naturally present at their peak. Excessive heat can alter many of these fragile compounds before they ever reach your skin.
At ISUN, we have chosen a different path for more than twenty years.
Every botanical in every ISUN formula is slowly cold-processed at around 38°C for up to 21 days. It is a slower process designed to preserve the fragile phytonutrients, antioxidants and aromatic compounds that excessive heat can compromise.
Because when it comes to high quality skincare, how ingredients are extracted matters just as much as which ingredients are chosen.
Why Heat Matters
A review of modern extraction technologies found that gentler extraction approaches can help preserve heat-sensitive phenolic compounds and reduce thermal degradation compared with more intensive heat-based processing methods.
Green Tea Catechins (EGCG)
Green tea contains EGCG, one of the most studied plant antioxidants in skincare science. EGCG has been studied for its antioxidant properties and its potential role in helping protect the skin from environmental stressors.
Studies demonstrate that catechins such as EGCG are susceptible to degradation during storage and thermal processing, with elevated temperatures accelerating loss of activity.
Anthocyanins From Hibiscus and Berry Extracts
The vibrant pigments found in berries and hibiscus are rich in anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds known for helping defend against free radical damage. These compounds are highly sensitive to heat and oxidation.
Aromatic Terpenes From Lavender, Helichrysum & Rosemary
The aromatic fractions of botanicals contain volatile terpene compounds that contribute to aroma, sensory experience and antioxidant activity. Many can evaporate or degrade under excessive heat exposure.
Calendula Triterpenoids
Calendula contains triterpenoid compounds such as faradiol that have been studied for their skin-soothing properties and their role in supporting skin comfort.
The Power of the Whole-Plant
One of the most important reasons ISUN chooses cold processing is because botanicals contain hundreds of naturally occurring constituents that interact together in sophisticated ways: antioxidants, flavonoids, trace minerals, aromatic molecules, polysaccharides and phytonutrients that support one another.
Research suggests that interactions among multiple plant constituents may contribute to biological activity that differs from the effects of isolated compounds alone.
Rather than isolating one molecule, ISUN formulas are designed to honor the complexity of the entire plant. Cold processing helps preserve heat-sensitive constituents that contribute to the plant's naturally occurring spectrum of beneficial compounds.
What This Means for Your Skin
When you apply an ISUN formula, you are not simply applying isolated ingredients listed on a label.
You are experiencing whole-plant botanical extracts preserved with their natural spectrum of antioxidants, aromatic compounds and flavonoids intact.
This means:
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A broader spectrum of antioxidant compounds
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Greater preservation of delicate phytonutrients
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Preservation of a broader spectrum of botanical compounds
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Richer sensory experience
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Formulas that remain closer to the vitality and complexity of the whole plant
At ISUN, we believe nature created extraordinary complexity within botanicals.
Our role is simply to preserve it.
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Research:
Oancea, S. (2021), A Review of the Current Knowledge of Thermal Stability of Anthocyanins and Approaches to Their Stabilization to Heat
Research:
Michalak, M. (2022), Plant-Derived Antioxidants: Significance in Skin Health and the Ageing Process
Research:
Gălbău et al. (2024), The Potential of Plant Extracts Used in Cosmetic Product Applications: Antioxidants Delivery and Mechanism of Actions
