Soy: It’s Not Just for Lattes Anymore

Long an ingredient in healthy diets, soy has now found a home in bathrooms and cosmetics bags everywhere as an ingredient in both natural and mass market beauty products. Simply put, the benefits of soy, whether ingested or topically applied, are impressive.

Most importantly, soy contains phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens aid in the regeneration of skin and help keep skin young and fresh-looking by replicating the benefits of the female hormone, estrogen.

In addition to phytoestrogens, the lipids (groups of organic compounds that, along with carbohydrates and proteins, constitutes the principal structural material of living cells) found in soy have a significant amount of vitamin E. Vitamin E repairs damaged tissue and aids in the regeneration of skin cells. Soy lipids are also an excellent antioxidant and aid in eliminating free radicals from the skin.

Lastly, soy lecithin aids in repairing the skin, keeping it soft and slowing the visible aging process.

While there is a growing number of soy based products, here are just a few-laboriously tested and Beauty News approved - to get you started:

Zents Natural Wax Soy Candles (www.zents.com) are available in ten subtle fragrances and packaged beautifully-perfect for gifting that er, soy nut, in your life. Soy wax burns cleanly and lacks the carcinogenic chemicals commonly found in normal candles.

Bar soap junkies like me will love Pangea Organics’ Bar Soaps. These soy based, cold processed bars come in luscious fragrances like Egyptian Basil & Mint, Malagasy Cinnamon Cassia with Cloves, and Canadian Pine with White Sage (www.saffronrouge.com). They’re reasonably priced and completely natural. readmore

Fresh’s Soy Shampoo (www.beauty.com) is a staple in my shower. Soy extract helps keep hair strong and ginseng root adds rich nutrients to the hair. Shea butter and a host of natural oils replenish moisture, luster and sheen, while nettle extract increases volume with no threat of frizz in sight. And did I mention the lingering fragrance? It’s utterly to-die-for!

Kimberly Sayer of London’s Light Cleansing Lotion (www.kimberlysayer.com)
contains soy protein and lemon oil (among other essential oils) to decongest the face’s cellular tissue and minimize oil production. This cleanser is perfect to remove a day’s worth of grime and leaves skin feeling clean, but not stripped.

NOE, or Natural Organics Edible Cosmetics, is a full line of products with yes, 100% natural, organic and edible ingredients. Despite its fabulous smell and skin-softening properties, we don’t recommend that you actually eat the Raspberry Soy Milk Body Lotion (www.advancedformulations.com). Just gently massage in and enjoy!