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Sustainable, Beauty and the Spa Industry. Q&A with Davines Group

Anti-Oxy-What?

Even though aging is a fact of life, there are many things that we can do in order to avoid illnesses and even slow down the rate at which we age. By making a few simple changes in our lifestyles and habits, we can make improvements toward happiness, longevity and our quality of life. In a variety of ways today's consumers use antioxidants to slow the aging process, reduce the degenerative aging process, not to mention lead a healthier lifestyle both inside and out. Free Radicals

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One of the main culprits that speed up the degenerative processes comes in the form of free radicals. These are chemically active compounds work to break down cells. They are the very same chemical compounds that lead to cancer, aging or other diseases. Free radicals are found throughout our environment, and with the onset of pollution, they are more prevalent in larger cities.

These radicals go through a chemical process called oxidation , in which they damage or alter our DNA, creating physical changes that deteriorate our mind and body. Oxidation is one of the main processes responsible for the most significant symptoms of aging and degeneration.

How does the oxidation process occur? Throughout life, the body is constantly regenerating cells. Our bodies even produce free radicals of its own. However, when the body produces too many free radicals, cancers or life-threatening diseases are formed as a result of cellular DNA mutations.

The good news is that a healthy body also produces antioxidants, which neutralizie the free radicals that can harm our health and physical wellbeing.

Antioxidants work throughout the body to protect DNA, organs and tissues from damage. As our body ages, the production of antioxidants decrease, facilitating many of the diseases found in older people.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun, industrial pollution and crowded environmental living conditions all play a role in subjecting our bodies to damaging aging processes. These same conditions have deteriorated the Earth's ozone layer, which is responsible for protecting us from harmful UV rays and sun exposure that increases cancer risk.

Protection from the sun is not enough to prevent free radicals from damaging the body, since day-to-day living with pollution forces us to breathe in harmful radicals that damages cells at the molecular level.

Combined with the poor diets and nutritional levels, more damage will be done within our bodies if preventative measures are not taken to cleanse ourselves of them.

Reducing Free Radicals

One of the simplest ways to reduce the excess of free radicals from the body is to avoid or minimize the exposure to locations or products that contain them. Pollutants, carcinogens and toxins are all known to increase the risk of certain cancers in the humans.

Different foods are rich in antioxidants, and work hard to reduce or neutralize the impact external free radicals has on the body. Aside from the usefulness in protection that antioxidants provide for the body, the need for them as well as essential fatty acids increases, as the body grows older.

Fruits, along with their skin and seeds, contain valuable antioxidants that reduce the amount of free radicals, as well as help to slow down the aging process. Leafy green vegetables provide antioxidants that not only help slow down the process of aging, but also reduce many risks of age related diseases caused by a lifetime of exposure to free radicals. Antioxidants and Useful Supplements

Supplements increase the protection from free radicals and oxidation, but taking too many of them can be just as harmful for the body. Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best ways to protect the organs from "supplement overload", and will provide optimal benefits through the combining action and absorption of other vitamins and minerals. concentrated 10-40 mg of polyphenols, one supplement provides the body with the same amount of antioxidants that many servings of fruits and vegetables would.

Lipoic acid is also a powerful antioxidant responsible for counteracting radicals found in the mitochondria, where all energy for cells is generated. The free radicals formed there play a major role in the aging processes of the body. Other antioxidants include vitamins or minerals like: Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid and Vitamin E

Antioxidants in Cosmetic Products

Men and women are always looking for ways to increase their appearance and longevity, especially through antioxidant-rich foods and cosmetic products. While the body uses enzymes, vitamins and minerals to get rid of free radicals, the skin is also susceptible to radicals that cause aging. Antiaging antioxidant products improve skin tone and reduce wrinkles, just as it would be used to improve internal cells and reduction of free radicals.

Three products, when used together, can make up a healthy antiaging skin care regimen: Skin supplements, serums, day creams and night creams, together with regular professional facials. Antioxidant antiaging creams are one of the solutions that reduce aging, and keep skin cells fresh and wrinkle-free. Conclusion

Aging is a part of life, but it does not have to take over the body in such negative ways. While living in today's hectic societies, we are exposed to numerous health hazards such as pollution, industrial emissions, harmful sun exposure and stress. Still, the use of antioxidants is a natural way to offset some of that damage.

Free radicals can be harmful to our bodies both internally and externally, but antioxidants are there to protect us when we need it the most. Be sure to live an active lifestyle to reduce the chance of contracting age-related illnesses and diseases, and eat healthy and balanced meals with adequate vitamins and minerals that also contain antioxidants that could potentially save your life. Use basic nutrition knowledge to your advantage and your body will thank you for it.

Sustainable, Beauty and the Spa Industry.

Our Q&A with Davide Bollati, Chair of Davines Group

By Becca Douglas - The Sustainable Spa Association

Davide Bollati, chair of Davines Group, is a true pioneer of sustainability. He joined Davines, his family company, in 1992, having first completed a degree in pharmacy from Parma University and a masters in cosmetic science from Farleigh Dickinson University in the US.

His leadership of Davines, the parent company of Sustainable Spa Association brand partner, Comfort Zone, has been characterised by a drive to achieve Sustainable Beauty - a term which Bollati describes as a “combination of plant chemistry and respect for the environment and society”. This approach has resulted in Davines Group being widely recognised as a company with a strong commitment to both ethics and sustainability.

As a hallmark of this commitment to sustainability, the group became a B Corporation in 2016. The company's status as a “B-Corp” means that, as a business, it balances purpose and profit and is legally required to consider the impact its decisions have on its workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment.

The Sustainable Spa Association spoke to Davide about all things sustainability - from his passion for the topic and the role played in the SSA in promoting sustainability. Q: Sustainable Beauty is a term strongly associated with both Davines Group and you personally - what does it mean to you?

I've always had a passion for a type of chemistry that takes experience from nature and is in harmony with the planet. Early on in my career, however, it was just that - a passion, it wasn't very well structured.

In 2005, however, we decided to attach sustainable beauty firmly onto the brand identity of Davines Group, so for the past 16 years it has been very much a part of what we do as a company. Becoming a B-Corp was a big step too, and we've learned to better measure our sustainable practices. We've now embedded sustainability in our industrial strategy, so it's very much part of our routine and our daily work.

Q: Your HQ, Davines Village, located in Parma, is often highlighted as an example of your commitment to sustainability? Could you tell readers about that?

The Davines Village is a place where everything happens - from the beginning to the end of our industrial process. It includes our offices, our research and development laboratory, the production plant and the warehouse. It also features our scientific garden and greenhouse. The total area is around 77,000sq m, of which 80 per cent is allocated to green space.

The scientific garden is central to operations and run by our chemists. It is a sort of experimental garden - it is relatively small but it allows us to start the research on the ingredients we use in our products.

As a beauty company, it's important that our products “work”. But as we've made a commitment to find and only use ingredients that are also environmentally sustainable, the research we conduct is all about finding a balance between the two.

We want ingredients that, for example, rejuvenate the skin, but are also sustainable. We aren't satisfied with just ticking one of the boxes.

As a result, we're now reinventing our supply chain. It is a chain based on regenerative organic agriculture. We want every product to have a product life cycle and a score card which measures that.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges you see, when it comes to being sustainable?

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