If you ve ever read the ingredient deck on one of your favorite private label skincare products you might have seen the term wild crafted mentioned before. For example, here at RainShadow Labs we like to use wild crafted ingredients like Geranium in our skincare. But aside from sounding interesting, does wild crafted provide any benefits to the quality of the ingredients used? Would it just be the same if the plants were organically grown? While it s not possible to source 100% of our private label skincare ingredients as wild crafted, we like to when possible. Here s why:
The most obvious difference between wild crafted and cultivated plants is that one grows in the wild and one does not. Wild crafting usually requires someone to actually go out and collect the plant from outside of a garden, while a cultivated plant is just that- cultivated in a garden. One of the main benefits of choosing to use ethically wild crafted private label skincare ingredients when possible is that plants growing in the wild have to be stronger than plants that are cultivated in a garden. This is because they do not have a gardener to water, fertilize and otherwise protect them from the elements, so they must be strong enough to survive outside of the care of humans. This strength can translate into a higher concentration of beneficial properties within the plant, which can make it more valuable when used in your skincare routine.
If you do not have access to any wild crafted ingredients, don t worry. There is still much benefit to be had from regularly cultivated plants. Sometimes it is even better to choose non-wild crafted ingredients due to ecological reasons. For example, if one ingredient is in high demand it makes more sense to cultivate it in an environmentally friendly way in order to avoid over harvesting from the wild. There can also be more quality control with cultivated skincare ingredients that can lend itself to a more streamlined production process.
As you can see, both wild crafted and cultivated private label skincare ingredients are good. Both methods have their benefits and specific considerations to take into account. Now if you see the term wild crafted on an ingredient deck or product description, you ll know it means a plant that was (hopefully) ethically harvested from the wild. But if you don t see the term wild crafted anywhere, that s fine too, and in some cases might be even better.