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So what makes Clay Esthe perform so well? As well as the squalane, credit should go to tanakura clay. This is a Japanese deep-sea clay that is a kind of charcoal produced by sub-marine volcanoes. The Japanese are fond of charcoal cleansers and with good reason. They are fantastic at absorbing dirt and grease, while depositing valuable minerals. The addition of retinyl palmitate will also help exfoliate the scalp.
Field horsetail is another interesting ingredient. It is rich in potassium, silicon and calcium and has historically been used to strengthen finger nails. Saponins and flavanoids (particularly quercetin) also give it the ability to help heal wounds (as used by the ancient Greeks). The thing about quercetin is that it may be a much more of a powerful antioxidant than was previously thought. Cornell University has a new way of measuring antioxidant potency called ‘cellular antioxidant activity’ (CAA) that tests the antioxidant activities of a compound inside the cell itself. This is an approach that is deemed to be more accurate. Of all the flavenoids, quercetin had the highest CAA value.
Menyantes trifoliata leaf is known colloquially in its native Scotland as bogbean (don’t ever let anyone persuade you the Scots are romantic). It seems to be a good free radical scavenger, however and is effective at inhibiting the activity of matrix metalloproteinases-1, 2 and 9. Meanwhile, achillea millefolium (yarrow) is an effective astringent.