An annual celebration of Great British plants, flowers and foliage, British Flowers Week was created to encourage the public to use flowers in inspirational ways - and we think there's no better way than to incorporate botanical ingredients into your daily skincare routine. To celebrate, here's 5 amazing botanical ingredients to take your skincare to the next level.

Rose geranium oil

Rose geranium essential oil is a versatile oil that is used in natural skincare for its balancing, calming, and clarifying properties for all skin types. A natural moisturiser, rose geranium oil can help to keep the skin hydrated and is packed with antioxidants to help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals. This potent oil has many benefits for all skin types:

Combination skin: A powerhouse oil for menopausal skin, rose geranium helps to soften and smooth, while balancing oil production to help prevent breakouts.

Dry skin: Anti-inflammatory properties can help soothe irritated skin, especially those who suffer with eczema, psoriasis, or other dry skin conditions.

Oily skin: Rose geranium oil can help to balance oil production in the skin, and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce acne.

Rose geranium oil is one of our favourite oils to use and you'll find it in Rosey Glow soap and body butter, Wildflower Meadow soap, Petal Power shampoo bar, and in our Rosa Rosa shea butter soap.

Calendula

Commonly used in herbal balms, calendula flowers hold potent anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and wound-healing properties. Traditionally used in natural skincare products to help soothe irritated skin, reduce inflammation, and promote wound healing, calendula holds anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe and calm irritated skin: making it good choice for people with eczema, psoriasis, or other skin conditions. You'll find a calendula petal infusion in our Wildflower Meadow soap bar and as a botanical extract in our Delicate Flower shampoo bar, specially formulated for people with an ultra sensitive scalp.

Nettles

Nettles are leafy green plants that have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to help soothe and calm skin problems - you'll often come across nettle balms and ointments specifically formulated for sensitive skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis - and yes we are talking about stinging nettles here! Also helpful for acne prone skin, nettles hold anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing properties that can help soothe and calm irritated skin. We've used a nettle infusion in extra virgin olive oil in our Nettle & Tea Tree soap bar, which as the name suggests also contains tea tree, a natural remedy for acne.

Horsetail herb

A wild plant that you may have come across on walks in the countryside, horsetail herb is a plant that is rich in silica, a mineral that is essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails. When used in natural skincare, horsetail herb promotes collagen production: collagen is an abundant protein in the body that gives skin its structure and elasticity. During the first 5 years of perimenopause, collagen production in the skin is reduced by 30% and leads to dry, dull and sagging skin. Horsetail herb boasts powerful properties for mature skin and hair and is a botanical that you really shouldn't be without - that's why we've used it in our award-winning soap bar Wild Herb & Oatmeal.

The plant-based silica found in horsetail herb is essential for hair growth. Silica helps to strengthen the hair follicles and promote the production of new hair. Horsetail can help to reduce hair loss by increasing blood flow to the scalp, and help to strengthen hair by making it more resistant to breakage (think split ends). This amazing herb can help to make hair shinier by increasing the production of natural oils in the scalp, keep the hair hydrated and protected from damage, and has amazing anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce dandruff. Horsetail herb is one of the hero ingredients in our Herbal Boost solid shampoo bar.

Rosemary oil

Rosemary essential oil is another powerhouse oil for mature skin - loaded with natural antioxidants it can help to rejuvenate the skin by stimulating collagen production, and help to improve circulation to give skin a healthy glow while helping to protect the skin from environmental damage.

In addition to deep cleansing the pores, rosemary oil will help to reduce inflammation of blemishes on acne prone or combination skin thanks to its antimicrobial properties that can help fight off bacteria and fungi that can cause acne and other skin infections. Our Charcoal Detox bar contains rosemary essential oil, along with sea salt and activated charcoal - 3 ingredients that actually work on acne-prone skin.

And if all that goodness wasn't enough, if you're looking to improve the health and condition of your hair, look for haircare products made with rosemary as this oil contains rosmarinic acid which helps to stimulate hair growth by increasing blood flow to the scalp. You'll find rosemary oil and rosemary dried herbs in our Herbal Boost shampoo bar.