Africa - Leaf of Life

Native to Madagascar, the leaf of life continues to captivate, with its leaves that rapidly produce seedlings and symbolise the regenerative power of life and with its green, fleshy appearance, even in extremely dry conditions. Considered a succulent plant as it is saturated with water, the leaf of life owes its ability to adapt to water stress to molecules that, like a sponge, retain water in the heart of its leaves. This action, similar to that of hyaluronic acid, the skin’s “sponge” molecule, inspired the Clarins Laboratories. They have demonstrated organic leaf of life extract’s ability to promote hyaluronic acid synthesis.

In cosmetics, organic leaf of life extract boosts the skin’s natural hydration mechanisms.

In Madagascar, Clarins has developed a partnership with two villages to pick and dry the leaf of life, while respecting the environment and organic methods, without using pesticides or chemical substances. This process takes place during the 8 months of the dry season, from April to November. The number of harvests depends on the drying period (2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the season). Plant drying - essential for preserving the active molecules - is performed under the sun on mats made of vegetable fibres: 1 layer of 5 to 8 kg of leaves per mat. The leaves are turned over 2 to 3 times a day. As the moisture content of these leaves is around 95%, 25 kg of fresh flowers need to be dried to obtain 1 kg of dried leaves in the end.

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