Ingredient Spotlight: Mugwort!
If you’ve noticed this plant extract with the unusual name in Korean skincare in the last few years, you may be wondering why! Artemisia princeps, also known as Korean mugwort (ssuk), Japanese mugwort (yomogi), or Korean wormwood, has been used in traditional East Asian medicine, or han-bang, for centuries: typically used in soups, salads, or herbal teas, it’s known for settling upset stomachs, and even easing menstrual cramps.
Known for its resilience as a perennial, rapidly-growing herb, its use on the skin topically soothes inflammation and sensitivity on dry, atopic, and acneic skin, much like popular cica, or Centella Asiatica. With tocopherol acetate, or Vitamin E as a natural component, mugwort also protects the skin and boosts the ability to retain moisture, being a huge relief to dry and sensitive skin.
While relieving sensitivity and increasing moisture, mugwort also protects and strengthens the skin barrier. Our skin is made of several different proteins, and mugwort’s antioxidant properties (think Vitamin C and many mushrooms!) enhance the production of important skin barrier proteins by sending signals to protein production machinery inside of our cells, further regulating many skin issues.
On top of that, mugwort is also naturally antibacterial and antifungal, much like tea tree. Although we need a good mix of bacteria on healthy skin, certain bacteria and yeasts can overgrow. Mugwort helps keep these microflorae in balance, helping many different skin issues. With all of these properties, mugwort is truly a multi-tasking powerhouse, much like snail mucin and niacinamide!
Let us know in the comments regarding your experience with mugwort and our Sooni Pouches!
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Hirano, A., Goto, M., Mitsui, T., Hashimoto-Hachiya, A., Gaku, T., & Masutaka, F. (2017). Antioxidant Artemisia princeps extract enhances the expression of filaggrin and loricrin via the AHR/OVOL1 pathway. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(1948). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5618597/pdf/ijms-18-01948.pdf
Yang, Y., Hwang, E., Park, B., Choi, N., Kim, K., & You, Y. (2019). Artemisia princeps inhibits growth, biofilm formation, and virulence factor expression in Streptococcus mutans. Journal of Medicinal Food, 22(6), 623-630. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/jmf.2018.4304
