(Beauty)
Crystal-Infused Beauty Products Look Pretty (& They Actually Work, Too)
Confession: I collect crystals — a lot of them — both for their ~aesthetic~ and mystical properties. A hunk of golden citrine sits on my desk (to call in abundance), right next to a large labradorite stone (to ward off negative energy); I even keep a small sliver of selenite under my pillow (to promote better sleep, of course). No one is more excited than I am about the recent rise of crystal-infused beauty products — but even I have to admit a certain level of skepticism. Can the microscopic crystal particles found in these products actually do anything?
“Crystals have been used for a very long time for those that believe it can promote healing and ward off negative energy,” Ron Robinson, a cosmetic chemist and founder of BeautyStat.com, tells The Zoe Report. While the healing benefits of the glimmering stones can’t exactly be proven by science, he says that they do have three recognized advantages when it comes to skincare.
“Depending on its particle size, crystals can work to gently exfoliate the skin if used in a scrub product,” Robinson says. For example, the powdered rose quartz (said to be the stone of self-love) in Poppy And Someday Rose Quartz Mask brightens your complexion whether you’re a “crystal person” or not, by sloughing away dead skin cells; while the crushed ruby in Goldfaden MD Doctor's Body Scrub makes for incredibly soft skin all over.
“And if ground to a finer particle size, crystal extracts can help to give skin a glowy radiance,” Robinson adds. This one’s a no brainer: Crystals are sparkly because they refract light. By applying micro-sized crystal particles to your skin, you’ll refract light, too — and look otherworldly luminous.
Finally, crystals are cool to the touch. “This helps to reduce puffiness and inflammation and increase circulation, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles,” Kimberly Dewhirst, an astrologer and founder of StarSignStyle.com, tells The Zoe Report; citing jade rolling as her favorite way to incorporate crystals into her beauty routine. Odacité’s recently released Aventurine Lip Serum, featuring a rollerball applicator made of aventurine crystal, banks on this benefit, as well. “The gemstone is cold on the lips, which is then followed by a warming effect as the active ingredients are released,” Valerie Grandury, the brand’s founder, tells us. “The magical cool-to-warm effect stimulates lips and triggers a natural plumping effect.”
These aren’t the only reasons people gravitate to crystal-powered products, though. “Beauty isn't always an outside job, and nowadays people are recognizing the benefit of letting their inner beauty radiate,” Dewhirst tells us. “Crystals are one of the tools used in the pursuit of happiness, and allow us to connect with something outside the narrow parameters of what is deemed acceptable, attractive, or aspirational.”
But how, you may be wondering, do crystals impart this supposed healing energy? It all has to do with vibration. Every natural substance vibrates at a specific frequency: The human body vibrates at around 62 Hertz, the earth vibrates at 7.83 Hertz, and crystals vibrate at significantly higher frequencies — quartz tops the charts at 32,768 Hertz. “I first realized the power of crystals when someone gifted me a clear quartz,” Mazz Hanna, the founder of her namesake line of crystal-based personal care items, reveals to TZR readers. “I could physically feel its energy radiating in the palm of my hand.”
Since ancient times, humans have believed that this “high vibe” property could raise the “low vibrations” that are said to result from our physical, mental, or emotional ailments. Science can confirm the vibrational piece of the puzzle, but currently there is no solid scientific proof to support the theory that these stones can heal the human body or mind.
There is, however, proof of a placebo effect. One study discussed in Time found that those who meditated holding “fake” crystals reported the same sensations — tingling, heat, vibrating — as those who meditated with real crystals. Basically, when it come to gemstones, we feel what we want to feel.
But since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, why not indulge in the crystal beauty craze with the offerings ahead? Whether you choose to believe it’s the high vibrations or light-reflecting particles giving you the glow-up is totally up to you.
