Ingredient Spotlight: Horsetail

Ingredient Spotlight · Plant Active

The Horsetail

The iron plant. Rich in silicon, field horsetail is the firming active par excellence: it supports the skin's framework and restores its tone.

The portrait of a prehistoric plant at the heart of our firming line.

FirmingSiliconRestructuringToningRemineralizing
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Common name
Field horsetail, horse tail, scouring rush.
INCI name
Equisetum Arvense Extract; Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract.
Family, type
Equisetaceae; firming plant extract, rich in silica.
Found in nature
Damp soils, ditches and roadsides throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Its hollow, rough stems are harvested in summer.
How it's obtained
Water-glycerin extraction of the dried aerial parts, followed by filtration.
Typical concentration
0.5% to 3% extract.
Organoleptic properties
Appearance: light brown liquid; Scent: herbaceous.
Physical characteristics
Water-soluble; one of the plants richest in silicon (up to 10% of dry matter), as silica and silicic acid; also contains flavonoids and minerals1,2.
Benefits
Firming, restructuring, toning, remineralizing, astringent, repairing.
Cosmetic indications
Skin losing firmness and elasticity, sagging facial contours, neck and décolleté; mature skin.

Did you know?A little history

Horsetail is one of the oldest plants on the planet: 350 million years ago, its ancestors formed forests a hundred feet tall, long before the dinosaurs.

Its silica-laden stem is so abrasive that it was long used to scour pots and polish wood, hence its popular name, "scouring rush." In herbal medicine, it is traditionally associated with strong bones, nails and hair.

It's this richness in silicon, the trace element of firmness, that made it the benchmark active of our Advanced Optimizer line.

General useSilicon and the skin

Silicon is a structural trace element: it contributes to collagen and elastin synthesis and to the cohesion of connective tissue. Its concentration in the skin decreases with age, alongside the loss of firmness2.

Horsetail is one of its most concentrated plant sources, in an organic form the skin can use.

Field horsetail only: Equisetum arvense is the species used in herbal medicine and skincare. Its cousin, marsh horsetail (E. palustre), is toxic and never used.

Cosmetic useIts properties on skin

  • FirmingIts silicon supports the synthesis of support fibers and restores tone to tissues2.
  • RestructuringIt contributes to dermal cohesion and skin density.
  • ToningAstringent, it tightens tissues and redefines facial contours.
  • RemineralizingIts minerals (silicon, potassium, calcium) nourish tired skin.
  • AntioxidantIts flavonoids protect collagen fibers from breakdown1.
  • SoothingTraditionally healing, it supports care for reactive skin.

FormulationHorsetail at Yon-Ka

Main firming active

Equisetum Arvense Extract

The pillar of the Advanced Optimizer line: silicon-rich horsetail, paired with hibiscus or lupine peptides and vitamin C-rich rosehip.

Advanced Optimizer Serum · Advanced Optimizer Gel Lift · Advanced Optimizer Creme

Synergy active

Equisetum Arvense (Leaf) Extract

For its astringent and soothing virtues, in a blemish treatment and a mask for sensitive skin.

Creme 15 · Sensitive Masque

In cosmeticsUses

  • Firming serums and creams for face, neck and décolleté;
  • Tightening gels with a lifting effect;
  • Firming body care;
  • Astringent care for combination skin.

The Yon-Ka approach

Three textures for three gestures: the Gel Lift for an instant lifting effect, the Serum for an intensive course, the Creme for daily maintenance. Always the same foundation, horsetail and its silicon, with plant peptides to amplify firmness.

The science of the active, the sensoriality of the plant.

How to useAdding it to your ritual

  1. In the morning
    Advanced Optimizer Gel Lift on face, neck and décolleté, smoothing upward, then your day cream.
  2. In the evening
    Advanced Optimizer Serum, then Advanced Optimizer Creme, with an upward massage.
  3. As a 2-month course
    Silicon works on structure: firmness is built over time.

Good to knowStorage and precautions

A stable extract that needs no special storage.

Very well tolerated when applied topically, with no known contraindications, including during pregnancy. As with any plant extract, individual sensitivity is still possible: on very reactive skin, patch test behind the ear first.

Go furtherSources

  1. PubMed search on the properties of Equisetum arvense. PubMed
  2. Araújo L.A., Addor F., Campos P.M.B.G.M. Use of silicon for skin and hair care: an approach of chemical forms available and efficacy. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 2016; 91(3): 331-335. PubMed
  3. COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe), cosmetic ingredient database, Equisetum Arvense Extract. cosmileeurope.eu
Selection

Our horsetail treatments

The Yon-Ka formulas where horsetail is a key ingredient.

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