The best place to look for a skin booster may be in the garden, in the orchard or even the paddy field. The back to nature approach in finding a never-ending source of new ingredients, and intriguing "hope in a jar" constantly coming out of cosmetics labs.

An apple a day to keep the wrinkles away? Not proven yet but the apple, a symbol of health and well-being, has long been recognised for its nutritional benefits. L'Occitane combined organic apple extract and organic apple cider with almond for its latest facial care. The Almond-Apple line is designed for 25 to 35-year-old women with looming pore problems. Clinical studies have shown that it is around the age of 30 that, under the influence of hormonal factors, sebaceous glands reach their maximum size, which can lead to more visible pores.

Tradition states that prior to cooking, Asian women wash the rice and collect the water for cleansing their face, believing that rice water has special powers to renew and transform their skin. Origins simplifies all this in its new smoothing serum. As nature's daily facial, Modern Infusion features rice water, rice bran ferment, rice starch, rice hull powder, rice bran wax as well as purple rice and rice butter.

It's time to smell the roses, jasmine and other delightful essential oils in Darphin's Aromatic Care formulas. Specific formulas focus on specific actions to enhance the skin and personal well-being, including needs to purify, balance, tone, as well as to feel energised, soothed and relaxed. A sniff of Jasmine Aromatic Care, for example, puts you in a relaxed mode before applying five drops of the oil to the face to help firm up the skin.

Essential oils also play an important role in Jurlique skincare system, which starts with Aromatic Hydrating Concentrate (AHC) and Face Wash Cream for deep cleansing. AHC formulas include Chamomile-Rose for dry sensitive skin and Rosemary-Sage for oily acne-prone skin. A washcloth compress that has been soaked in a solution of AHC and warm water is used to soften dead skin cells, open pores and hydrate the skin to prepare it for the exfoliating Face Wash Cream with almonds, wheatgerm, oats and tahini  -  a highly absorbent sesame-seed paste.