Ingredient Library
Arnica
Arnica montana
Arnica is a mountain flower traditionally used to soothe and comfort tired, stressed skin and muscles. Calming, it suits stressed or post-exertion skin.
A natural history
Arnica is a sunny, daisy like flower of the European mountains, nodding in golden drifts across alpine meadows and high moorland. For centuries it has been a cherished remedy of mountain people, gathered by hand and reached for after a bump, a bruise, or a long day on tired legs, which earned it the affectionate country names mountain daisy and mountain tobacco.
That long folk reputation for comfort is what carries arnica into skin care today. It is a flower of the high places, woven into the wellness traditions of the Alps, valued for soothing the look of tired, stressed skin. A little golden bloom with a gentle, time honored purpose.
What it does for your skin
Arnica is a traditional botanical for soothing the look of tired or marked skin, and its modern evidence is honest and mixed. In one controlled study, a high strength topical arnica helped the look of bruising fade faster than a plain control.[1] In another, an arnica gel was no different from its base, a candid reminder that arnica is loved as much for its long tradition of comfort as for proven effect.[2] In a formula it is a gentle, soothing botanical for stressed, tired looking skin. It is used on intact skin, not broken skin.
References
[1] Leu S, et al. Accelerated resolution of laser-induced bruising with topical 20% arnica: a rater-blinded randomized controlled trial. Br J Dermatol. 2010;163(3):557-563. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.09813.x
[2] Alonso D, et al. Effects of topical arnica gel on post-laser treatment bruises. Dermatol Surg. 2002;28(8):686-688. doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.2002.02011.x
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a traditional soothing botanical, long used on tired, bumped, or stressed skin to help it look comforted and refreshed.
The clinical evidence is genuinely mixed, so arnica is valued as much for its centuries of trusted use as for laboratory proof. It is used on intact skin only.