Soybean Extract

A natural history

The soybean is one of the oldest cultivated crops of East Asia, farmed in China for some three thousand years and so esteemed that, during the Zhou dynasty, it was honored as one of the Five Sacred Grains, held in the same regard as rice and wheat. For millennia it has been a cornerstone of the Asian table, a humble bean of quiet importance.

That humble bean holds a special gift for the skin. Soy is unusually rich in isoflavones, gentle plant antioxidants that have drawn particular scientific interest for mature skin, where evenness of tone and firmness become the things we wish for. From an ancient grain comes a thoroughly modern ally for skin that is changing with the years.

What it does for your skin

Soy is rich in isoflavones, chiefly genistein and daidzein, plant antioxidants of special interest for mature skin. In a twelve week controlled study, a moisturizer with stabilized soy was reported to improve the look of mottled pigmentation, blotchiness, fine lines, and overall tone.^[1] In a small study of postmenopausal women, a soy isoflavone extract was associated with more collagen and elastic fibers in the skin, though it was taken by mouth and uncontrolled.^[2] In a formula soy helps support a firmer, more even looking complexion. The studies are modest.

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