What is saffron?
Saffron is the name of the saffron pistil, a flower that grows in places with hot and dry climates like Iran, Greece, Morocco, and Kashmir. The saffron flower blooms only once a year for a few weeks from late October to early November, requiring producers to focus on harvesting quickly. Each saffron flower has only four flowers, each flower has three pistils, so it takes 11,000 to 17,000 saffron flowers to produce 1 kg of the final product. Limited production, picky in the cultivation and harvesting, demand always exceeds supply, pushing the price of real saffron to a sky-high price of nearly $10,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most expensive ingredients in the world.
The reason saffron is so popular is that it contains many healthy ingredients. Studies have shown that saffron pistil works to block the effects of a variety of chemical compounds that have the ability to cause cancer, fight depression, dementia, and induce sleep. Not to mention the fact that it's delicious and benefits the digestive system. The fragile pistil also contains powerful ingredients that can be used to solve a number of beauty and skincare problems for women, including aging and hyperpigmentation.
Saffron and Skin
What makes saffron so attractive to women are the miraculous uses that this spice can bring to the health of the skin. These include:
High antioxidant capacity: Saffron contains a lot of vitamin A with the effect of reducing the rate of aging, protecting the skin from the harmful effects of UV rays and free radicals, and helping to increase the elasticity and softness of the skin.
Skin lightening: Besides vitamin A, saffron also contains high levels of vitamin C. They help promote collagen formation and remove signs such as dark spots, pigmentation, and freckles.
Helps skin to recover from environmental influences: Saffron pistil is rich in minerals and contains two powerful carotenoids: crocin and crocetin. These carotenoids are believed to be effective in repairing damage and ensuring overall cell health. Thus, they will help the skin recover from daily environmental damage, oxidation, sunlight, and heal everything from affecting skin elasticity.
Heals cuts, scratches, and other wounds: Early studies have shown saffron pistil has the ability to promote cell production, helping wounds heal faster.
Reduced skin pigmentation: Saffron not only lightens the skin tone but also improves and reduces hyperpigmentation thanks to its rich vitamin content.
Soothes inflammation: The spice's healing power can help soothe redness, inflammation, and even acne because saffron contains other vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B6, and B9. B vitamins help the skin eliminate toxins, thereby limiting damage to even the most sensitive skin.
In other words, saffron is a holistic cure, both internally and externally.
Side Effects of Saffron
In general, saffron has not been shown to contain any risk of adverse effects for health and skin. However, you should still read the instructions carefully and regard the ingredients of any skincare products using saffron with diligence before using it on your skin.
How to use saffron effectively?
While oral consumption is the most common, for topical products, experts recommend using saffron in the form that stays on the skin for as long as possible. Saffron has been formulated and applied in many beauty products, including cleansers, serums, and face masks. Saffron is most commonly used in skincare products to promote the repair of cells. Therefore, sleeping masks or creams would be the most beneficial as they are meant to stay on your skin longer.
