Flowers have virtues prized in the cosmetics industry.

In "Without appointment" on Europe 1, several specialists in this sector revealed which flowers are the most used to produce the creams on sale in their stores and why they more than others.

With the return of spring last weekend, flowers are starting to beautify our gardens.

But this is not the only usefulness of these plants.

Thanks to their properties, flowers are also very useful for the production of cosmetics.

Today, all you have to do is look in the bathroom cupboards to find anti-aging creams made from flower extracts of all kinds.

This use dates back several millennia as told by Kathleen Emery, head of skin care at the Mavala brand, Monday in

Sans rendez-vous

.

"At the time of ancient Egypt, there were already potions, ointments, lotions and even poultices from botany," she recalls.

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The rose, champion of cell renewal

"Cleopatra, who is known to be very concerned about her beauty, macerated rose petals in oil which she then applied to her face to preserve the youthfulness of her skin," says the specialist.

Theoretically, the 250,000 flowers listed today in the world could be used to produce cosmetics, because they have all the quality of being moisturizing.

But, each flower being unique, there are therefore particular benefits.

The most widely used in the cosmetics industry is, for example, the rose.

It is the champion of cell renewal and it has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a valuable ally for the production of anti-aging creams.

For skin with imperfections, it is the hibiscus that is popular.

At the microphone of Europe 1 Monday, Juliette Munoz, co-founder of the cosmetics brand La Canopée, confirms that it is widely used against blackheads and pimples: "We make an infusion to succeed in extracting all these fruit acids which have keratolytic power, ie used to exfoliate the skin. "

Juliette Munoz "advises to use it very regularly" on skin with imperfections, because it "really helps in the healing of pimples and cell renewal."

Roman chamomile does not smell good ... but is very useful!

On the other hand, you should not trust the smell of a flower to deduce its virtues.

Concretely, it is not because a flower smells good that it will necessarily be very good for the skin and vice versa.

"Roman chamomile, for example, has a fragrance that is not entirely pleasant," explains Juliette Munoz.

"But it is used for its properties for the skin. It is very soothing and calming for rather sensitive and reactive skin."

Another flower much appreciated for combating brown spots on the skin or redness: the lily, which has lightening properties.

It is therefore the perfect flower to restore radiance to the face.

Some flowers manage to survive in extreme environmental conditions.

This makes them valuable sources of protective substances for the skin.

Kathleen Emery notably cites the "Alpine rose" which she describes as "absolutely fascinating because it grows at very high altitudes".

"It experiences intense cold in winter and intense UV radiation in summer. It is subject to wind, but also to drought. Yet it has the ability to keep its leaves green all year round. For us, it is. a phenomenal source of inspiration. "

As for which part of the flower to use, it all depends on where the desired properties are found in the plant.

For lavender, for example, we can use the whole flower, while we use the stem instead for rosemary.