The Power of Pearls
From traditional Chinese medicine to Ayurvedic medicine, pearls have a long history of being considered a luxury ingredient that benefits both skin and health.
Having been introduced to the power of pearls at a young age as “the Rolls Royce of beauty treatments” by her mother, Orcé’s founder Yu-Chen Shih wanted to share this tradition by incorporating the ingredient into the Come Closer range.
Pearl extract is one of the key ingredients in our products, but not just any pearl. We use Tahitian black pearls - some of the highest grade and rarest pearls in the world. Pearls are known to target hyperpigmentation, brighten complexion, assist in collagen production and speed up skin healing, but what exactly is it and how did it become such a coveted beauty ingredient?
Read on to learn more about the Power of Pearls.
History
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), physicians often advocate for ingesting the powder form of regular pearls. Pearl powder is believed to be detoxifying and often used as an inflammatory. It also contains amino acids - essential to our body to stimulate collagen and promote cellular repair - as well as over 30 trace minerals and naturally occurring antioxidants that help maintain the skin’s health.
The British Library/Robana Picture Library/age fotostock
One of the most famous stories about pearls in beauty rituals dates back to 320 A.D. during Empress Wu Ze Tian’s reign, China’s only female emperor. Empress Wu was well known for her love of pearls as it is thought to have preserved her youthful appearance. In China, women admired her beauty and agelessness as she was famous for looking younger than her age at the time. Part of Empress Wu’s legendary beauty routine included applying powder mixed with ground pearls on her face as makeup and ingesting pearl powder.
Today, pearl powder is mostly used in combination with oils, balms, creams, or as part of Eastern herbal remedies.
Ayurvedic Medicine
Pearls are also used in Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient Indian medical system which is one of the world’s oldest medical systems and remains as one of India’s traditional health systems. In Ayurvedic medicine, pearl powder is said to be used for its anti-aging properties and adaptogenic purposes to help calm heat in the body. It is also used to help cool the digestive system and to help balance inflammation within the body.
The Rolls Royce of Beauty Treatments
Growing up in Singapore, Yu-Chen was introduced to pearl powder at a young age as “the Rolls Royce of beauty treatments” by her mother. Over time, she saw the beauty benefits for herself and began integrating pearls into her beauty ritual to help keep her skin elastic, blemish-free and calm, despite dealing with PCOS.
In our products, we utilize the highest grade Tahitian pearls that are broken down into liquid form instead of pearl powder. Our founder feels that no matter how finely ground pearl powder is, its particles are too large to be absorbed by the skin and prevents the valuable ingredient from realizing its full effect. That is why our formula contains hydrolyzed Tahitian pearls - the micro-particles are small enough to be absorbed by the skin and the full benefits of pearls can be reaped without leaving anything behind, for makeup that truly improves skin from the inside out.
Both our Come Closer Perfecting Serum-Foundation and Perfecting Setting Powder features our signature powerhouse ingredient. Experience the revered Tahitian pearl and see the results for yourself.