What are the benefits of sage hydrolate for your skin?

The name Salvia comes from the Latin word salvare, which means “to heal”. This aromatic plant has been appreciated since ancient times for its many pharmaceutical benefits. It helped to fight certain infections like gangrene, or even to stimulate digestion. It’s rich in estrogen-type molecules (female hormones), and is still recommended for use in menopause to compensate for the hormonal drop that women experience.

Sage hydrolate is made by treating dried leaves with steam distillation, which allows us to obtain two separate products: the essential oil and the hydrolate. As they come from the same plant, both products have similar properties but the hydrolate is less concentrated in active molecules because it contains less aromatic essence. Sage hydrolate is considered a gentler alternative to essential oil, which is deemed neurotoxic due to its high thujone content. This is why sage essential oil is on the list of essential oils which only pharmacists can sell (public health code).

Sage hydrolate is an excellent antioxidant. It fights against free radicals which cause oxidative stress. As a reminder, this is a natural process but is accelerated by several factors including UV rays, pollution, stress, smoking… Free radicals are unstable and highly reactive molecules which damage a wide range of healthy compounds in the body (DNA, RNA, proteins, membrane lipids…) accelerating their aging process. In terms of the skin, it starts to lose its firmness and issues start to appear (wrinkles, pigmentation marks…). Sage hydrolate fights against free radicals to help slow down the signs of aging and protect the skin from external irritants.