Maple trees all belong to the Acer genus, which is part of the Sapindacea or Soapberry family. As the name suggests, these plants contain high levels of a soap-like substance called saponins. Saponins are chemical compounds made by several plants that have the defining characteristic of creating a light foam when agitated with water. Plants containing saponins are likely to have been the first soap substance ever used by ancestral humans. Today they are recognized as being a super delicate cleansing agent. On the skin, they have the unique ability to thoroughly cleanse away dirt and oil, without damaging the acid mantle or moisture barrier of the skin. Our cleansing products contain no soaps, detergents, or surfactants, only saponins.

 

Maple leaves are actually the primary saponin-containing plant that we use to create our cleansers. This is because we have several maple trees that make plenty of leaves, so it is a super-sustainable and low-water source of an amazing plant ingredient!

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Benefits

- Cleanses without stripping, especially compared to surfactants commonly used in skincare (1)

- Improves skin elasticity (1, 2)​

- Emulsification (1, 2, 3)

- Anti-aging (2)

- Healing (3)

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Science

1. Jurek, I., Góral, I., Mierzyńska, Z., Moniuszko-Szajwaj, B., & Wojciechowski, K. (2019). Effect of synthetic surfactants and soapwort (Saponaria officinalis L.) extract on skin-mimetic model lipid monolayers. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Biomembranes, 1861(3), 556-564.

2. Kim, Y. G., Sumiyoshi, M., Sakanaka, M., & Kimura, Y. (2009). Effects of ginseng saponins isolated from red ginseng on ultraviolet B-induced skin aging in hairless mice. European journal of pharmacology, 602(1), 148-156.

3. Kim, Y. S., Cho, I. H., Jeong, M. J., Jeong, S. J., Nah, S. Y., Cho, Y. S., ... & Moon, C. J. (2011). Therapeutic effect of total ginseng saponin on skin wound healing. Journal of ginseng research, 35(3), 360.