How We Source Our High-Quality Skincare Ingredients
From day one, we have committed to a ‘field to patient’ approach across all we do. After more than three decades of operation, we — and thousands of our patients across the world — wholly appreciate the indisputable benefits it brings.
Here, we take a look at the sourcing side of our brand, the intricacies of procuring our prized Chinese herbs, and why we chose all those years ago to go direct to the growers themselves.
When it comes to treating serious and unique skin conditions, it’s vital our formulas are just right, so as not to exacerbate symptoms; that the high levels of natural ingredients in our blends contain precisely the right balance of actives, in the most optimal concentrations.
It goes without saying, therefore, that ingredient quality, sustainability and authenticity couldn’t be more important. Yet, with Chinese herbs in particular, ensuring a sustainable and high-quality supply proves a very challenging proposition indeed.
A Brief History of Chinese Herbs
In Chinese Medicine, sourcing, collection and classification of herbal substances have always held great importance. Millennia of use has shown how the locale a plant was grown in, how it is cultivated, which parts are used, and how each part is processed and applied are all key to its inherent quality.
Dao Di Medicinal Material describes those herbs with longstanding reputations for high quality and excellent treatment effects. Considered as a ‘certificate of authenticity’, it is only presented to those herbs cultivated in specific regions and under strict conditions to induce their distinctive quality and standard.
Chinese Herb Quality Control
Sourcing top-quality Chinese herbs is a highly specialised and difficult field, with few outside of Asia trained to such a level. With their education and experience, both our founder Mazin Al-Khafaji and his wife and fellow Dermatology M Director, Pia, are able to do just this.
From the look, taste and smell, Mazin and Pia are able to identify and authenticate the region, age, cultivation type and grade quality of every herb we use before bringing them to our own manufacturing facility back in Sussex, England for processing.
It is here that our full collection of clean, natural skincare products are created using sustainable, in-house, small-batch methods.
The Popularity Pressures of Quality Ingredients
Whether for beverages, traditional remedies or even cosmetics, the demand for Chinese herbs has risen at remarkable rates in recent decades. Global demand now outstrips supply and the sustainability of these noble natural resources has become a core area of concern.
Highly sought-after or rare herbs are, as a result, demanding very high prices and, for some, the temptation of adulteration and substitution for economic gain has become too high. From presenting poorer quality supplies to concealing the fact they are different plants altogether, the market for Chinese herbs has become a highly concerning issue.
That is precisely why we chose, over 30 years ago, to go direct to the growers and suppliers and ensure we can maintain control over the quality of the ingredients we use.
Why We Go Direct to Growers
By actively avoiding third-party markets where fakes prevail, we’ve built relationships directly with growers to ensure the quality, control and continuation of the herbs we import.
These trusted relationships go beyond the conventional supplier-customer contracts you might expect — a topic we explore in detail in our blog, Protecting Provenance | Working with Growers for a Better Future .
We believe it’s our responsibility as buyers to encourage growers to adopt responsible practices — on the fields and within their workforce. Yet, as small, traditional communities and industries, they often struggle to do this without support.
Therefore, via the Protecting Provenance programme led by Pia Al-Khafaji, we are able to support growers and their businesses through even the hardest of times, including poor harvests, flood and drought, enabling them to progress and develop for all our benefit.
Fundamentally, our efforts mean every ingredient inside a Dermatology M formula can be traced back to its grower, and we have nothing but the utmost confidence in its quality and suitability for the task in hand.
It’s how we’ve always worked, it’s how we will always work, and we understand the difference it makes for you and your skin.
