14/05/2025

LYFE WEDNESDAY | MAY 14, 2025

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Rich in polyphenols

Make room for rice in your beauty routine o Kitchen staple can strengthen hair, fight ageing

and quercetin, apples promise to act on the various signs of skin ageing.

now proving a hit among beauty fans on social networks. On TikTok, the hashtag #ricewater has some 500 million views to date, paired with a host of videos highlighting the virtues of this “miracle” water for hair. Rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, rice cooking water can be used as a hair mask – although the consistency and smell are not especially glamorous. However, just leave it on for a few minutes to enjoy hair that is stronger, fuller and shinier, while boosting its growth and even fighting against frizz. A real godsend when you consider the number of treatments and products needed to meet these various different needs. For all types of skin Rice is also beneficial for skin. As incredible as it may seem, it can be a handy ally for combination to oily skin, as well as for dry, sensitive and mature skin. That is a lot of needs covered! However, people with oily, shiny skin will most appreciate rice powder for its highly absorbent properties – goodbye sebum! – and its mattifying effect. That is why this star ingredient is often found in certain make-up products, such as mattifying powders, eye shadows and even certain blushes. Mature skin can also turn to rice for its action against skin ageing and fading firmness. These benefits are due to its antioxidant active ingredients. Rice water is said to help fight the signs of ageing, to

THE craze for natural beauty is pushing brands to reinvent and to ditch the lengthy ingredient lists that are now a turn-off for many consumers. As a result, cosmetics now contain all kinds of natural ingredients with unexpected benefits for the skin. This is the case with bamboo, apple and chebula. Just as we put foods rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients onto our plates to fight certain diseases and stay in shape, we now apply natural ingredients to our skin to reap the benefits that promise to protect it from external aggression. This trend has been growing since the pandemic, resulting in the emergence of ingredients whose multiple virtues in the cosmetics sector might Used for thousands of years in some countries, including China, whether in construction, design and decoration, or even textiles, bamboo is not unknown in the cosmetics sector – far from it. But interest in this plant is growing. Bamboo – and, more precisely, the natural silica it contains – has multiple benefits for the skin. It can be found in beauty as a hydrolat or hydrosol to deeply nourish dry and dehydrated skin, and is also favoured for its regenerative power. This property makes it a must in anti-ageing treatments, whether to help preserve skin firmness or fight against wrinkles and fine lines. Bamboo is a major beauty partner thanks to its ability to meet the needs of almost all skin types, since it is also beneficial for combination to oily skin thanks to its mattifying power. It is even good for damaged hair and nails, and in powder form, it can help fight excessive perspiration. Apple for anti-ageing “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” or so the saying goes. And for good reason, since this crunchy fruit has many health benefits. Recently, the apple has made a foray into fashion, emerging as a potential alternative to animal leathers. And it is now finding its way into cosmetics, thanks to its anti-ageing virtues and other skin benefits. Rich in polyphenols and quercetin, apples promise to act on the various signs of skin ageing, starting with loosening, reduced firmness and wrinkles. But, that is not all. Apples could also act on skin renewal and protect it against future aggression from external factors, such as pollution, while nourishing dry skin. As in many cosmetics, the fruit, used in association with other natural ingredients, could even be an ally for combination Known in Ayurvedic medicine, chebula can have many names, such as chebulic myrobalan or haritaki, and is considered a miracle ingredient in some countries and regions, including India and Tibet, because of its countless benefits. According to Ayurveda, it has anti-inflammatory virtues that are beneficial for the skin as well as for the body, not to mention anti-ageing properties that make it effective in smoothing and firming skin, and making it more elastic. This is due to its high antioxidant content. In addition, this ingredient could contribute to strengthening and rebuilding the skin barrier, helping to protect it against certain external factors, while moisturising the skin in depth. – ETX Studio Bamboo, apple, chebula for skin never have been suspected. Bamboo for hydration boost skin suffering from excess sebum. Chebula, multipurpose wonder

A CCOMPANYING traditional dishes around the world, rice is a time-old kitchen staple. But it is in the beauty department that the ingredient is currently causing a stir on social networks, where rice water and rice powder are proving to be must-haves for glossy hair and naturally glowing skin. Since the pandemic, our bathrooms seem to have been transformed into veritable pantries, with a growing number of ingredients from the kitchen gradually being used to meet the different needs of our skin – with eggs to moisturise and smooth, sugar to exfoliate, honey to remove hair and olive oil to nourish. Now, rice is here to mattify oily skin and fight against the signs of ageing. These age-old beauty secrets are resurfacing to respond to the climate emergency, as well as to the new concerns of consumers in search of natural and eco-friendly solutions. Boost for dull hair Whether in grain, powder or water form, rice has been used in cosmetics since the dawn of time. In Asia, women have been recycling the water in which rice is cooked for centuries to help strengthen their hair and accelerate its growth. And it is precisely this usage that is A spellbinding exhibition of Cartier jewels, many never seen before in public, has opened in London, tracing the history of the luxury French design house beloved by the rich and famous, from Queen Elizabeth II to Rihanna. For the first time in three decades, the V&A museum is showing a retrospective of some of Cartier’s most iconic creations. Founded in Paris almost 180 years ago, the company has pioneered and modernised the luxury jewellery market. “We all think of Cartier as being this wonderful design, epic and glamorous name, but it is also because they are so good at creating something that is ahead of the times, but does not go out of fashion,” said curator Helen Molesworth. The exhibition has sold out for May but visitors have until Nov 16 to marvel at some 350 brooches, tiaras, necklaces and earrings festooned with diamonds, pearls and stunning jewels of all the colours of the rainbow. The exhibition’s curators have brought together rare pieces from museums around the world, including from private collections such as items belonging to King Charles III and Monaco’s Prince Albert. Queen Elizabeth’s brooch One of the masterpieces on display is the breathtaking Williamson pink diamond rose brooch, made for Queen Elizabeth in 1953, the year of her coronation. It contains a 23-carat pink diamond – one of the rarest, most flawless in the world – presented to the queen as a gift on her wedding to Prince Philip. Nearby is a tiara from a 1902 set with 1,048 diamonds worn to the queen’s coronation by Clementine Churchill, the wife of the then prime minister Winston Churchill. It was lent to singer Rihanna when she was

reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and to help smooth the skin. What is more, rice – again applied in the form of water – is also said to moisturise and nourish the skin deeply. All these reasons could encourage many brands to look to rice when concocting their future cosmetics. – ETX Studio Rice moisturises and nourishes the skin deeply. – PICS FROM PEXELS

Cartier jewel exhibition bedazzling London crowds

Visitors will have until Nov 16 to check out the glitz and glamour of Cartier. – AFPPIC

Russia, they went to India,” said Molesworth. Above all, they managed to capture the changing moods of the times in which they lived. After the stunning diamond necklaces of the Roaring Twenties, came more sober gold bracelets, designed in the 1960s. “One of the great successes of Cartier is staying ahead of the times, being the trendsetters and realising they are keeping up with the changing world around them,” the curator said. During the war years, Cartier designed a brooch in 1942 of a caged bird to mark the Nazi occupation of France. Following France’s liberation, the design was changed in 1944. Called “Free as a Bird”, the brooch shows a chirping bird, bearing France’s distinctive red, white and blue colours, spreading its wings as it flies out of its cage. The exhibition also aimed to explore the links between the French house and the British royal family, which date back to the early 1900s. In 1904, King Edward VII officially appointed Cartier as jewellers to the monarchy – a title that it retains to this day. – AFP

photographed for the cover of W magazine in 2016. There is also a sumptuous square-shaped diamond engagement ring, one of two offered to US actress Grace Kelly by Monaco’s Prince Rainier, and a diamond rose brooch worn by the queen’s sister Princess Margaret. In one room, the curators have gathered a collection of 18 tiaras spanning from 1900 to the modern day, grand finale to the dazzling display. Trendsetters The design house was founded in Paris in 1847 when Louis-Francois Cartier took over the workshop of his master. In 1898, his grandson Louis Cartier joined the brand, and played a pivotal role in Cartier’s evolution. And then in 1902, his brother Pierre opened a branch in London. “We see very early on, even in the beginning of the 1900s, that Cartier is really looking around for inspiration. We see inspirations from the Islamic world, from Egypt, from China, from India. The brothers travelled. They went to