What is Birch Tree Sap?

Recently, you may have noticed more and more skin care products on the market that contain the ingredient, birch tree sap or birch juice.  Birch tree sap is a skin care ingredient that was introduced and made popular in Korean beauty products, which have often been utilizing birch tree sap in place of water, with Western brands such as Origins following suit.

What is birch tree sap?  Birch refers to a group of tree species most commonly found in the northern hemisphere of the world.  The extracts, leaves, and bark of various birch trees have been used in everything from teas and flavoring, to building skateboards and furniture.  In the realm of skin care, we shall focus on the tree sap of the specific species of birch called Betula platyphylla, which is obtained from the Japanese white birch or Siberian silver birch trees.  

Birch tree sap is an ingredient that deeply hydrates and brightens your skin.  It is packed with numerous nutrients that are beneficial for your skin, including amino acids, minerals, and sugars, which moisturize, as well as niacinamide and vitamin C that work together to brighten the skin.  The molecule of birch tree sap is small in size, thus allowing it to be very effectively absorbed by the skin.  Charlotte Cho, the founder of Sokoglam, described birch tree sap as being "the next coconut water for the skin."  While not the case here in warm Hawaii, in many places with cold winter weather, incorporating products with birch tree sap may be very beneficial to help fend off winter dry skin.  

Two birch tree sap-containing products that I have been using are the COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion and the ENature Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack.  

The COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion has been my every day moisturizer for the past two months.  It contains 70% birch tree sap, which makes it a great skin hydrator.  I have combination skin with my T-zone being quite oily and acne-prone.  This moisturizer is light yet effective and also contains tea tree oil to help to combat any acne or inflammation.  It has a gel-lotion consistency, applies very smoothly, and prepares your skin well for makeup application.  This product is available for $20 on sokoglam.com. 

The ENature Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack is an amazing sleeping mask that I use as the last step of my night-time skin care regimen when my skin is in need of some extra moisturizing.  I also use this in place of my daytime moisturizer whenever I travel and take long airplane flights - it helps to keep my skin moisturized despite the dehydrating airplane atmosphere.  This sleeping pack contains 74% birch tree sap, as well as calming ingredients such as chamomile.  It has a gel-lotion consistency and a cooling sensation upon initial application.  In the morning, my skin feels soft and plump.   While some sleeping packs can be thick and pore clogging, I have not experienced any breakouts with this product.  This is available for $28 on sokoglam.com.

Let me know if you've tried any products that contain birch tree sap! :)  

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