How Skincare Can Help You Connect You With Nature, According To An Expert

"Come to the woods, for here is rest," wrote John Muir in 1938, and his observation has pretty much been backed up by science. Being in nature is good for you. There have been a number of scientific studies that show how being in nature, like walking in a forest or park as compared to walking through a city, have measurable health benefits like lowered blood pressure, lowered cortisol — the body's stress hormone — and an increase in white blood cells, per The New York Times. This has helped boost the popularity of "forest bathing," based on the Japanese term "shinrin-yoku," via The Washington Post. There are also benefits to being on and around water; being near water is restorative and even lowers the rates of premature death, according to The Conversation.

The value that we get from nature and natural spaces is only possible if we are able to preserve those spaces, and it turns out that there are some unexpected ways that we can do that. The List spoke exclusively with Colleen Poe, Founder and Formulator of Apo.Ge, a botanical skincare line, about how the skincare products we use can help connect us with the natural world.

Colleen Poe, Founder and Formulator of Apo.Ge outlined exclusively for The List the ways she thinks about connecting with nature via her skincare line, and it goes beyond the ingredients and packaging they use: "It isn't enough for us to just create products that allow customers the opportunity to tap into the therapeutic powers of natural ingredients. It's also important to us that we empower people to lower their impact in an industry known for overconsumption and unsustainable practices."

It can be easy to not see the relationship between what we're buying at the store and preserving the natural world. After all, there generally aren't places to shop for skincare along hiking trails. However, as Poe puts it, "connecting with nature is not just about getting outside. It's also about considering nature and how your purchasing decisions affect our environment."

Poe's not alone in this concern. Consumption is the biggest problem that's driving environmental problems around the world, via NPR. Being a conscious shopper when it comes to beauty products is one way to help make things a little bit better.