In a 28-day study, skin was 22% firmer and 21% smoother.
One of my most interesting finds over the years has been birch. We know birch trees make beautiful furniture, but the sap and leaves of this plant also have real benefits for our skin. Let me start with the tree itself.
The history of the birch tree
The birch has been northern Europe's favourite tree for centuries. It belongs to Freya, the Norse goddess of love, and in German and Slavonic traditions a birch brought into the village marked the arrival of spring. That custom never died: the maypole, the tall decorated pole that villagers dance around to celebrate spring, still stands in many European town squares, and it is traditionally a birch. Bachelors once presented a decorated birch to their beloved as a symbol of health.
Birch sap was taken as a strengthening tonic, a tea of the leaves was used to calm the skin, and in Northern Europe and Russia the leaves were prized for their vitamin C. Every May and June the tree puts on a surge of strong new growth, and that young spring leaf is exactly what skincare makers harvest today.
Can birch help with cellulite?
Cellulite is the name for the totally normal fat deposits under our skin that create a dimpled or "orange peel" effect. Fat cells in the deeper layers of the skin increase in size, the fibrous strands connecting skin to muscle pull tight, and the fat pushes upward, which creates that texture on the surface. Cellulite affects between 80 and 90 percent of women, regardless of weight or fitness level, and is strongly influenced by oestrogen. As oestrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause, blood flow to the connective tissue decreases and collagen production slows, so cellulite can become more noticeable. If you have it, you are in very good company.
This is why cellulite oils use birch leaf extract. Massaged into the skin alongside ingredients like organic rosemary, it stimulates blood flow to the surface and supports the skin's natural tone and texture, so skin looks and feels firmer.
Weleda harvests around 500 tonnes of young birch leaves each year. Some come from their own biodynamic gardens in Derbyshire, UK, but the majority are gathered through long-standing fair-trade partnerships, primarily in the Czech Republic. Whether grown in their own gardens or sourced externally, all birch ingredients are cultivated to strict organic or biodynamic principles. Their sourcing is one of the ten things I've always loved about Weleda.
My favourite birch products for the body
Here are my favourite natural skin and body products that use birch.
1. Weleda Birch Pearl Body Scrub
An exfoliating scrub made of hydrating plant wax pearls that lift away dead skin cells and get the circulation going, with a fresh, zingy scent from birch extract, grapefruit, citrus and cypress. In Weleda's consumer testing, 88% of participants said their skin felt smoother and softer. Use it once or twice a week before the body oil, the two work together as a team.
2. Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil
The matching body oil, made with silver birch leaf extract and nourishing plant oils including apricot kernel, jojoba and wheatgerm, plus organic rosemary to stimulate circulation and organic ruscus, traditionally used to soothe. Massage it in while the skin is still warm and damp from the shower, with firm upward strokes on the thighs, hips and buttocks. In an independent 28-day study by German dermatologists, skin was measured to be 22% firmer and 21% smoother.
3. Weleda Arnica Muscle Soak
A soothing bath milk of arnica flower extract and birch leaf extract with rosemary and lavender essential oils. Lovely in the bath after exercise or a long day on your feet.
4. Dr Hauschka Regenerating Body Cream
A rich body moisturiser with rose, orange and vanilla that supports the skin's natural regeneration and leaves it feeling smooth and supple. Birch leaves and marshmallow sit alongside phytoestrogen-rich red clover and field horsetail.
5. Dr Hauschka Regenerating Neck and Décolleté Cream
Made for mature skin 40+, this one treats the face, neck and décolleté as one connected area. Birch leaves and marshmallow do the hydrating, and there's whole pomegranate in it, peel included, to support skin regeneration. It also made my guide to natural neck creams.
6. Vanessa Megan Body Sculpt Silicone Anti-Cellulite Suction Cup
This cup is made from 100% medical grade silicone and works over freshly oiled skin, so it slots straight in after the Birch Cellulite Oil. Squeeze the cup to create suction, then glide it up and down and in circles to encourage lymphatic drainage and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Two to three minutes per area, three to four times a week, and start with mild suction until you find your level.
About the Author ~ Irene Falcone
Irene Falcone is a clean beauty writer and co-host of a wellness podcast. She has spent more than 15 years reading the back of beauty labels, and is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and a judge for the Clean + Conscious Awards.
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