The latest ingredient darling of the luxury organic skincare scene, functional mushrooms seem to be popping up in products from serums to scrubs, with the regal reishi mushroom – once available only to the ruling class of ancient cultures for its rarity – paving the way.
Hailed as the “Elixir of Life” in centuries-old medicinal Chinese literature, and often called the “The Mushroom of Immortality” for its prolific wellness benefits, skincare professionals and natural practitioners alike harnessing its renewing properties for more radiant complexions seems a logical next step in the mushroom’s evolution.
Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know about the time-tested benefits of reishi mushroom, and how they can help to reveal your healthiest, most swoon-worthy skin.
Reishi Mushroom Skin Care
While applying a mushroom moisturizer or toner might seem like a wild new frontier of personal care to some, they’ve been slowly spawning their way across the modern beauty world since their introduction by Japanese brand Menard in the 1980s. Since the early 2000s, they’ve been slowly making their presence known in the topical skin care formulas of the Western world.
Planet-Friendly Beauty
For those seeking a more natural, sustainable approach to the commonly chemical-laden products of the beauty & wellness market’s mainstream, mushroom-derived options can offer a kinder, gentler alternative for both body and planet.
Packed with skin-rejuvenating compounds, whether used in topical or supplement form, reishi mushrooms are extremely rare to find growing in the wild. Because these fungi are cultivated in dedicated growing facilities for production, the intricacies of natural ecosystems are left undisturbed. And, because mushrooms require minimal resources to grow and produce very little impact, even when compared to other natural ingredients, they're considered one of the most sustainable, renewable materials on Earth.
High-impact, low-footprint skincare? Yes please.
Pro Tip: The most responsible brands will even be able to provide details on where and how the mushrooms in their products were grown and harvested.
Reishi Mushroom Benefits for Skin
Reishi, or Ganoderma lingzhi, is regarded as an anti-aging, immune-boosting, adaptogenic fungal force to be reckoned with. And with good reason: thousands of years of use in traditional medicine and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated its ability to promote longevity and slow signs of aging in the body. It’s also been shown to help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression, and have significant effects on fortifying the immune system.
So, what are the reishi mushroom benefits for skin?
Hydrate & Restore Moisture. Beta-glucans, a type of polysaccharide abundant in reishi mushrooms, act as a humectant, meaning they draw in and help to retain moisture. The intensely hydrating effects of this compound can help to plump skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Mushroom polysaccharides, in a recent study, were even shown to offer better moisture retention than one of skincare’s leading ingredients: hyaluronic acid.
Calm Redness & Irritation. Reishi’s immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory qualities have a soothing effect on red, irritated, and inflamed skin. This can be helpful to calm breakout-prone complexions and other reactive skin concerns due to reishi’s adaptogenic capabilities.
Get Your Beauty Sleep. Long lauded for its ability to induce a tranquil state in Traditional Chinese Medicine, reishi is known to aid in a healthy sleep cycle and promote better quality rest. As we slumber, skin does its repair work, recovering from damage, rebuilding collagen and elastin, and diminishing wrinkles and age spots. Solid shuteye is vital to the health and appearance of our skin. Without it, the rest of our most well-intended skincare routines can only do so much.
Even & Correct. The enzyme tyrosinase is responsible for the development of discoloration like melasma and age spots. In research, reishi has demonstrated the ability to inhibit the production of tyrosinase, which can help to fade dark spots, marks, and scarring.
Strengthen the Skin Barrier. Our skin’s protective barrier provides natural resilience to environmental stressors like UV exposure, pollutants, harmful bacteria, and free radicals. Over time the breakdown of this defense, which can be caused by stress, lack of sleep, and other lifestyle factors, can lead to thinning or crepey skin, wrinkles, discoloration, and infection. Reishi possesses potent antioxidant factors, which help to fight free radicals and bolster the skin’s immunity, ultimately acting as a shield against damage.
Gut Health & Microbiome Balance. Gut health and skin health are systematically linked. Studies have shown how bacterial imbalances in the gut can lead to changes like inflammation on the skin’s surface due to disruptions in its microbial environment. Reishi supports gut health by positively impacting bacteria to help balance the gut microbiome, and in turn, maintain a healthy skin microbiome.
How to Work Reishi into Your Skincare Routine
When it comes to seeing the best results from any skin care regimen, nutrition plays as important a role as beautifully-bottled lotions and potions in supporting overall skin health and appearance. While topicals and supplements can certainly be used on their own, try pairing reishi topical products with organic reishi supplements to restore and rejuvenate skin from the inside out.
Reishi Mushroom Topicals: Reishi can be found in a variety of soothing, revitalizing topical skincare products. According to experts, reishi is both safe and beneficial for skin, and suitable for all skin types. Check out this reishi-fueled line of mushroom skin care formulated in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Weil, complete with a mushroom serum, mushroom face cream, hydrating mist, and more.
Reishi Mushroom Supplements: This revered mushroom can be found in a variety of forms, including reishi mushroom tea, reishi gummies, powdered reishi, reishi mushroom capsules, and reishi mushroom tincture. Try adding some potent gummies into your daily wellness routine, or mix a few drops of tincture into your evening tea.
Can you eat reishi mushroom? As long as you’re not allergic to mushrooms, absolutely. They’ve been used in global cuisine at least as long as they’ve been a medicinal mainstay, and incorporating them into your meals is another excellent path to their skin health benefits. Easily add them fresh or dried into your favorite soup, sauce, or stir fry. Or, try this tasty reishi mushroom recipe for a serving of complexion-boosting bioactives: Reishi Mushroom Ramen Bowl.
Selecting Quality Reishi Skincare Products
Experts recommend choosing products made with 100% organic reishi mushrooms.
Pay attention to overall formulations to determine potency, and select the best combination of topicals and supplements for your unique skin and wellness goals based on complete ingredient lists and suggested uses.
While science may be far from granting any real wishes of immortality, we can at least hope to give new life to our complexions with innovative approaches to skin care. So if you find yourself, like many, on the quest for luminous, supple skin, perhaps this legendary mushroom could be just the fellow skin-health traveler you’ve been seeking.
Get started on your functional mushroom journey by exploring organic red reishi products here.