From vineyard to cream: Langhe vines in LeLang formulas

In October, in the Langhe, the harvest is over and the hills change color row by row. It is the time of year when the vine is most visible, and also when it has completed all its work: it has accumulated sugars in the fruit, polyphenols in the skin and leaves, and oil in the seeds.

These are the same elements you find, in the form of ingredients, in many LeLang formulas. This page lays them out: which part of the vine, what it does for the skin, and which products contain it.

Article written by Elisa Avalle, founder of LeLang Skin Care and dermocosmetics specialist.

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Why the vine

Since 2014, the wine-growing landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the vine is not a symbol chosen in a boardroom: it is the plant that organizes the land, the calendar, and the work of the people who live here.

There is also a technical reason. To withstand the full sun and temperature fluctuations of the hills, the vine produces large quantities of polyphenols, molecules it uses to protect itself from oxidative stress. In cosmetics, these are the same molecules that help the skin defend itself against free radicals. We discussed the connection between the region and our raw materials in the article on LeLang's origins in the Langhe.

The leaf: the antioxidant extract

Grape leaf extract, listed in the INCI as Vitis Vinifera Leaf Extract, is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. In cosmetics, it is used for its antioxidant action and its contribution to the feeling of firmer skin, especially in delicate areas such as the eye contour.

In our formulas, you will find it in:

• Vitis Eyes Contour, the eye contour product that also takes its name from the vine;
• Perlage, where it works alongside two peptides;
• Cleansing Detox Mousse, our facial cleansing mousse.

The ingredient's complete profile is in the glossary: Vitis Vinifera Leaf Extract: the cosmetic properties of the vine.

The fruit: grape juice and grape extract

Extracts obtained from the fruit contain the sugars, organic acids, and polyphenols from the skin. In the INCI, you will see them listed as Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract or Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract. They contribute to the formula's hydration and antioxidant protection.

The case closest to our hearts is Alba, our firming face cream: the grape juice extract it contains comes from organic farming. The same ingredient is present in the Collagenetic serum, while you will find the fruit extract in the Solare Viso SPF 50 tascabile and in the body products from the Relax line.

We have also dedicated an in-depth article to red vine stem cells.

The seed: grapeseed oil

Grape seeds come from the wine-making process: what remains after pressing becomes a raw material. Pressing the seeds produces a lightweight oil rich in linoleic acid, a fatty acid the skin uses to build its own barrier.

Grapeseed oil is an example of circularity: a by-product of winemaking becomes a cosmetic ingredient. This is the kind of choice we look for when selecting raw materials.

You will find it, as Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, in Cleansing Gentle Oil, the oil-based makeup remover, in Vitis Eyes Contour, in Perlage, and in the products from the Relax line. All its properties are described in the profile on grapeseed oil for the skin.

Resveratrol: the molecule of the vine

Resveratrol is one of the molecules the vine produces to protect itself from stress and external aggressors, and it has become one of the most studied antioxidants in dermocosmetics. In our formulas, it is present in Vitis Eyes Contour and in the Multi Peptide Lift Formula serum, where it works alongside the peptides.

What the research says, and where its limits lie, can be found in the glossary article on resveratrol and the skin.

Not just vines: hazelnuts and thermal water

The hills of the Langhe are not made up only of vineyards. The other crop that shapes them is the hazelnut tree: dry-touch, fast-absorbing hazelnut oil is present in Nutralight Sensitive, in Cleansing Gentle Oil, and in the products from the Relax line, where it is the main ingredient in the massage oil. We discuss it in the profile on hazelnut oil for the skin.

Nutralight Sensitive also contains thermal water from Piedmont, listed in the INCI as Aqua (Thermal Water). We explain what thermal water does for the skin in the article on thermal water.