Pearl powder is becoming a popular nutritional supplement and common ingredient in skin care products today. Despite its recent popularity, pearl powder has been around for some time.
For centuries both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have recognized pearl powder for its health and beauty benefits. It belongs to a special class of tonic herbs and has been typically reserved for Oriental royalty and other elite or wealthy individuals. In fact, Chinese empress Wu Zetian has been known to use pearl for its beautifying properties.
What is Pearl Powder
As the name implies, pearl powder is simply finely ground pearls. Pure pearl powder is made by boiling fresh or saltwater pearls (to sterilize them), and then milling the pearl into a very fine powder.
Pearl powder made from wild, salt-water pearls is very rare and extremely expensive. However, today pearls are cultivated in fresh water farms to meet growing demand. Nevertheless, even cultivated pearl powder provides an abundance of helpful nutrients and other medicinal constituents that are highly sought after.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the powder is considered to be a “Shen” tonic, meaning it helps to calm and revitalize the nervous system, spirit and mind. It is said to have detoxifying, inflammatory and detoxifying qualities, all which seem to prove true by modern day science. In Ayurvedic medicine, (traditional Indian medicine), pearl is used as an antidote for poisons or to remove toxins, as well as an aphrodisiac.
The Science of Pearl Powder
Although there is not much research on pearl’s health effects, there is enough to support its traditional claims. According to chemical analysis, pure pearl powder contains a variety of nutrients that are likely responsible for most of its health and beauty benefits. It has been found to contain amino acids, calcium, and many important trace minerals.
To be specific, pearl powder has been found to contain:
- Amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which are essential for every physiological process. Specifically speaking, a proper amino acid balance helps support skin cell turnover, cellular repair, hormone neurotransmitters and synthesis. When the amino acid profile is imbalanced, there is a tendency toward inflammation and disease.
- Minerals. In addition to amino acids, pearl powder; on average, contains over 30 trace minerals. Chemical analysis have found pearl powders to contain an abundance of minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, silica and more, all which support health and beauty in many ways. 1
- High levels of calcium. Perhaps the most abundant element in pearl is calcium carbonate. This is the most natural form of calcium and therefore the most compatible with the human physiology. Roughly 2,000 mg. of calcium daily is needed to support proper thyroid function and to ensure parathyroid and prolactin do not elevate and cause bone and teeth loss. In addition to these effects, calcium has beautifying properties and can supports skin regeneration and moisture by regulating sebum production and and normal skin cell turnover.
Looking to the specific benefits of pearl powder, studies have found that:
- Wound Healing: According to a study from 2010, pearl powder is capable of supporting skin cell turnover, which can help wounds heal more quickly. 2
- Improves Skin Appearance: In other research, topically applied pearl powder has been found to temporarily reduce pore size, reduce skin redness, and improve overall skin texture. 3
- Evens Skin Pigmentation: One of pearl powders claim to fame benefit is the ability to even skin tone. It does this through the activation of tyrosinase, the enzyme needed for tyrosine production, which is needed for the production of melanin. By inhibiting this enzyme, pearl powder can help reduce the overproduction of melanin, which can cause skin blotchiness and hyper-pigmentation. It is this effect that is responsible for the legends of pearl powder’s ability to make ones skin glow like a pearl.
- Reverse Skin Aging: Pearl powder has been found to contain a compound known as nacre, which according to research can stimulate fibroblasts, another name for skin cell. The stimulation of fibroblasts supports the production of collagen and elastin, which might reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. 5
- Antioxidant Protection: Studies have found that pearl powder has protective qualities to the body. In study, pretreatment of pearl powder was found to substantially inhibited the oxidative stress in a concentration/time-dependent manner. As it turns out, pearl powder supplementation can increase the production of the body’s most potent antioxidants: superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione. As stated, these antioxidants can protect the cells from oxidative stress and damage, which makes it effective for preventing many diseases, as well as general aging. 6
- Anti-Stress: Pearl powders rich magnesium content makes it a wonderful anti-stress substance. Magnesium supports the production of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which can helps to reduce cortisol levels. High cortisol contributes to anxiety, depression and fatigue by interfering with normal cellular metabolism (energy production). This effect may have broad-range benefits including improved energy, increased resistance to stress, anti-anxiety effects and may even help with insomnia. 7
How to Use Pearl Powder
Before you can use pearl powder, you have to know where to get it. Fortunately, these days quality pearl powder is available to the general public and not only to the elite. You can find it online in the form of capsules, powder or in beauty products. We offer a 100% pure, bio-active pearl powder on our online shop.
You can use any pearl powder, you just want to make sure it is 100% pearl powder, with no added fillers. There are a few options; including hydrolyzed, extracted and then pure micronized pearl. Hydrolyzed pearl powder is made more water-soluble by fermentation with lactic acid and through enzymatic processes. This makes it mix easier into water, but the lactic acid and enzymes can make it allergenic for some people. The extracted pearl is much more expensive and is justified through marketing as “more potent” but the fact is, pearl is not like an herb or mushroom which needs to be extracted for digestibility and bioavailability. Pearl is more akin to that of egg shell or oyster shell, which contains an abundance of nutrients and easily digested when simply pulverized into a fine powder. To get the most for your money, we suggest 100% pure pearl powder.
Pearl powder is 100% edible and can be used simply by blending it into a smoothie, adding to water, juice or coffee. You can also add it to DIY face masks for its topical benefits. We add our pure pearl to both of Glo mask and Lush to improve skin texture and tone.
