In the cosmetic world, the word “natural” carries enormous weight.
It reassures. It evokes plants, flowers, oils, simple rituals, and the idea of skincare that is gentler and more respectful. Many people spontaneously associate a natural ingredient with something better for the skin, better for the environment, and more consistent with a responsible approach.
And yet, the reality behind a cosmetic formula is often more complex.
An ingredient cannot be reduced to its origin alone. We also need to look at how it is obtained, how much resource it requires, how its supply chain is controlled, what its purity, stability, tolerance and real efficacy are, and what its production implies for ecosystems.
At ANNA THYS, I did not want to build a brand based on a simplistic vision of “natural”.
I wanted a more demanding approach: formulas designed for the skin, but also for the living world as a whole.
Bisabolol is a very good example of this reflection.Bisabolol is a very good example of this reflection.
Bisabolol: a molecule known for its soothing interest
Bisabolol, and more specifically (-)-α-bisabolol, is a well-known molecule in cosmetics. It is particularly used in skincare products designed for sensitive, uncomfortable or redness-prone skin, because of its soothing interest.
It is important to clarify one thing: bisabolol is not an essential oil.
It is a precise molecule, which can be present in certain essential oils, but which can also be isolated, obtained by synthesis, or produced through biotechnology.
This distinction is essential.
An essential oil is a complex mixture of many aromatic molecules. Bisabolol, on the other hand, is an identified compound. Depending on its origin and production method, its composition, purity and profile may vary.
This is where the reflection becomes interesting.
Chamomile: a historical origin, but not an automatic answer
Historically, bisabolol is often associated with German chamomile, also known as Matricaria recutita or Matricaria chamomilla.
This plant has long been used in herbalism and cosmetics, especially because of its soothing image. In the collective imagination, chamomile immediately evokes gentleness. It almost seems obvious when speaking about sensitive skin.
But even such a familiar plant deserves to be looked at with nuance.
A flower is not merely a raw material. In nature, it can provide nectar, pollen, or take part in interactions with pollinating insects. Chamomile can of course be cultivated, but when we think at the scale of the cosmetic industry, the question is not only: “does this ingredient come from a plant?”
The real question is also: how is this plant produced?
Is it cultivated or harvested in the wild?
In what quantities?
How much plant material is required to obtain the desired active ingredient?
What purification steps are necessary?
What impact can this production have on natural environments?
This does not mean that chamomile is problematic in itself. That would be too simplistic.
But it reminds us of a fundamental point: plant resources are not abstract and infinite. A plant is part of an ecosystem. When it is used as an industrial resource, even with good intentions, its method of production must be questioned.
Natural can be precious.
But it is not automatically virtuous.
Candeia: when plant origin raises more visible questions
Natural bisabolol can also be obtained from candeia, a Brazilian tree, Eremanthus erythropappus. Its wood contains an essential oil rich in (-)-α-bisabolol, which has made it an important source for the cosmetic industry.
Here, the issue becomes much more concrete.
Public sources have documented several questions surrounding this supply chain: relatively low yield, the need for sufficiently mature trees, pressure on natural populations, traceability and control of exploitation.
Some sources report that approximately one tonne of candeia wood can yield only a few kilograms of bisabolol. Other publications explain that economically relevant quantities concern already mature trees, sometimes over ten years old. The exploitation of wild trees has also been documented, with concerns regarding the sustainability of the resource.
Once again, this does not mean that every candeia supply chain is necessarily irresponsible.
There are management, certification, cultivation and traceability initiatives that can seek to regulate this resource. But the simple fact that these issues exist is enough to raise an important question: when a natural active ingredient depends on the wood of a tree, its slow growth, its habitat, its management and its exploitation, can we really be satisfied with saying “it is natural” as if that answered everything?
For me, no.
A tree is not just a raw material.
It is a living organism.
It is also a habitat.
A resource for pollinators.
A part of an ecological balance.
Studies have notably shown that the flowers of different candeia species are visited by bees. This information may seem secondary, but it is not. It reminds us that a tree never exists alone. It is part of a network of relationships: insects, soils, birds, microorganisms, other plants, regeneration cycles.
When we take a plant resource, we are not only taking a “substance”. We are intervening in an inhabited world.
This is exactly the kind of reflection at the heart of ANNA THYS.
The problem is not naturalness. The problem is automatism.
I do not believe we should brutally oppose nature and science.
That would be another form of simplification.
Some plant-based ingredients can be very relevant, well cultivated, well sourced, well tolerated and perfectly coherent in a formula. Conversely, some ingredients derived from industrial processes can raise other questions.
So the problem is not naturalness.
The problem is the automatic belief that an ingredient is necessarily more respectful because it comes from a plant.
In formulation, every choice deserves to be questioned.
Where does the ingredient come from?
How is it obtained?
What impact does it have on the resource?
What is its purity?
What is its stability?
What is its skin tolerance?
Is it truly useful in the formula?
Is there a more coherent alternative?
These are the questions that matter to me.
Not “natural” marketing for the sake of naturalness. Not technology for the sake of technology. But the search for a choice that is more accurate, more controlled and more coherent.
What about synthetic bisabolol?
Bisabolol can also be obtained through synthetic routes. This option can provide more stable availability and a more accessible cost, which explains its interest for part of the cosmetic industry.
But here again, we need to look more closely.
The term “synthetic bisabolol” can refer to different realities. Some traditional synthetic forms may be mixtures of isomers, whereas the form particularly sought after for its biological interest is (-)-α-bisabolol. Not all isomers necessarily have the same activity profile.
This does not mean that all synthetic bisabolol is ineffective. That would be false and too categorical.
But in the ANNA THYS approach, it was not enough to replace a plant origin with a synthetic origin without thinking further.
The question was not only: “is it natural or synthetic?”
The question was: which form is the most coherent with all my requirements?
A precise molecule.
A more controlled origin.
High purity.
More stable availability.
Less dependence on intensive extraction of plant resources.
Coherence with a broader respect for the living world.
This is what led me towards another path: biotechnology.
Biotechnology: another way of working with living processes
For ANNA THYS, I chose a form of bisabolol obtained through white biotechnology, by fermentation from plant-derived sugars.
This point is important.
Biotechnology here is not a rejection of nature. On the contrary, it is based on a biological process: fermentation, using renewable plant-derived substrates.
This pathway makes it possible to obtain the molecule of interest, (-)-α-bisabolol, without directly depending on the intensive extraction of tree wood or large quantities of plants.
I know the word “biotechnology” can sometimes sound very technical. Yet, in some cases, it can allow for a more respectful relationship with resources.
It is not about creating a caricatured opposition between the plant and the laboratory.
It is about understanding that an interesting molecule can sometimes be obtained through a bio-based process that is more controlled, more reproducible and less dependent on pressure exerted on an ecosystem.
Fermentation is an example of this logic. It uses biological processes to produce a molecule of interest from renewable substrates.
This choice was therefore not made to move away from nature.
It was made because respecting nature does not necessarily mean extracting everything from it.
Sometimes, respecting the living world means not extracting from it unnecessarily when a more controlled alternative exists.
A formula should not be an accumulation of actives
This example of bisabolol says something broader about the way I formulate.
I do not believe in cosmetics that accumulate active ingredients simply to create an impression of performance.
Nor do I believe in cosmetics that choose ingredients because they are trendy or easy to tell a story about on a label.
I believe in formulation built with rigor.
Every ingredient should have a reason to be there. Not only a marketing reason, but a formulatory, cutaneous, sensorial, environmental or ethical reason.
In a skincare product, an active ingredient never exists alone. It interacts with a base, a pH, a texture, a concentration, a sensorial profile and the overall tolerance of the formula. An ingredient can be excellent in theory and yet not be relevant in a given formula.
This is why formulation is a permanent act of choosing.
Choosing what to include.
Choosing what to refuse.
Choosing the compromises one accepts.
Choosing the resources one mobilizes.
And in my case, these choices could not be only technical. They had to be aligned with the way I understand care.
The skin is alive. The living world around it is too.
ANNA THYS was born from a simple conviction: taking care of the skin should not come at the expense of other living beings.
The skin deserves real attention. It is not an enemy to be corrected, stripped or dominated. It is alive, complex, sensitive, and capable of resilience when its balance is respected.
This is why ANNA THYS skincare products are designed without fragrance, with a physiological pH, and with particular attention to skin tolerance and respect for the skin barrier.
But this requirement could not stop at human skin.
For me, care cannot be limited to our own comfort. If a skincare product relies on animal exploitation, on materials I refuse, on unnecessary pressure exerted on ecosystems, or on a vision of the living world as a simple reservoir of resources, then it is not coherent with what I call care.
This is also why ANNA THYS refuses animal-derived ingredients, palm oil and its derivatives, and seeks to prioritize more conscious formulation choices.
Not because every choice would be perfect.
But because every choice can be questioned.
The living world is not a neutral resource
The case of bisabolol perfectly illustrates what I want to defend with ANNA THYS
An ingredient can be known, effective and interesting for the skin and still require reflection on its origin.
An active ingredient can come from a plant and not automatically be the most respectful choice.
An alternative obtained through biotechnology can be bio-based, derived from plant sugars and based on a biological process such as fermentation and be more coherent when we look at the entire chain.
What I refuse is a simplistic vision.
I refuse the idea that writing “natural” is enough.
I also refuse the opposite idea, according to which technology would always be superior.
What interests me is coherence.
Coherence between efficacy and tolerance.
Between science and sensitivity.
Between human skin and respect for the living world.
Between formulation and responsibility.
For me, formulating with respect does not mean romanticizing naturalness.
It means looking at the real impact of every choice.
For the skin.
For animals.
For ecosystems.
For the living world as a whole.
This is the standard that guides ANNA THYS.
Scientific references
Albertti, L. A. G., Delatte, T. L., Souza de Farias, K., Boaretto, A. G., Verstappen, F., van Houwelingen, A., Cankar, K., Carollo, C. A., Bouwmeester, H. J., & Beekwilder, J. (2018). Identification of the Bisabolol Synthase in the Endangered Candeia Tree (Eremanthus erythropappus (DC) McLeisch). Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1340.
Santos, A. P. S. M., Assis Júnior, S. L., Lourenço, A. P., & Machado, E. L. M. (2019). Bees Diversity on Flowers of Eremanthus spp. (Asteraceae). Floresta e Ambiente, 26(4), e20160306.
Vieira, F. A., Carvalho, D., Higuchi, P., & Machado, E. L. M. (2012). Biologia floral da candeia (Eremanthus erythropappus). Pesquisa Florestal Brasileira, 32(71), 477–481.
Yadav, N., Shakya, P., Gautam, R. D., Chauhan, R., Kumar, D., Kumar, A., Singh, S. S., & Singh, S. (2022). Investigation on pollination approaches, reproductive biology and essential oil variation during floral development in German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.). Scientific Reports, 12, 15285.
Tai, Y., Ling, C., Wang, X., Zhou, W., Wang, X., Lu, W., Wang, Y., Ma, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Biosynthesis of α-Bisabolol by Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase and α-Bisabolol Synthase and Their Related Transcription Factors in Matricaria recutita L. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(2), 1730.
Royal Horticultural Society. Matricaria recutita — scented mayweed. RHS Plants for Pollinators. Consulté en juin 2026.
Veiga, J. P. C. (2013). Sustainability or Greenwashing? YaleGlobal Online. Consulté en juin 2026.