Turmeric: The Golden Root for Bright, Balanced Skin

Long before it found its way into modern skincare, turmeric was treasured in kitchens, healing houses, and herbal apothecaries across the world. Known for its warm golden hue and earthy scent, this humble root has long been associated with radiance, protection, and restoration — both within the body and upon the skin.

Today, skin science is finally catching up with what folk wisdom has always known.

What Is Turmeric?

Turmeric comes from the root of Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. Once dried and finely ground, it becomes the deep golden powder we recognise — rich in both colour and bioactive compounds.

The most studied and celebrated of these compounds is curcumin, the natural polyphenol responsible for turmeric’s colour and many of its skin-loving properties. Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds created by plants to protect themselves from environmental stress. When applied to the skin, they offer that same quiet protection and support.

The Science Behind Turmeric & Skin

From a skin science perspective, Polyphenols shine in these key areas:

Antioxidant protection

Polyphenols help neutralise free radicals caused by UV exposure, pollution, and environmental damage, reducing oxidative stress that can lead to premature ageing.

Calming inflammation

Many polyphenols, including curcumin, have anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe redness, sensitivity, and irritation, making them especially beneficial for stressed or reactive skin.

Supporting skin barrier health

By reducing oxidative and inflammatory stress, polyphenols help the skin maintain a stronger, more resilient barrier — essential for hydration and overall skin balance.

Brightening & tone support

Polyphenols can help improve the appearance of dullness and uneven tone by supporting healthy cell turnover and calming inflammation that contributes to pigmentation concerns.

Protection without disruption

Unlike harsh actives, natural polyphenols work in harmony with the skin’s own processes, offering gradual improvement rather than forcing rapid change.

In the apothecary tradition, polyphenols are valued not for instant transformation, but for long-term skin resilience — a steady, protective presence that allows the skin to glow in its own time.

Turmeric & Scottish Apothecaries

Though turmeric is not native to Scotland, its story is quietly entwined with our own traditions through trade, travel, and the early European apothecary.

From as early as the medieval period, turmeric travelled west along ancient spice routes, carried by merchants moving between India, the Middle East, and Europe. By the 13th and 14th centuries, dried turmeric root — often referred to in European texts as Indian saffron — began appearing in herbal manuscripts, trade records, and apothecary inventories.

In Scotland, where apothecaries relied on both native herbs and imported botanicals, turmeric would have been a rare and valuable ingredient. It was stocked alongside resins, roots, and spices brought through port towns such as Leith, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, entering the country via Dutch and Mediterranean trade networks.

This golden root has travelled through trade and tradition to find its place in modern skincare, including ours. Watch this space, as a new product is coming soon, crafted to celebrate this remarkable ingredient and its skin-brightening, balancing gifts.

If you would like to know more about our ingredients and why we use them, have a wee look at our Ingredients Almanac - including research papers...

If you would like to know more about the ingredients we don't use and why, including the research, have a wee look at Our Ethos...