Why You Should Be Putting Kale All Over Your Face

From lining the salad bar at Pizza Hut to becoming the true muse of the juice bar craze, kale has come a long way. And for those in the skincare know, it's also the trendiest super ingredient of the moment. Just look at Youth to the People—a new, botanically-driven brand making kale the pièce de résistance of its offerings.

A family affair since the beginning, Youth to the People was founded by cousins Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez. They grew up learning the trade from their grandma, who ran her own beauty salons in the '60s and '70s, and launched her own line of skincare products.

"Growing up in our family, skincare was a way of life," the pair tells us. "We spent our childhood running around our grandmother's office and family salons. At an early age, we learned about ingredients, plant extracts, essential oils, and different skin types. Most 10 year olds don't know the benefits of cleansing oils and exfoliation."

While they were always interested in nutrition, it was when cold-pressed juice shops started popping up in their native California that they got excited about finding a more efficient way to get their vitamins and antioxidants. Eventually, they made the leap to the idea of cold-pressed extracts for skincare, developing a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer packed with nutritional and anti-aging properties.

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So what benefits does kale have topically? It's packed with Vitamins A, B, C, and K, as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients. Between all of these things, the leafy green tightens pores, reduces dark circles, promotes collagen production, increases cell turnover, prevents free-radical damage, and detoxifies the skin.

Just a year since launching, Youth to the People has already developed a loyal following due in no small part to having struck the fancy of Urban Outfitters, whose supply of cool indie beauty brands on the rise is never to be missed. So needless to say, kale FTW.

Youth to the People Age Prevention Cleanser, Firm and Brighten Serum, and Age Prevention Moisture Cream Set, $124; youthtothepeople.com.

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Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.