Our Favorite Botanical Skin Care and Wellness Products

If you haven't tried a cleansing powder, you are in for a treat. Farmtrue Ayurvedic cleansing powder has a delicious, intense, spicy aroma and encourages cell turnover by gently exfoliating and cleansing to remove dead skin. This pH-balancing cleansing powder has a gentle texture and contains a host of natural and botanical ingredients including probiotic cultures, coconut milk, rose, lavender, frankincense and rosemary. This powder cleanser would also be great for travelers and backpackers who want something lightweight and leak-proof to tote on their next trip.

A natural, vegan product made with botanical extracts including rosemary and fruit extracts, this odor-fighting spray is free of alcohol, aluminum and parabens. A great alternative to your usual antiperspirant/deodorant, Surface Deep uses glycolic acid to neutralize bacteria-causing odor. It will also not leave those dreaded yellow stains on clothes. I can personally testify, this works great for even the sweatiest among us.

Small gestures can mean a lot and getting rid of more plastic packaging is one way to enhance the wellness of the entire planet. This moisturizing, plant-based Peach shampoo and conditioner is compact and great for travel. The subtle coconut lavender scent (the brand name is "Peach," not the scent) is intoxicating and not too sweet. This shampoo and conditioner are also 100 percent natural so you can feel good about using this clean hair combo free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates or silicones (and cruelty-free and vegan) that leaves hair soft and healthy-looking.

This soothing aromatic balm blends organic calendula and antimicrobial essential oils of rosemary, tea tree and cedar leaf. The definition of old-fashioned value, this multipurpose salve can be used as a hand cream, foot cream, for sunburns and as a beard and hair balm and as an all-around moisturizer. Better still, it's free of parabens, lanolin and talc and is never tested on animals.

We've all been there: dressed to the nines or out for a special event when we realize those hands that have done such great work in the garden are looking a little worse for wear. Crabtree & Evelyn's Gardeners line of creams, scrubs and soaks are dedicated not just to gardeners' hands, but their entire bodies which often need a little pampering after a hard day's work.

A hydrating overnight cream perfect for sensitive skin that won't clog pores, this Rooted balm is gentle, nourishing and rich in Argan oil and plant-based sacha inchi, a perennial plant native to South America. Those sensitive to strong scent will appreciate this organic overnight cream's lack of fragrance.

This rich serum absorbs quickly and doesn't leave an oily residue on the skin. Perfect for skin craving moisture, this facial oil features a host of moisturizing botanicals including rosehip, prickly pear oil, angelica, sweet almond, ginger and avocado oil. It is chemical-free and boasts a delicious clean, light fragrance.

The botanical beauty company Davines, has an interesting story behind its celebrity-favorite products (Rose McGowan and Michelle Dockery are fans). This sustainable luxury hair care line based in Parma, Italy is sulfate and paraben free and its Love line is designed to bring that supple, soft healthy glow back to stressed-out hair. We found that combining the shampoo, conditioner and hair smoother, showed immediate improvement in hair's texture and frizziness. Ingredients for the Davines line are sourced from nine Italian farms using plants and flowers at risk of extinction. Vegetables/fruits and grains used in all of the Davines products are called out on the packaging as well as the Italian farmers who harvested them. The Love line uses Sicilian Minuta olives harvested from the farm of Carmelo Messina. How's that for a backstory?

Few garden fragrances are as timeless, lovely and ladylike as lavender. This Lather gift set is an indulgent mix of little luxuries including a gorgeously fragrant lavender-lime body wash which revs up lavender's mellow fragrance with the bracing zestiness of lime; a soothing lavender-eucalyptus foot creme to pamper tired peds and a lavender whipped body creme with a classic lavender fragrance to sumptuously polish from head to toe and make you feel like you've touched down in a field in Provence. Wrapped up in a lovely gift bag, the set comes with a lavender candle, to make you feel like you've escaped to a spa and a bamboo fiber wash cloth, all from Pasadena-based Lather, a company with a commitment to cruelty-free products.

Despite its intense aroma — courtesy of tea tree oil and black cumin seed oil — that takes some getting used to, this 1.5 percent salicylic acid medicated face oil can work wonders on a pimple or just keep skin breakouts at bay. And the small bottle seems to last forever.

This luxurious (and pricey) face cream features a naturally-derived alternative to retinol as well as essential oils and a smell and texture that have made it an understandable cult item. Its gorgeous scent and texture, once you've tried it, may make it hard to go back to other face creams.

A rich, luxurious overnight cream designed to combat environmental damage, like most products from this French company, Immortelle Precious Overnight Mask smells incredible. As with its classic Immortelle Cream, this mask features an essential oil derived from the anti-oxidant rich immortelle flower harvested on the French island of Corsica.

A refreshing botanical scent infused with lemon peel oil, hibiscus flower extract and organic shea butter, this lotion from Desert Essence is an everyday treat that won't break the bank.

L'Occitane's best-selling Almond Shower Oil magically changes from an oil into a foamy cleansing milk when mixed with water, leaving skin velvety and hydrated. With a decadent almond fragrance derived from omega-rich sweet almond oil, this is a bath time treat for winter-dry skin.

When you're too big for a bubble bath, but in desperate need of some down-time and pampering, this lavender-infused foaming bath is just the ticket. Made from one of France's most famous plants — Provencal blue lavender — the soothing, delicious lavender scent is just the thing to get you in the proper head space for bedtime. A cheaper form of therapy, this soothing bath is perfect for relaxation and a night-time soak after a bad day.

Cabbage rose water and muscat rose bush oil sourced from Provence make this a heady experience for rose lovers. It feels great on post-shower skin, though it may work best in small amounts for finer hair.

With the subtle, soft scent of Earl Grey tea (thanks to the bergamot), this lighweight hand cream is moisturizing without being heavy and greasy, perfect for those who prefer a lighter touch in their hand cream.

Scent is a powerful tool to help us feel good. A lovely self-care way to end and start your day, these aromatherapy balms from Lather help you ease into a good night's sleep (with lavender, rose and calendula) or activate your senses (think bracing eucalyptus, spearmint and rosemary) for the busy day ahead. You can rub the balm on pulse points before bed, though I just enjoyed breathing the scent in and then leaving it on my bedside table all night and then using the day balm as a subtle perfume in the morning.

With its cooling, soothing effect on sore, tired muscles this botanical pain reliever uses camphor and menthol (which gives this cream its you-know-its-working, bracing scent) as well as green tea, witch hazel and the power of plants from roses to yucca to provide natural relief. Lather reviewers write glowingly of the gel and have used it for everything from arthritis and shingles to Parkinson's symptoms, back pain and workout-sore muscles (my husband volunteered his aching muscles and said this Muscle Ease Gel's tingly, numbing sensation made a difference in his pain level) and we think anything that can give people a little relief is definitely worth a try.