Blue Tansy Is The Clarifying Beauty Ingredient To Try ASAP

Of late, you may have heard of a friendly-sounding skin-care ingredient called blue tansy. The clarifying plant is found in face oils and skin-sloughing gel masks, but that's only the beginning of what this powerhouse can do. While it's still most commonly utilized in skin-care products, it's on the cusp of finding its way into hair-care products and beyond.

Unlike ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide (or even tea tree oil, depending on your skin's sensitivity), blue tansy oil is a gentle yet effective ingredient that helps address acne and soothe irritated complexions — all while delivering hydration to the skin. Ahead, join us as we take a deep dive into all things blue tansy, and peruse some products featuring the star ingredient.

The blue tansy flower (which, fun fact, is actually yellow) is part of the chamomile family. The magic (i.e., the oil's naturally sapphire appearance) is a result of the distilling process where flowers and stems release a chemical component called chamazulene. This turns deep blue when heated, thus giving blue tansy its signature hue. (In the words of Bill Nye, science rules!)

When extracted into oil form, it's a powerful skin soother, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. "Blue tansy helps to clarify the complexion and reduce redness in irritated skin without over-drying," says Dendy Engelman, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at New York City's Shafer Clinic. "Blue tansy is great for acne-prone skin as it has the ability to clear congested pores and kill off bacteria that causes pimples. Thanks to a compound called camphor, blue tansy also has skin-healing properties that make it a good ingredient to use on sunburned skin."

Keeping this in mind, it now makes total sense that blue tansy's skin-soothing benefits make it an ideal ingredient for an irritated scalp. (After all, that's skin, too.) "Blue tansy oil is non-comedogenic and non-inflammatory, so it helps to heal and repair your scalp without clogging pores," says Adwoa Beauty founder Julian Addo about the brand's blue tansy-infused product lineup. "It’s very calming and provides benefits to repair and strengthen, which is what the collection is all about." (Blue tansy's herbal aroma is another sensorial benefit of the ingredient.)

"I began using blue tansy flower oil in 2016 and experienced the wonderful skin-care benefits myself," says Addo of her own personal journey with the botanical ingredient. "At the time, I was conceiving Adwoa Beauty and knew I wanted to use this in hair care, for [specifically] scalp care." From in-shower friends like shampoos and conditioners to leave-in stylers, Adwoa Beauty's blue tansy collection harnesses the power flower to bring you your healthiest, happiest hair yet. "We always take a scalp-first approach," Addo says of the range, which is already attracting rave reviews from Sephora shoppers. "And we source our blue tansy oils directly from Morocco to ensure their authenticity."

As for the next frontier of blue tansy? Time will only tell. But if we had to make a calculated projection, it's anything but blue.