Spilanthox Therapy
Shortly after launching her organic skincare company, Spilanthox Therapy, Nikki Benett was forced to take action. Her claim that her products were a “natural alternative to Botox or filler” was being challenged. Confident of her position, Nikki commissioned an independent scientific institute in her native Germany to do a study.
The results of the study backed up the effectiveness of Spilanthox Therapy products, which Nikki had carefully researched and developed for one and a half years before their launch in 2017. “The study said that after 15 minutes we reduce expression lines by more than 50 per cent, and by four weeks there is an 82 per cent reduction in wrinkles,” she says. “This is all done with natural and organic ingredients, making us unique in the world.”
Nikki has always been fascinated by the healing power of nature. And after a serious health problem at the age of 35 and a long road to recovery, she decided to pursue her passion. It was around this time that Nikki discovered spilanthol, an active ingredient derived from the herb paracress, or Acmella oleracea. She came across it when visiting a holistic dentist, who recommended spilanthol as a replacement for the local anaesthetic that Nikki was allergic to. He explained that the herb is nicknamed the “toothache plant” and is used in South America as a natural analgesic for oral pain.
Nikki was intrigued. She had first learned about the power of herbs and plants from her grandmother, who would take ingredients from her garden to create tinctures and lotions to ease stings, cuts and bruises, or protect the skin against harsh winter weather. Nikki found research on spilanthol that reported incredible results when used in skincare: it relaxes muscles, making it effective against expression lines and fine wrinkles.
With the help of a laboratory, she began to combine spilanthol with other active and natural ingredients to create skincare products, testing the results on herself. “We call it a natural alternative to Botox and filler because that’s exactly what it is,” says Nikki. “We can slow ageing by using it every day, without causing that puffy, artificial filler face.”
Her company now manufactures almost 30 products, including creams, serums, skin wash, pore refining gel, peels and masks. The best-sellers are Mega Glow Cream, Extreme Night Repair and Direct Wrinkle Stop. “When I make a new product, I began by asking what problems women have with their skin and what solutions they need. I then start to put together a combination of ingredients that will make a difference.” Each product is formulated to deliver the rejuvenating “spilanthol effect”, thanks to the power of paracress in high dosage in combination with low- and high-molecular hyaluronic acids, which sit on the skin and penetrate the skin to plump from within. This effective complex is individually combined with other efficient, active ingredients.
Made without chemicals and not tested on animals, the products are 100 per cent vegan. In addition, the brand keeps its carbon footprint to a minimum, with ingredients mainly sourced in Europe and production taking place in Germany. The brand has a presence in other countries on the continent and is targeting the UK while launching in the US and the United Arab Emirates in 2025. In the meantime, Nikki continues to explore new products – a prestige skincare range with a new, highly effective ingredient that is currently under wraps and described as “awesome”. Nikki is confident she will find new fans: “People are always coming back because it works.”