Your summer beauty routine, inspired by nature

Warm weather is here and it's time to update your beauty routine for summer. Why not take some inspiration from warm weather's renewal theme and refresh your beauty regimen?

The welcome change in seasons brings longer days, trees and flowers in bloom and more time spent outside. Nature has so much to offer, including inspiration for products that can help you look and feel beautiful from head to toe.

"It's easy to feel overwhelmed by choices with so many new products on the market," says Jeni Thomas, a beauty scientist with Procter & Gamble. "It can be difficult to know which products really work and which natural ingredients can be effective elements of your beauty routine. The key to finding nature-inspired products that do work is to look for ones that blend and balance nature with science."

Seeking out products that combine the best of ingredients with the best of science gives you nature-inspired options that really perform and keep you looking your best. While many new beauty manufacturers may be unfamiliar to you, some of the most highly recognized and respected cosmetics brands are now offering nature-inspired products. Consumers often gravitate toward these brands because they are recognized, trusted, and easily available.

Here is a sampling of nature-inspired products from brand names you recognize and that you'll easily find on your local supermarket or drug store shelves.

• CoverGirl now offers TruBlend MicroMinerals foundation, designed to fine-tune mineral coverage from sheer to full. The product incorporates iron oxides, minerals that give nice even coverage to skin, as well as pearl and mica to give skin a luminous, healthy glow.
• Hair color goes nature-inspired with Clairol's Natural Instincts line. Like other Clairol products, the hair color blends away gray in just 10 minutes, but relies on an antioxidant-rich, ammonia-free formula with vitamins C and E to accomplish healthy-looking color and shine.
• Consumers know and trust the name Olay. Now the company has introduced a Botanical Fusion Body Wash formulated with scents and ingredients inspired by nature, such as patchouli, rosemary and ginger. The wash incorporates these invigorating scents with hydrating and skin-nurturing ingredients.
• The Cassia plant, a botanical science discovery that helps give hair radiance, softness and strength, is the key ingredient in Pantene Pro-V's new Nature Fusion shampoo.

"Consumers looking for nature-inspired products no longer have to search specialty shops or the Internet to find the effective products they crave," Thomas says. "Some of the most recognized names in health and beauty are responding to consumer demand with effective, cost-conscious, nature-inspired products."