LSD For Skin? Why The “Dream Flower” From Ancient Egypt Is In Your Skincare

As with all Snow Fox products, each one is uniquely designed with its rarer ingredients as inspiration. For our True Luminosity Serum and Hot Stone Facial Mask, it is the Blue Egyptian Lotus, a vibrant plant native to the banks of the river Nile.

Used by ancient Egyptians as a medicinal herb for anxiety and intestinal health, it can help regulate sebum, condition and hydrate the skin for a beautiful complexion. Ancient Egyptian women used it in their beauty and wellness routines and for perfumes.

Interestingly, it also contains a harmless psychoactive alkaloid. It was nicknamed the "Dream Flower" for its ability to give vivid dreams, enhance charisma and social interactions when ingested. It was also believed to help with depression and anxiety.

Ancient Egyptians used it in spiritual ceremonies, parties and/or special large gatherings. The psychoactive properties of the flower has to be “activated” - ingesting it on its own does not equate it to LSD or ‘Acid’.

Interestingly, Ancient Egyptians were the first recorded to understand this activation process - they steeped the flowers in wine for periods of time and then drank it. Together with alcohol, the flower enhanced the consumer’s mental experiences. Of course this made it a popular elixir for religious or spiritual ceremonies; it was especially popular among Egyptian noble women as a symbol of allure, beauty and grace.

While not supported by evidence, some historians theorized that it was this Blue Lotus and Wine concoction that Cleopatra served to Caesar and Mark Antony that made the Roman Generals so enamoured with her. It was usually reserved for special guests and banquets, so logically it would have been served to important foreign guests. The truth, we may never know.

Nowadays, the Blue Lotus is more widely used as a skincare ingredient for its antioxidant rich herbal properties that is suitable for oily or combination skin types. Like its sister lotus, the White Lotus, the Blue Lotus has natural hydrating and sebum-regulating benefits when applied on skin. Rest assured, its psychoactive properties do not pass through skin or even when ingested in root form - so there’s no need to worry about getting high when using it in skincare!