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04 Jun 2026
14min read
Contents
holds a CIBTAC Diploma in Laser Hair Removal and Skin Rejuvenation and is a certified Specialist in Phyris Cosmetics. She works extensively with the Phyris FoREST range in clinic, particularly for clients dealing with environmental skin stress, hormonal transitions and post-treatment recovery. She writes regularly for the Lyv journal on professional skincare and considered, evidence-led routines.
By Roxanne Ashley Falzon, CIBTAC Diploma in Laser Hair Removal and Skin Rejuvenation, Specialist on Phyris Cosmetics Clinically reviewed by the Lyv Pharmacy team · 4 June 2026
Walk into a pine forest in the early morning. Breathe. Listen. Notice how, within about three minutes, your shoulders quietly drop, your jaw releases, and the noise in your head, the spreadsheet noise, the inbox noise, softens into something almost musical. The Japanese have a word for this: shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. The science behind it is robust. The Phyris FoREST range is what happens when a German laboratory decides to put that experience into a cream.
This is your complete guide to the Phyris FoREST range, what is in the formulas, why moss and mushroom and birch are not as silly as they sound, and how to use the range as the city-detox layer your skin has probably been begging for.
The Phyris FoREST range is a family of premium skincare products built around forest-derived active ingredients, primarily moss extract, chaga mushroom and birch leaf cell water, designed to defend the skin against the everyday assault of urban living and restore the kind of calm, even, radiant complexion you usually only see on people who have just come back from a holiday somewhere with trees.
Phyris’s own description for the range is “a walk in the forest for the skin”, and that turns out to be a more accurate marketing line than most. The products do feel, on application, oddly like the difference between standing in a noisy street and stepping into a forest clearing. There is the calming. There is the slight cooling. And then there is the visible result over a few weeks, more even tone, less dullness, more bounce, less of that tired, pinched look that city skin gets after a long winter.
It has quietly become one of our most-recommended Phyris ranges at Lyv, particularly for clients who live in cities, commute, work in offices with aggressive air-conditioning, travel often for work, or wake up to skin that just looks a bit worn out. (We are not pointing fingers. We are all of those people.)
If you have heard about forest bathing and quietly assumed it is wellness-industry frou-frou, the data may surprise you. Over the last twenty years, Japanese, Korean and European researchers have been studying what actually happens to the human body in forest environments, and the results are genuinely impressive.
A 20-minute session of looking at a forest landscape reduces salivary cortisol, your primary stress hormone, by an average of 13.4%. Multi-hour walks in forest environments lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, and shift the autonomic nervous system from “fight or flight” to “rest and recover” mode. Forest air contains higher levels of natural antimicrobial compounds called phytoncides, released by trees, and breathing them in measurably boosts natural killer cell activity, a key part of the immune system, for several days afterwards. There is even evidence that forest exposure enhances antioxidant enzyme activity at the cellular level, including superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, both of which reduce oxidative damage to skin cells.
What does any of this have to do with a jar of cream? Two things.
First, the science of phytoncides, antioxidant compounds and forest-derived botanicals is real. The same families of molecules that make a forest feel good to be in are present, in concentrated form, in ingredients like chaga mushroom, moss extract and birch leaf, exactly what the FoREST range is built around. Topical application does not replicate a forest walk, but it does deliver these antioxidant and protective compounds to skin cells where the daily damage actually happens.
Second, and just as importantly, the FoREST range is designed as a ritual, packaging, scent, texture, sensation, that quietly cues the brain into the same parasympathetic, rest-and-recover state that real forest bathing produces. Skincare is never just skincare. The product that makes you breathe deeper while you apply it is doing more for your skin than its INCI list alone suggests.
“Forest bathing turns out to be a real, measurable thing. The Phyris FoREST range is what happens when a German lab takes that finding and runs with it.”
Three actives do most of the heavy lifting across the FoREST range. Here is what each one is doing, and why it matters for your skin.
Moss has had a curious skincare moment over the last few years, and Phyris was one of the brands that put it on the map. The species used in FoREST formulations are selected for their concentration of polysaccharides, polyphenols and amino acids, a combination that does two important things at once: strengthens the skin’s natural protective function against environmental stressors (pollution, UV, blue light, temperature swings) and supports a calmer, more even complexion. Moss extract is particularly good at helping the skin tolerate urban environments without flaring or dulling.
Think of it as the equivalent of upgrading your skin’s air filter.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a parasitic fungus that grows on birch trees, predominantly in cold northern climates. It has been used in traditional medicine in Russia, Northern Europe and parts of Asia for centuries, and modern research has caught up: chaga is one of the most antioxidant-dense natural materials ever measured, with extraordinary concentrations of superoxide dismutase, the same antioxidant enzyme forest bathing has been shown to boost in the human body.
In skincare, chaga neutralises free radicals, helps protect collagen from oxidative breakdown, and contributes to a more even, radiant complexion. It also has natural anti-inflammatory properties, which is why FoREST formulas feel calming rather than stimulating on application, particularly welcome for skin that is tired, slightly inflamed, or reactive.
Found in the FoREST Elixir and FoREST Mask specifically, birch leaf cell water is exactly what it sounds like: water extracted from the cellular fluid of birch leaves, concentrated and stabilised for topical use. It is rich in betulinic acid (also found in chaga, these two ingredients are biological cousins) and a complement of flavonoids, both of which act as additional antioxidant reinforcements.
Birch leaf cell water specifically targets premature ageing driven by free-radical damage, which, for anyone who lives in a city, commutes, flies frequently or simply exists in the modern world, is most of us.
Across individual FoREST formulations, you will also find supporting players like vitamin E, plant-derived squalane, glycerin and selected oils that round out the textures and reinforce barrier function. Phyris is unusually thoughtful about the supporting cast, these are not just filler ingredients, they are chosen to complement what the heroes are doing.
Here is every product in the Phyris FoREST range, in roughly the order you would build a routine.
A moisturising day cream with a refreshing, light texture. Built around moss extract and chaga mushroom extract, it is the daily moisturiser of choice for normal-to-combination skin or for warmer months when you do not want anything heavier on your face. Skin feels hydrated, refreshed, and notably more even within a few weeks of consistent use. Our most-recommended FoREST product for first-timers.
The richer, more nourishing version of Light Cream, same hero actives, more substantial texture, designed for drier or more mature skin, or for use in colder months when the barrier needs extra reinforcement. Regenerating, calming, and beautifully comforting on tired skin. Many of our clients use Light Cream in the morning and Rich Cream at night during winter.
A lighter, more gel-textured option for oilier skin types or for use in hot weather. Same FoREST DNA, but with a finish that absorbs quickly and leaves no residue, ideal under SPF in summer or under makeup year-round.
A cooling, soothing weekly treatment mask that combines chaga, moss and birch leaf cell water in higher concentrations. Use once a week (or up to twice) for an instant restorative effect. Brilliant after a stressful week, a long flight, a hangover, or an aggressive exfoliating treatment.
The intensive concentrate of the range, a serum-style elixir that delivers chaga, moss and birch leaf cell water in higher concentration than the moisturisers, with a focus on antioxidant defence and combating premature ageing driven by environmental damage. Use morning or evening (or both) before your moisturiser, especially in winter and during high-stress weeks.
A targeted eye treatment with a refreshing gel texture and (depending on the regional packaging) a roll-on applicator that delivers a gentle drainage effect along with the actives. Beautiful for tired-looking eyes, mild puffiness and the kind of fatigued, finely-lined upper eye area that comes with too many screens.
The nighttime member of the family, with a richer overnight texture and a regenerative focus. Where Rich Cream is your daily nourishing moisturiser, FoREST Night Cream is the dedicated overnight repair version.
A more recent addition, a luminising oil-serum hybrid that adds an immediate radiance boost to the skin and can be used alone, mixed with your foundation, or layered over a moisturiser for a soft, fresh-from-the-forest finish.
Yes, there is a FoREST-specific SOMI for the activation phase, designed to prime the skin for FoREST treatment products and combine the ritual benefits of the activator step with the antioxidant DNA of the rest of the range.
Therapist’s note from Roxanne: “If I had to pick the three FoREST products I send people home with most often, it would be the Light Cream, the Mask, and the Elixir. That trio alone will visibly transform stressed city skin in six weeks.”
FoREST is one of the most universally flattering ranges in the Phyris catalogue, and it suits a much wider audience than you would think. We particularly recommend it for:
If your primary concern is intense hydration, you will get more from pairing FoREST with the AQUActive range. If your primary concern is advanced anti-ageing, FoREST plays beautifully alongside the Time Release and Triple A retinol ranges. The FoREST range is rarely a standalone solution, it is the calming, protective backbone you build the rest of your routine around.
Here is the honest answer: there is no single “correct” FoREST routine. The range is built to flex around your skin’s needs. But here are some sensible starting points.
Morning 1. Phyris cleansing milk or gel. 2. Phyris tonic. 3. Phyris SOMI (TERMASOMI to amplify, SENSISOMI for calm, or the dedicated FoREST SOMI). 4. FoREST Elixir (especially in winter or stress-heavy weeks). 5. FoREST Light Cream or FoREST Gel Cream depending on skin type. 6. FoREST Eye Gel. 7. Broad-spectrum SPF 50.
Evening 1. Double cleanse, oil or milk, then gel. 2. Phyris tonic. 3. Treatment serum (alternate FoREST Elixir nights with Time Release Retinol Anti-Age if you are doing anti-ageing). 4. FoREST Rich Cream or FoREST Night Cream. 5. FoREST Eye Gel or a richer eye product.
Weekly - FoREST Mask once or twice a week, apply for 10-15 minutes, remove, follow with your usual evening routine. - A second mask (e.g. AQUActive Hyaluron Sensation Mask) on alternating weeks for extra hydration.
FoREST is one of the easiest Phyris ranges to layer with other Phyris ranges. Some particularly good combinations we use at Lyv:
Lyv tip: Skincare is a multi-week conversation, not a one-night stand. Give FoREST four weeks before you decide it is working. (We promise it is.)
Most clients we work with end up with FoREST as the base of their Phyris wardrobe, paired with one or two more targeted ranges for specific concerns. A few example pairings, drawn from real consultations:
The point: FoREST is the protective, calming, antioxidant-rich layer. What you pair it with depends on what else your skin needs.
We sell a lot of skincare. We have seen ranges come and ranges go. FoREST has stayed in our top-recommended Phyris ranges for one reason: clients keep coming back for it. Not because it is the most dramatic product on the shelf, it is not. Not because it makes the boldest claim, it does not. But because, three or four weeks after their first jar, they look in the mirror and their skin looks like them, but a slightly better-rested version. The version of them that just got back from a long weekend somewhere green.
That is not nothing. That is most of what people want from skincare.
If you are considering a FoREST starter, book a free virtual consultation and we will help you choose the right textures and combinations for your skin. Or shop the FoREST range directly if you already know what you are after.
Final word from Lyv: You may not be able to disappear into a forest every weekend. But you can put a small, well-designed piece of one on your bathroom shelf. Shop the Phyris FoREST range or book a free virtual consultation and your skin will thank you within the month.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. If you have a specific skin concern, please consult a qualified healthcare professional or one of our Lyv Pharmacy specialists.
