Mom's skincare starts on a plate (and how yours can too!)- soothing and calming breakout prone skin
Alice Sun (@alicecsun) shares a unique view into her life through the ways she uses food to nurture wellness, cross cultural divides, and bring people together, all through the medium of storytelling.
Alice Sun•
December 17, 2025
Dealing with sensitive skin has always meant knowing that my food choices would inevitably show up on my skin. A little too much butter and cream? My T-zone will be letting me know. Super spicy hot pot dinner? Those chin breakouts start showing up. And don’t get me started on my sensitive tummy too…
But just like food can trigger my skin, the right ingredients and dishes can also calm and soothe, like this tonic my mom makes as part of her beauty breakfasts.
Pears help to hydrate and cool off the inflammation, while the Chinese herbal ingredients help compound those effects with lotus seeds and red jujubes. For the cozy holiday flavors, I’ve also been adding some cinnamon and brown sugar to spice things up!
It’s the kind of recipe that feels like a reset button. She’s gentle on the stomach, calming for the skin, and comforting enough to sip when the body’s feeling a little too heavy, oily, or overstimulated. And because it’s made with simple, nourishing ingredients, it’s something you can make ahead and keep in the fridge for the whole week! So let’s get into it…
Peel the pear (1) then cut into 1 inch pieces, taking care to remove the core and seeds.
To a pot, add water (4 cups) along with the prepped pears, lotus seeds (1 Tbsp), cinnamon (2 sticks), brown sugar (1 Tbsp), and osmanthus (1 tsp) if using.
For the red jujubes (2), score the sides with a couple of shallow cuts to help them soften and infuse more deeply into the broth.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 20 mins or until the lotus seeds are softer in texture, similar to a chickpea or bean.
Ladle into bowls to enjoy with a bit of goji berries (5 pieces) at the end for a bit of tang.
You can eat all the ingredients, just be careful of the pit at the center of the red jujube date.
Subscribe to get my new recipes delivered to your inbox
Sign in to comment
