Many cosmeceuticals look to the plant kingdom for unique ingredients to improve the appearance of the skin. These cosmeceuticals utilize the antioxidant, fragrance, preservative, moisturizing, or other benefits derived from the plant material to produce the skin care product. The search for cosmeceutical botanicals suitable for formulation has led to the gathering of flowers, seeds, roots, leaves, twigs, and berries from all over the world. These plant materials must be carefully selected based on the considerations listed in Table 1. Certain parts of the plant must be removed at the proper time of the year under specified growing conditions to optimize the presence of the desired ingredient for incorporation into the skin care product. The plant material must be properly handled and processed to maintain the activity of the extract, which must be placed in proper concentration into the final formulation. This requires great attention to detail on the part of the raw material supplier to deliver ingredients with meaningful benefits. Many of the newer cosmeceuticals come from the far reaches of the earth in remote areas of Africa or the jungles of Brazil. Inhabitants of these areas realize that great financial rewards are available for the harvesting of these plant materials. I envision these individuals on “plant safari” hiking many miles through treacherous terrain in search of the elusive “magical cosmeceutical tree” only to cut it down and haul it back to camp. While adventurers of old thought that nature would provide unending treasures, it is now evident that even nature has bounds. The bounds of nature perhaps were first publicized with the demise of the carrier pigeon. This avian species was prized for its feathers, which provided panache to the felt top hats of society gentlemen. The carrier pigeon was harvested to extinction much to the amazement of all. Certainly, somewhere there must be another pigeon, but none were to be found. While the bounds of nature seem obvious to us in 2009, awareness of these bounds still escapes many who seek financial gain at all costs. This new awareness has led to the concept of sustainability. Sustainability involves the management of natural resources such that they can be maintained for generations to come. This issue has captured the attention of the skin care manufacturers who are harvesting plant materials at an increasingly rapid rate. How can the diversity of plants be preserved and managed to continue to yield to man’s needs without succumbing to man’s destructive forces? Sustainability requires a planned worldwide management of plant materials. Harvesting must be accompanied by replanting. An inventory system must be developed to evaluate the stores of plant material available for harvesting. The growth habits of certain plant species must be studied, as many plants are not amenable to cultivation, but require unique environments to flourish. Plant resources are much different than mineral resources. The southwest United States, especially New Mexico and Arizona, is full of open pit mines that have been “worked out” representing an unattractive reminder of poor resource management. As plants are renewable, it is hoped that better modern management techniques can be implemented. Reaping rewards from the environment is key to the success of human kind. However, continuing to reap these rewards requires careful resource management. Discussions regarding cosmeceutical sustainability are necessary to properly manage the abundance of plant ingredients available for formulation. Sustainability cannot be ignored.