Sandy Says: On the back of my daily cleanser (Alpha Hydrox Nourishing Cleanser to be specific) it instructs to apply with an “upward motion”. Is there any actual reason for this, or was it just thrown in to seem more “special”? Should I be applying other products in a certain direction/motion?

The Right Brain Responds:
We aren’t aware of any real scientific need to apply facial cleansers with an upward motion. Our guess is that it’s marketing speak to make the product sound more special. Maybe they think that since gravity drags your skin down (making it saggy and wrinkled) you can push your skin up to get rid of wrinkles. Who knows what they really mean?

How You Apply Cosmetics Can Make A Difference

Does your application technique ever make a difference? Yes, in some cases it does. Sunscreens, for example, need to be applied with very even, smooth strokes because they won’t work very well if they don’t evenly coat the skin. Same thing is true for sunless tanners if you don’t apply them consistently you’ll end up with streaks. Some types of make up have similar application issues you need to be careful when applying wrinkle concealing foundations to make sure they fill in those fine lines evenly.

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:

For some products, application technique does make a difference. That’s not the case for facial cleansers. Whether it be Avotone or StriVectin, there’s no technical reason that applying the product this way should help your skin. On the other hand, it won’t hurt it either.

Carol’s Question…My Mario Badescu skin lotion says it protects against environmental damage and pollution. This sounds like Marketing hype to me. What sayeth the Brains?

The Left Brain’s Reply:
We all know that certain environmental factors, such as the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, can cause skin damage. But what about air pollution - is it bad for your skin? To answer that question we refer you to a study recently published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science (2006. 28. 349-357) entitled Effects of Environmentally Realistic Levels of Ozone on Stratum Corneum Function.

Testing pollution on human skin

Using a specially designed environmental chamber, researchers exposed panelists’ skin to ozone, which is the primary oxidant in photochemical smog. They found that ozone does have some effect: not only does it reduce the level of vitamin E in skin but it also kills off some of the normal skin bacteria. However, these effects were small and did not have a significant impact on any of the enzymatic processes that really control skin health.

Pollution effect is minimal

They theorize that the effect of pollution is minimal because of one of three reasons:

1. Skin’s natural anti-oxidant defense system protects the skin
2. Conditions aren’t right for ozone reactions that would cause more damage
3. Ozone just isn’t able to penetrate deep enough into skin to cause any real problems

UV is much worse than pollution

Regardless of the reason the researchers conclude that at best ozone exposure only induces a moderate level of oxidative stress on skin and doesn’t produce any measurable clinical response. (That means that instruments may be able to detect differences but you couldn’t see or feel them.) In the opinion of the researchers, exposure to UV radiation is much more damaging to skin than ozone pollution.

The Brains Bottom Line:

While the data does show a minor effect from pollution, it’s not really a significant problem. Until someone presents data that contradicts this study, it looks like any lotion claiming to protect your skin from pollution is just marketing hype.

Have you bought a pollution protection product? What was it and did you think it worked? Leave a comment below.

The Beauty Brains forum has been re-designed to make it more user friendly. We’ve changed the look, made it possible to subscribe to comments/discussion threads, and improved the programming to make it easier to leave comments (automated link building).

We’ve also put in all the Beauty Brains 2009 Objectives to participate more in the discussions.

Thanks to everyone who participates and a special thanks to the following top Beauty Brains Forum members. You make it a site worth visiting.

Karen
PurpleRules
cate
taiwanesegurl
Judy
pas71
Anne
Fitness Brain
anonymousblonde
TailFeather
Lynnette
Janis

So, if you haven’t been to the Beauty Brains forum in a while, take a look and tell us what you think. If you have suggestions for improvements, we’d love to hear them.

Today, we’re having a guest post by a cosmetic chemist who calls himself “SoapyGuy”.

There has been a lot of buzz in the cosmetic community about this recent study that appears to prove that antioxidants have no effect on aging. So what is this study and what does it really mean?

Anti-oxidants and Age

Since the 1950s one of the leading theories on aging has been that it is caused by the accumulation of damage from free radicals, but a study from University College London (UCL) claims to disprove this theory. The topic of free radicals is more than an article in itself, but let us just say that they’re highly reactive molecules that are thought to cause a lot of damage to cells.

Superoxide Dismutase and Worms

Cells have a number of mechanisms for preventing this damage, one of which is an enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD). What the scientists at UCL did was genetically crank up the ability of a nematode worm, C. elegans, to produce this enzyme. The theory is that if there was no superoxide, one of the main free radicals in cells, the worm should live longer. But that wasn’t the case. And this isn’t the first study to show this; a University of Texas study using mice appeared to have a similar result.

Anti-oxidants Useless?

So does this mean free radicals have nothing to do with aging, antioxidants are useless, and we should stop using antioxidants to treat aging? Not likely. There are a number of problems with making these conclusions from this study. For one, superoxide is only one of several free radical species in the body. Furthermore, SOD actually produces another oxidative species, hydrogen peroxide, as a by-product. There are other antioxidants in cells that then process the hydrogen peroxide, so SOD is only a part of a much more complex mechanism for fighting oxidative damage. Finally, there is a wealth of studies prior to these that appear to demonstrate the validity of the free radical damage theory for aging. Most scientists agree that free radicals play an important, but not exclusive role in aging.

Anti-oxidants in skin care

Now what about antioxidants in skin care products?  Do they really work? There is currently a wealth of evidence saying they do, so it’s difficult to be swayed by one study on a worm. It has been proven that oxidative damage results in many of the characteristics we normally associate with aging skin. There are also many studies that show that facial treatments with antioxidants have a significant beneficial affect on the skin’s appearance when compared to the same treatments without antioxidants. If the proof is in the pudding, there’s a lot of pudding out there.

Keep Using Antioxidants

The UCL study can’t definitively prove that free radicals don’t cause aging and there is a lot of evidence that antioxidants are healthful to the skin and body. Topical antioxidants are still recommended as part of a healthy skin regiment.

SoapyGuy is on Twitter. You can follow him here.

I guess there aren’t that many clicks on this week’s Chic Clicks. But what do you expect, last night was New Year’s Eve. Even beauty bloggers get hung over!

SheFinds tells you how to properly rid yourself of those holiday gifts that are just plain wrong.

Liar, liar, pants on fire. The Beauty Brains explain why online beauty products reviews are not always reliable.

No beauty science or questions or polls or answers.  Just a great big THANK YOU to all of the great people in the Beauty Brains community.

Whether you’re an active commentor, forum poster, RSS feed reader, emailer, or newsletter subscriber, thank you for making the Beauty Brains a joy to work on each day.

Happy New Year!

We’re looking forward to more beauty sleuthing and beauty busting in 2009.

-The Whole Beauty Brain family

Left Brain
Right Brain
Sarah Bellum
Mid Brain

PS.  I hope you didn’t forget to add the leap second last night.

It’s the year’s end and time for a look back at some of our favorite posts from 2008. Categorized for your convenience.

Skin

We generated some heated discussions with talk about breast milk soap, Preparation H for puffy eyes, and boob sweat?

1. What’s the difference between alpha & beta hydroxyl acid?
2. Does chocolate really cause acne?
3. What should a 20-something do about aging skin?
4. Are silk pillowcases good for your skin?
5. Is Meladerm safe for long term use?
6. Is breast milk soap appealing or appalling?
7. How to pick a good face wash
8. Is your Clarisonic skin brush dangerous?
9. Bothered by boob sweat?
10. Are cosmetics from the Cosmetic Cop really a good choice?
11. You’re not still buying expensive skin care products are you?
12. Does beauty jargon baffle you too?
13. Does Preparation H work for puffy eyes?

Hair

Hair was not as contentious as skin this year but a few posts got people buzzing. Especially the Pantene and plastic post.
1. Is no-lye relaxer a lie?
2. Revealed – the biggest cause of fading hair color
3. 10 things you should know about hair extensions
4. Is Scalpmed a scam?
5. Is Pantene putting plastic on your hair?
6. The colorful secret of organic hair color
7. Is Argan oil good for hair?
8. Are natural cleansers better for your hair?
9. Can coconut oil grow your hair long?

Make-up

Lipsticks, balms and mineral makeup dominated the discussion this year.
1. 3 reasons not to recycle lipstick
2. Does oil cleansing really work?
3. Clearing up the mystery of mineral makeup
4. Is Monistat bikini chafing gel a good makeup primer?
5. Who wants to know the real reason women like makeup?
6. Can I dye my eyebrows with hair color?
7. What lip balm should you use?

Beauty Busting

We ran into a lot of bogus beauty. Here are some examples.
1. Can Kinoki detox foot pads save your sole?
2. Do mineral crystal deodorants really work?
3. Does the pink patch weight loss patch really work?
4. Can Airborne cure the common cold?
5. Is Aveda really more natural?
6. Can cosmetic acupuncture reduce wrinkles?
7. 20 qualities of questionable online skin care offers

Beauty Industry

Lots went on in our beauty industry. Some you may care about follow.
1. Mercury in mascara?
2. More trouble for Jan Marini
3. Getting rid of cosmetic animal testing is harder than we think
4. The chemical-free cosmetic myth
5. When natural ingredients attack
6. 7 reasons there aren’t more preservative free cosmetics
7. Logical does not mean true
8. Hypocrisy in the beauty industry
9. Natural bias on the Beauty Brains
10. EWG misleads consumers about parabens

Beauty Science

Some fun stories where beauty and science intersect.
1. Scientists discover why we wear high heels
2. How pricey products baffle your brain
3. How perfume can predict mental illness
4. Scientists find treatment to restore sense of smell
5. 10 cosmetic products that really work
6. Do designer sunglasses give better UV protection than cheap ones?
7. The 10 strangest ingredients in cosmetics
8. The top 10 natural ingredients you need to avoid
9. Spa bath with fish is a wash
10. The top 10 beauty science toys

Happy New Year!!

What were some of your favorites this year? Leave a comment and let everyone know.

Mary Muses..Mine is not a cosmetic questions as I know there are no cremes that will actually firm sagging skin. I want to know if LED light therapy works on reducing wrinkles and stimulating collagen growth as some spas claim. Also I want to know if the Titan skin tightening procedure works. Thanks!

The Right Brain’s Reply:
I checked out some info over at the American Academy of Dermatology and found that indeed dermatologists say that LED can improve fine wrinkling and skin discoloration. However, I wouldn’t have this done at a Spa! This is a medical procedure that can only effectively be done by a doctor. Any treatment that a spa would give you will not do anything for you except separate you from your money. LED does NOT stimulate collagen growth! At best it reconfigures your skin. It does nothing to impact growth. Save up your money for real laser surgery. Don’t waste it on spa LED treatments.

Titan might work. Check out this site. I don’t know a lot about it but the guy did an interview with Dr Dean Edell and I respect him. Although, the story is about getting rid of varicose veins. But again, have it done by a doctor. You can’t get it done effectively by a spa.

Have you had the LED procedure done on you?  Leave a comment and let everyone else know what you thought.

Recently, beauty review site TotalBeauty blogged about the worst face moisturizers Unfortunately, they based their list strictly on member ratings & comments.  They don’t even consider ingredients, objective performance, and price/value.

Here are 6 reasons why ratings based on personal product reviews are practically worthless.

6 Reasons to Remain Skeptical of Reviews

1. Is it Real?

The Internet is an excellent information source. However, anyone can write anything. How do you know that review you read was written by a real person who really tried the product? It easily could have been written by a corporate shill or a competitor. You have no way to know. Beauty product sales on the Internet generate big money. Some marketers will do anything (like writing fake reviews) to get you to buy.

Don’t trust any single source on the Internet

2. Easily Fooled

Even if people writing reviews are sincere, they can be easily fooled. Science has shown that when people pay higher prices for products, they tend to rate them higher (even when they are exactly the same product). Factors like price, packaging, color, etc. all have an effect on your subconscious mind. You may believe a product worked better than your usual product, even if it didn’t.

People are easily fooled

3. Polarized Opinions

Mostly when you use a product, it will work fine. Not awful, not great. It will be average and rarely will it inspire you to write a passionate review. When someone has a great or terrible product experience they will be more inclined to write. So, you get extreme reviews that do not represent most people’s experiences.

4. People are different

Everyone is different and while a product works great for one person, it might be lousy for you. Product effectiveness depends on things like skin type, hair type, personal preference, external environment. What one person says about a product probably will not apply to you.

5. Scores are relative

In the TotalBeauty face moisturizer list, they score products on a 10 point scale. Unfortunately, averaging numbers like this is not useful for subjective data. One person’s 5 may not be the same as another person’s 5.  Unless the scale is calibrated (as cosmetic research testing facilities do) the rating numbers can not be reliably averaged.

6. Fallacy of cause and effect

One reviewer said this about Reclaim Day Cream. “I have broken out with pimples. I want my money back.” Now, she may have had a reaction to the product or not. Just because she used it then noticed pimples the next day does not mean the product caused the problem. How would she know that she would not have gotten pimples whether she used the product or not?   We frequently attribute effects to products when it is not true.

Beauty Brains Bottom Line

While product reviews can be interesting to read, they should not be solely relied on when making purchasing decisions. Looking at ingredients, reviewing claims, seeking unbiased sources (like the Beauty Brains) and remaining skeptical are much better ways to make product purchasing decisions.

What do you think? Do you believe beauty product reviews? Leave a comment a let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know.

It seems like a perfect time for an end-of-the-year Beauty Science poll that looks at new things scientists discovered in 2008. All of these are real discoveries from 2008, except one. Can you find the FAKE discovery of 2008?

Head on over to the right column of the Beauty Brains and enter your vote for the FAKE science discovery of 2008. Here are your options.

1. Drinking 3 cups of coffee a day can shrink your breasts

2. Flip-flop wearing can lead to higher risk of foot skin cancer

3. Mexican scientists can make diamonds from tequila

4. Women with male bosses feel more stressed than those with female bosses

-Mid Brain