Click here to visit the Beauty Brains blog.
Welcome to the new Forum. Please feel free to start a new discussion.
Absorbtion of skin care cosmetics
  • Tweedy
    Hi ...I am Tweedy and I live in UK.

    Some of my reading shows that food ingredients are used not only in food and nutritional supplements but in
    cosmetics and big claims are made for them.

    Skin is very tough but some people claim that 60% of skin cosmetics are absorbed through the skin into the body
    but others say that this alarmist and only small %s are absorbed.

    My questions are;

    How much of ordinary skin care cosmetics, like lotion,creams and gels, get throught the skin's
    outer layer into the dermis and then into the blood stream. Is it 60% or 6%?

    Big claims about food substances are made by natural cosmetics makers but surely the
    molecular structure of these would stop them getting into the dermis except through pores
    or damaged skin.

    That is 2 questions really but I read that molecular structure is
    important for penetration of the skin.

    Tweedy
  • sarahf
    This blog post might help some.  It doesn't give percentages, but it does suggest that skin absorption is rare and/or minimal.  http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/06/18/natural-bias-on-the-beauty-brains/  My guess is that 60% can't be right. 
  • sarahf
    I saw this article and thought of you.  http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/other/177  Apparently, the author is an expert in chemical absorption through the skin.
  • Tweedy
    saharf
    The beautybrains blog post about natural ingredients vs synthetic is well written.... my question about skincare cosmetics absorption is a result of trying to find out if natural ingredients like herb powders or food products like starch or algae powder can penetrate undamaged, healthy skin without being mixed with volatile oils or strong solvents. If skin absorbs only small amounts, even when used daily, then some normal cosmetic claims seem to border on dishonesty. Natural herb pastes and powders or food products with larger molecular structures could only coat the skin and not give the wonderful deep skin effects that producers claim.
    Food products and herbal powders should be eaten for best effect and only carefully crafted and tested cosmetic chemicals and mixtures should be used on the skin and hair.
  • sarahf
    Yeah, I've seen those types of claims before: feed your skin with these "vitamins."  There is a difference between being absorbed by the body and being absorbed and used by the skin itself.  Although they don't get all the way through the skin and into the bloodstream, antioxidants and vitamins/derivatives, even some drugs, can get used by your skin if you put them on topically (retinol or retin-A come to mind, and my rosacea gel which is metronidazole).  But there are other forms of vitamin A that are useless if put on the surface of the skin, so my guess is it really depends on the type of substance you're talking about whether it's of any value to the skin if applied topically.
  • Tweedy
    I am not convinced about vitamins either, some have an anti-oxidant role in the cosmetic to preserve some base oils
    In the US it seems that tocopheryl acetate, used in so many European cosmetics, is not considered to be a "serious"
    skin care ingredient. Is that true?

    Ascorbic acid is used a lot as well and claims are made that it is beneficial when applied to skin. But it is still an acid!

    Claims are made for various Retinyl salts but they are relatively inactive ( and have low irritancy) compared with
    retinol and are probably included in cosmetics at sometimes very low concentrations for "marketing chic" or am I being to cynical?

    Tweedy
  • sarahf
    Hi Tweedy,
    Been away and just checking back in.  In general, never underestimate "marketing chic."  In my book.  Or maybe I'm just cynical too...
Add a Comment