ITS A LIE SKIN IS MADE TO KEEP STUFF OUT!! The only thing that really gets into your bloodstream is transdermal drugs but I'm sure they dont have such a specific time like 26 seconds lol

I've seen it mentioned in lots of different places, including infographics on Facebook. Some examples include:

http://purehomeandbody.com/cleansing-and-detox/detox/cleansing-from-the-inside-out/
http://www.lexiyoga.com/whats-toxic-in-your-home
http://www.botanicaltans.com/1/post/2012/06/is-dha-really-bad-for-you.html
http://www.jinshinjyutsu-mercedes.com/17701.html
http://www.complementaryfitness.co.uk/news/fitness-newsletter-14-january/
http://www.cleaningpro.com/toxic.cfm

This is just a handful of links out there that mention this 'fact'. If you go to Google and type in '26 seconds to absorb chemicals into bloodstream' you'll see what I mean.

26 seconds just seems so very specific and as no one seems to be able to back this up with any studies or facts, I can't help but think that it's based on nothing. What do you think, Right Brain?

This whole "26 seconds" idea looks worth of a closer look. We're a bit backed up right now but I'll try to poke around and see what I can find out.

Did you have a chance to look into this in more detail, Right brain? This goes hand in hand with all these "facts" on the Internet which say that your body absorbs 60%, 80%, 90% (it differs all the time apparently!) of what you put on your skin.

this absorption issue is close to my heart. i use a bio-identical hormone cream that MUST go from the skin into bloodstream, otherwise it couldn't affect hormone levels, which it does. with this in mind, i have been making my own skin treatment using only oils, including those that solidify at room temperature so they are in solid form and easy to apply. with no preservatives and nothing added to prevent absorption of a preservative, i was hoping these oils would absorb into the second layer of epidermis and from there get into the bloodstream. i had thought that items sold over the counter have to have a preservative to keep them good for a long time, so something like methylparaben with a molecule too big for the skin to absorb was added to over-the-counter products for the purpose of keeping the preservative and other chemicals in the product from absorbing into the skin and getting into the bloodstream. have i been following a line of hogwash? i am not adding all these expensive oils to my mixtures merely to nourish the surface of my skin. at the very least, i want to impact the second layer of skin.

carrier oils, with a few essential oils added, and my intention is that all of them should at least get to the first deeper level of the epidermis if not to the bloodstream. as far as carrier oils, i'm talking sea buckthorn, tamanu nut, carrot seed, extra virgin coconut, grapeseed, sunflower, sweet almond, etc, along with the bee products: beeswax, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, and raw honey, mixed into organic shea butter. essential oils added are usually german chamomile, helichrysum, indonesian sandalwood, lavender, carrot seed.

i use bio-identical hormone cream, it definitely gets into the bloodstream, verified this with the pharmacologist at the compounding lab, then told him what i am trying to do with the oils, absorption-wise, and asked if he the oils should be able to absorb. his answer was of course!, that it depends on the skin and depth of the layers of each individual, but there should be nothing keeping those oils from absorbing, because nothing to prevent absorption has been added (although, i had forgotten to mention the bee products, maybe the propolis that can embalm things would prevent absorption...?). he wanted to know why i was asking, and i explained to him that i had recently read that the skin is there to keep things OUT, not let things IN, and that maybe my line of reasoning hoping for absorption was hogwash. he said, that yes, the skin is supposed to keep things like bacteria out, that it does serve that purpose, but that it should let the oils IN.

where i am coming from is that skin cancer runs in my family, and once my parents began getting cut on, it never stopped, they had to keep cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting. i know my skin has been pretty badly sun damaged, under the surface. even though this has been a shot in the dark, i have been aiming at getting absorption on the surface and at least to the second level of epidermis in an effort to undo some of the damage that has been done in the past, to prevent an issue of needing to cut ever arising. this pharmacologist said he absolutely agreed with what i was doing and saw no reason it didn't have a chance of working, said if he was in my position, he would be doing the same thing.

somebody is spouting hogwash, either those who say absorption is not possible, or the crowd that says absorption is a given. i imagine there is some middle ground, and that absorption can and does frequently occur, except with over-the-counter products that are made with a preservative and then have added ingredients to prevent absorption in order to protect the body from receiving the harmful preservative, e.g., that lack of absorption is prevented from the outside so the preservative getting into the bloodstream will not become an issue.

but all i am doing is surmising and shooting arrows in the dark, and have to depend on experts to tell me what the truth of this matter is, especially in the case where there is a raging controversy like this one. what i need is a minimum of a degree in chemistry, and that is not going to happen anytime soon. i have tried researching this on my own and have come to a standstill as to what to believe. i figure the worst that can happen is that it won't work and a by-product is that i have a well-nourished and lubricated skin surface.

any perspective you can offer will be appreciated. i am sending the pharmacologist at the compounding lab samples of my mixes, and he sounded thrilled for the opportunity to receive them.