Longtime readers of the Beauty Brains are familiar with all that we have written about eyelash growth products. We were skeptical of claims by Jan Marini at first because there was no supporting data presented. Then we found a study that showed there was a material that seemed to have stimulated eyelash growth. We were still skeptical, but at least this was some supporting data. Then Jan Marini admitted that the product doesn’t actually make your eyelashes grow. Finally, their product was seized by the FDA and taken off the shelf for being an illegal drug. It was quite a mess, but an excellent example of how a cosmetic company shouldn’t market a product.

Cosmetics are not drugs

Cosmetics are not drugs. They are products designed to be put on your skin or hair to temporarily change the surface properties like make-up, cleansers, lipstick & lotions. Hair growth, skin lightening, and anti-dandruff products interact with your body’s metabolism and are drugs, not cosmetics. Drugs are much more dangerous, so they require more thorough testing before being approved by the government.

Allergan Launches Eyelash Growth

This latest announcement by Allergan of a new eyelash growth product demonstrates the “correct” way to launch a drug product in the US.

1. You accidentally discover an unexpected beneficial effect. (eyelash growth)
2. You conduct a clinical trial & safety tests following approved FDA protocols.
3. You file your results with the FDA and wait for approval.
4. After approval, you market your product.

Forging ahead without governmental approval can result in bogus products that don’t work or even worse, unapproved drugs that can have unexpected, dangerous side effects. When you create a product that is changing people’s metabolism, it is reasonable for the government to require appropriate safety & performance testing be done.

For your own safety, please stay away from cosmetics that make drug claims!

Incidentally, Allergan hopes to launch their approved eyelash product in 2009.

What do you use to make your eyelashes look longer and fuller? And would you buy an untested drug if it might help with your cosmetic problem?

This story about Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan’s endorsement of a skin lightening product demonstrates just how controversial a cosmetic product can be.  Khan, who’s been described as the Tom Cruise of Bollywood, is being criticized for reinforcing prejudices and stereotypes.  The product he’s pitching is called Fair and Handsome and it’s supposed to make users lighter-skinned and confident.  You can see the video here.

Their website lists the 4 key ingredients as Peptide, Licorice, Vetiver and Aloe Vera.  These aren’t likely to give any skin lightening effect.  It is more likely they are using technology similar to Meladerm since hydroquinone is banned in some EU countries.  They don’t have the same labeling requirements as the US so the actual active ingredients couldn’t be found.

Cosmetic Irony

It’s always seemed ironic that we all seem to want what we don’t have. People who are dark skinned want lighter skin. People who are pale want tanned skin. Women with straight hair get perms, those with curly hair get it relaxed.  For cosmetic companies, this is good.  There will always be a need for products to fix some perceived problem.  Unfortunately, I’m just not sure if reinforcing stereotypes and making people feel bad about their natural beauty is good for humanity.

-MidBrain

Mid Brain muses:

The folks over at C&E News are reporting on a new technology for changing your eye color. Researchers at Ciba Vision and Bausch & Lomb have come up with a new way to change eye color that works much better than the current technology. While colored lenses have been around since the 1970`s, they haven’t worked well for making brown eyes look naturally blue.

But now by using nanotechnology (really really tiny particles) and inspiration from the wings of butterflies, even the darkest brown eyes can be made blue. And it won’t even require a breakup with your boyfriend. I’ve gotta tell you, it’s stories like these that makes this Beauty Brain proud to be a scientist.

What do YOU think? Would you wear a special pair of contacts to change your eye color?
What if you don’t wear glasses or contacts? Would you wear them just to change your eye color? Leave a comment and share your colorful thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

They’re at it again. Jan Marini has announced the launch of yet another eyelash enhancement product called Marini Lash.

This one is said to be a non-prostaglandin product that also doesn’t have any regulatory or patent issues. It represents their third attempt to offer customers a product that gives “amazingly gorgeous, dense and lush eyelashes.” They launched their original product in 2005 and were charging a whopping $150 for a half ounce tube.

Unfortunately, that first product contained a misbranded drug that potentially could’ve changed the color of the users eyes. They pulled the product, reformulated and launched a second version which unfortunately for them, was alleged to infringe on a patent by a pharmaceutical company. This product got confiscated by the FDA and was eventually removed from the market.

New Eyelash Product

So when I read they were trying again, I was surprised. Hasn’t Jan Marini has lost all credibility with products like this?   They’ve never shown any evidence that the original product worked, the second product was impounded by the FDA and now they expect people to believe that this new product will deliver on all its promises. Are they serious?

Why would anyone believe that this new Jan Marini product will really make their eyelashes grow better?

Softer Eyelash Claims

Of course, this time they’ve really softened their claims. In fact, the claims are so weak that almost any product could live up to them.

“amazingly gorgeous, dense and lush eyelashes” is what’s known as a “fluff” claim and you don’t need any proprietary technology to make it. The truth is the claim is full of undefined terms that doesn’t mean anything concrete.

What is “amazingly gorgeous”? Pretty much anything can be.
What are “dense eyelashes”? No one can really define this.
What are “lush eyelashes”? I have no idea.

But if you want to buy a $150 tube of mascara that will be no better for your eyelashes than the Maybeline at your local Target, feel free to ask your licensed skin care professional about it.  This Beauty Brain is going to stay away.

A couple of weeks ago we ran the Millionth Beauty Brains Visitor contest which only required people to sign up for the Beauty Brains to be eligible.

Today, we can finally announce the winner of her very own copy of the Beauty Brains book.

Congratulations to Beauty Brains member Dorian. She was randomly chosen and has verified her name and address.

When contacted she said

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love the Beauty Brains!

We love you too Dorian! And we love the rest of the Beauty Brains community too. Stay tuned for upcoming give aways and news about an all new project we are working on. Want a hint? Can someone say Mineral Makeup…

————–

Can’t wait to get your own copy of the Beauty Brains book?
Just click here to buy now and get FREE Shipping!

.

Hey Everyone,

Well, I’m back from my European trip. I had a fabulous time, saw lots of pretty statues, historically significant sites, and was able to fill all of the European Beauty Brains book orders. We still have some books from the first print run available so if you’re interested be sure to get your copy soon. We’re going to have to do a second printing and the original print runs will no longer be available (for all you collectors of rare works out there).

Ok, now that that is out of the way, my trip was incredible. I’d never been to Europe before and it was an amazing experience. My first stop was in London. We had a lot of orders from the UK so it made the most sense to go here. Besides, I really wanted to see London. The castles, the bridges, the royals. It was so exciting. I walked through Hyde Park, then along the Thames. Saw Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, and the Tower Bridge that I kept calling the London Bridge.

You can see all my pictures here.

I loved London and highly recommend going. However, be warned that the food isn’t great and everything costs about double what it does in the United States.

After a week of exploring London (which involved mostly shopping and going to late night clubs like Koko) I was off to Paris. I just had to see Paris being this close. I hopped on the Eurostar and was there 3 hours later.

I have to say it was wonderful!! I love Paris! I know some people haven’t had such lovely experiences but I believe that Paris is one of the most beautiful, romantic, interesting and fun cities I’ve ever been. I spent days visiting museums, seeing sites, shopping and eating in cafes. The nights were spent at chic restaurants, clubs, and some pubs. I had a wonderful time at a place called “An American Bar” where I finally got to talk with other English speakers. My French is super rusty (took it in high school) and while it was fun to say things in French, it’s so taxing for this Beauty Brain.

The people in France were great too. I don’t know how they got the reputation of being rude because I found everyone rather pleasant. There was a lot of smoking which I could do without, but people were polite. The food was incredible. One of the things that made me smile most was just walking the streets of Paris and seeing all the people just eating these long loafs of bread. It really happens. And there are lots of protests. Streets get closed, people are yelling, and the rest of the crowd just walks by. You just don’t see that here in the states.

If you ever get a chance to go out to Europe you must visit Paris and London. Again, you can see all my pictures here.

And if you want to send us pictures of famous places where you brought the Beauty Brains book, we’d love to have them and will post them on the blog.

Ok, back to work.

Toodles,

Sarah

PS. I do have to say, it’s nice to be back. Traveling is tiring.

Here are three beauty science stories that I thought were interesting for different reasons…

1. Venus Envy

I’ve never really understood why my Venus razor needs so many blades but here’s a brief article from Zoe Draelos, the Beauty Brains favorite Derm Doc, that explains why five blades are better than one. (Here’s a hint, it has something to do with skin trauma).

2. Fear of Fekkai

This has been all over the news, but in case you havent heard, P&G bought Fredrick Fekkai. Technically speaking, this is probably good news for fans of Fekkai because with the P&G powerhouse behind the brand you’ll probably see upgraded products. (As you know if you read our previous posts, the Beauty Brains are not big fans of Fekkai formulas.) But then again, hardcore fans will probably complain that P&G has made the brand too “mainstream.”

3. Vanity or vaccine

According to the Dermatology Times, the same kind of equipment that is used to tattoo skin can also deliver vaccines and other pharmaceuticals. Researches have even shown that skin tattooing may be a more effective way of delivering DNA than intramuscular injection. (Hey Sarah B., maybe you can use this as an excuse for your tattoo!)

–Mid Brain

Hey everyone,

Guess who’s going to Europe!? ME!!

We’ve been getting so many international Beauty Brains book orders that I convinced the other Beauty Brains to send me to Europe just to save money on shipping costs. Did you know it costs almost $40 to send a book to the UK? Yikes!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the trip and will even try to dig up some beauty related news while I’m there. I can’t wait to see all the different products they have over “on the other side of the pond”.

In the meantime, Midbrain or one of the other lobes will be filling book orders, so keep ‘em coming. It’d be great if we could sell so many that I could start working on the brains full time.

We still have some books left so if you want to get yours before they sell out just click on the link below.

For a limited time, it’s free shipping for orders to the US and Canada.

And, if you are in the UK or continental Europe, we can ship you a book too!

But you MUST ORDER BEFORE TOMORROW MORNING when I leave for the airport.  (That’s 07:00 am Eastern Time)

Don’t delay. Get your copy now.

Cheerio!

Sarah

Here’s a story a bit different than what we usually cover on the Beauty Brains. According to this report, a 9th grade educator was sent home from school because he dyed his hair green. He did it to celebrate the holiday, but the principal was not amused.

While the story and pictures are funny, the way they treated this man seems a little harsh. He looked festive, wasn’t hurting anyone and got into the spirit of the day. Can anyone explain why the principal would’ve gotten so upset?

Green Colored Hair Chemistry

Just so this isn’t a total departure from beauty science, you might be interested to learn how you could color your hair green. Try out any of these green hair coloring products.

The biggest differences between them is the length of time that the green color lasts. The most simple formulas have water soluble dyes that cover your hair’s natural color. When you shampoo, the dye simply washes away and your normal hair color is (hopefully) restored.

Longer lasting formulas contain oil-soluble dyes that are a bit harder to remove with shampoo. But with more and more washing you can get these removed too.

If you really want to make a statement you can get your hair permanently dyed by using a peroxide containing dye. The color is actually formed inside your hair and is much, much harder to remove. It’ll be like St. Patrick’s Day all spring.

Here’s one eye-catching way to launch a new product: Build a 40 foot long naked woman out of fruit. That’s exactly what Australian company Ella Bache did to launch their new facial cleanser line. Presumably they used peaches to represent the “peaches and cream” complexion that you’ll get when you use their new products.

I’m not sure of what kind of joke to make about a giant, naked woman made of peaches, but I pretty sure the punch line should have something to do with Brad Pitt.

If Australian peaches don’t appeal to you, here are 10 other peach based products that may catch your fruit fancy:

Philosophy Peach Shower Gel
Peaches and Cream Ice Cream Bath Fizz
Jaqua Peaches and Buttercream Beauty Boutique
Bare Escentuals Peach Puff Eye Shadow
Get Fresh Fig and Peach Blossom Hand Lotion
Avon Naturals Peach Body Spray
Peach Sorbet Body Scrub
Peach Oil
Colorscience Life’s A Peach Lipgloss
Jean Paul Gaultier Sultry Peach Fragrance

–Mid Brain