Ligirl217 says: I use Rusk’s smoother shampoo and calm conditioner. I would not buy my hair products at a drug store because they are loaded with stuff that makes you feel like your hair is silkier but it actually does nothing to solve the problem with keeping your hair in good condition. I use a deep conditioner by the brand Italy which makes hair dye and is sold at my salon…this thing is god sent because my hair is AMAZING after I use it (once a week). Here’s a trick: when shopping for both shampoo and conditioner, make sure to read the ingredients and look for silk or wheat proteins…it’s the key to healthy hair!

The Right Brain Responds:
We’d love to find out exactly which “Italy” deep conditioner you’re using, we’re not very familiar with that brand. However, we are very familiar with conditioner formulations so here’s the real scoop. First of all, from a scientific standpoint, there’s nothing inherently different about drug store conditioners. It is NOT true that they use ingredients that are very different than most of the salon or department store brands. There are good and bad products in drug stores and there are good and bad products in salons. Where you buy the product doesn’t tell you ANYTHING about how good it is!

Protein power

Now let’s address your second point about looking for silk or wheat proteins because they are the key to healthy hair. Although your hair is made of protein, protein doesn’t do much when added to your hair from shampoo or conditioner. That’s because to be made soluble, proteins have to be broken up into tiny pieces (called hydrolized proteins). These little protein fragments are not very effective and forming the kind of films your hair needs to more conditioned. Therefore, it’s the other conditioning agents in the formula that are really smoothing the cuticle and protecting your hair from damage.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

There’s nothing wrong with using expensive salon brands and looking for ingredients that you like. But just remember, there’s a lot of advertising hype in this industry so be careful. The more you know the truth about your products, the better shopper you’ll be!

Jennifer is suspicious about sodium hydroxide: I keep reading that sodium hydroxide is a real skin irritant, yet I keep seeing it in quite a few high-end skin products (Peter Thomas Roth’s “Unwrinkle” pads, fourth on the ingred. list and La Roche-Posay eye cream). I know that it is regularly used to change the pH of the product. What I do not know is should I avoid it like the plague? Or is it ok in small amounts? I keep reading conflicting things, so I thought I would finally turn to you!

The Right Brain reaffirms:

You are absolutely right, Jen. But you’re also totally wrong. Allow us to explain.

What is Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium hydroxide (or NaOH as we chemists like to call it) is a very powerful alkaline, or basic, material. That means it has a pH that is so high that it can be corrosive to skin. So you’re right that it can be a skin irritant. It’s a primary ingredient in lye soap and in hair relaxers.

But NaOH is really only hazardous when used in high concentration in its pure form. In most products it’s reacted with an acid so it’s neutralized to form a harmless salt. The two skin care products you cited are good examples of formulas that are not harmful applications of NaOH.

Peter Thomas Roth

First, let us say that we LOVED this guy in Van Halen. Second, we’re not concerned about his use of NaOH in his Unwrinkle Pads. Even though it’s the 4th ingredient on the list, it’s probably just used to bring up the pH of his multi-acid formula. (Very low pH can be just as bad for your skin as very high pH.) Here are the ingredients for those of you who are interested in stuff like this:

WATER (AQUA), GLYCOLIC ACID, ETHOXYDIGLYCOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM LACTATE (LACTIC ACID), ROSA CENTIFOLIA FLOWER WATER, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) WATER, PPG-5-CETETH-20, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ARGININE, LINOLENIC ACID (VITAMIN F), GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL (VITAMIN E), RETINOL (VITAMIN A), CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D), ALANINE, SODIUM ASCORBYL PHOSPHATE (VITAMIN C), ZINGIBER OFFICINALE (GINGER) ROOT EXTRACT, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) PEEL EXTRACT, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) FLOWER EXTRACT, SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE LEAF EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, SALICYLIC ACID, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC, TRIGLYCERIDE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, DIAZOLIDINYL UREA

Ring around La Roche-Posay

We couldn’t find a La Roche product labeled “eye cream” that contained sodium hydroxide, but we did find La Roche-Posay Redermic Eye Cream which contains potassium hydroxide a very close cousin of sodium. In this product it’s probably there just to neutralize the thickening agent. Many cosmetics are thickened with acrylic acid-based polymers that require neutralization with a base like NaOH. Here are the ingredients:

(Aqua) Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Silica, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Alochol Denat., Nylon-12, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Styrene/MA Copolymer, Madecassoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopherol, Isobutane, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff, no doubt. But just because a chemical can be harmful in it’s concentrated form doesn’t mean it can’t be used responsibly. NaOH is totally safe when it’s used to neutralize acids at the appropriate levels. So unless you’re Sammy Hagar, you have no reason to fear Peter Thomas Roth.

DesignerGrl’s dilemma: I know that vitamin C is unstable in cosmetics, and that stable sources are very expensive. So I was wondering: I have Citric Acid in my spice collection — I use it to make Mozzarella. Could I sprinkle a little into a dab of my moisturizer before applying it? Could I make my own Vitamin C exfoliating treatment (avoiding eye area, of course)? What other DIY exfoliating peels could I make at home? Thanks!

The Left Brain performs a (Vitamin) C-section:
First of all, VItamin C is found in ascorbic acid, not citric acid. So you can save your spice. Second, in most cases, I don’t really believe that Do It Yourself cosmetics offer any advantages over “store bought” products. But in the case of Vitamin C, I just might make an exception.

Vitamin C: an effective wrinkle fighter

As with retinoids, there’s research that suggests VItamin C really does have a beneficial effect on skin, in particular with regards to wrinkle reduction. If you want to learn more, follow this link for a good summary of Vitamin C’s anti-aging properties.

You correctly pointed out that the problem with Vitamin C is that it’s unstable. That’s because it’s such a good antioxidant that it reacts with any oxygen it comes in contact with. This isn’t a problem for the ingredient in its pure form because it isn’t in solution. But once it’s dissolved in water it becomes more reactive so it’s unstable in the formula over time. Some research says that it only lasts a few weeks so by the time the product goes from the manufacturer, to the store where it’s sold, to your house, the active Vitamin C in the product may be used up before you ever open the jar. Another problem with Vitamin C as an active ingredient is that it works at a very low pH (around 2.5) which can be irritating to the skin.

Ways to make Vitamin C work better

Look for stable versions
There are a couple of ways to make Vitamin C work better. One approach is to use derivatives of ascorbic acid like ascorbyl phosphate or tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, that are more stable and potentially less irritating.

Lose the water

You can also get rid of water to increase the Vitamin C stability. This approach improves stability and lowers irritation but it also increases the cost compared to water stabilized formulas. For example, silicones are expensive but make good anhydrous delivery vehicles for Vitamin C. Some research also suggests that combining more stable esters in anhydrous base can provide the best of both worlds.

Do It Yourself

A third way is to add Vitamin C yourself. This allows you to limit how long the Vitamin C is exposed to oxygen so you ensure it’s “fresh.” Be careful, however, because you may experience increased skin irritation with high levels of ascorbic acid. But if this approach appeals to you, you can learn the details of how to chose a base and add your own Vitamin C in this report from Smartskincare.com.

What do YOU think? Have you ever made your own Vitamin C products? Would you go through the trouble if it really helped your skin? Leave a comment and let the Beauty Brains “C” what you think about Vitamin C.

Sarah (no relation to Sarah Bellum) says: You guys are great– the Mythbusters of Makeup!! I’m concerned about my acne cover-up. The salicylic acid in Maybelline Pure Concealer is supposed to be good to banish zits, but are the other things that make it a waxy stick actually worsening my acne? Is a cream concealer better? Thank you!

The Right Brain responds:

Thanks for the kind words, Sarah. If the Left Brain wasn’t so afraid of getting sued, we probably would change our name to “Makeup Mythbusters.” But for now, you’re stuck with the Beauty Brains.

You raised a good question about concealer sticks. Will all those heavy, waxy chemicals clog our pores? The answer lies in the acnegenic nature of the specific chemicals in the formula. Allow me to explain:

Does the product claim to be non-comedogenic?

First of all, read the label. The only way to tell FOR SURE if the product will cause acne is to test it, and if the company spent all that time and money on testing, they’ll most certainly put “non-comedogenic” on the label. (”Comedogenic” is the sciencey way to say “causes acne.”) Looking at Maybelline Pure Concealer we do NOT see this claim on the label so we have to assume it’s not tested. So now what do we do? We need to dig a little deeper.

Does the product contain any comedogenic ingredients?

The next approach is to see if any of the ingredients in your product cause acne. Each chemical used in a cosmetic can be tested individually for comedogencity, They are generally rated on a 5 point comedogenic scale: a 0 means non-comedogenic. 1 - 2 means slightly. 3 means moderate and 4 or 5 means zit city! So if you know where to look, you can check the ingredients listed on the label on the back of the pack to see if they cause acne.

Let’s look at our Maybelline example again: Are there ingredients in the formula that are moderately or severly comedogenic? Here’s what’s in the product:

Cyclopentasiloxane; Cetearyl Behenate; Laureth-2 Benzoate; Octyldodecanol; Synthetic Beeswax; Nylon-12; Tocopherol; Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride; Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract; Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide; Iron Oxides; Mica. Active ingredient is salicylic acid.

Checking some online lists of comedogenicity ratings we see that Octylodecanol and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride can be “moderately” comedogenic. (Keep in mind there are literally thousands of ingredients and it’s impossible to find test data on every single one.) So does mean you shouldn’t use Pure Concealer? There’s one more question we need to ask.

Does the product contain large amounts of those ingredients?

Once you’ve identified that a product does have one or more comedogenic ingredients, you need to figure out how much of those ingredients are in the product. Low levels of acne causing chemicals may not cause breakouts at all. You can’t tell for sure without seeing the percentage of each ingredient in the formula, but you can make a pretty good guess if you know that in the US, cosmetics ingredients are listed in order of descending concentration above 1%. Below 1% they can be listed in any order. So if a couple ingredients with moderate to severe comegenicity scores show up on the first 5 or 6 ingredients in the formula, there may be cause for concern.

Looking the ingredient list for Maybelline we see that Octyldodecanol is the 4th ingredient so it’s probably in the formula at a fairly high concentration. The Triglyceride is 8th ingredient, behind tocopherol (which is Vitamin E.) Vitamins are typically used at less than 1%, so we can assume that the Triglyceride is present at a fairly low level.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

What does this tell us about Maybelline Pure Concealer? It contains (at least) two comedogenic ingredients, one of which appears to be at a significant level in the formula. If you’re prone to breaking out, this may be a product to avoid.

What do you think and sticks and zits? What are you favorite concealers? Leave a comment and share your faves with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Corey ’s curious: What’s in Mary Kay’s Timewise line that isn’t in anything else? I recently had a severe allergic reaction to it and I’ve never never had a reaction to anything else in my entire life. I’ve been using Sabon NYC`s Seaweed line, and Lush’s Ocean Salt and never has any problems. What gives?

The Left Brain Responds:
To start with, let’s take a look at the ingredient list for Timewise:

Water, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Isotheral, Neopentanoate, Bentonite, Cetyl Dimethicone Copolyol, Octyl Pelargonate, Neopentyl, Glycol Dioctanoate, Myristyl Myristate, PPg-26-Buteth-26, Sorbitol, Sucrose, Distearate, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Oleyl Oleate, Tocopherol, Comfrey Extract, Burdock Extract, Hops Extract, Yarrow Extract, Meadowsweet Extract, Hydrocotyl Extract, Coneflower, Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine, Sucrose Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Carnauba Wax, Lactose, Methylparaben, Cellulose, Propylparaben, C9-15 Alkyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Lauramine Oxide, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Titanium Dioxide, Ultra-marines, Chromium Hydroxide Green FD&C Red 4, D&C Red 33.

It’s hard to say which of these ingredients is causing you to have a reaction. Normally, I’d say it’s the fragrance since that’s typically the ingredient that people have the most allergic reactions to. But in this case, there doesn’t appear to BE a fragrance. Most of the other ingredients are used in a lot of other products, so it’s unlikely that they’re the culprits. That narrows the list down to the few ingredients that are relatively unusual. For example, you don’t see glycol dioctanoate or octyl pelargonate used that much. Some of the extracts, like Hops, Meadowsweet, and Hydrocotyl aren’t seen all that often either. Then again, it may not be a single ingredient. You could be reacting to a combination of chemicals that are unique to this product. There’s really no way to tell.

The Dermatologists’ Secret Allergen List

So what’s the best way to predict which products will cause an allergic reaction? I suggest you check with your dermatologist about C.A.R.D. CARD, or Contact Allergen Replacement Database, is a list of products that are free from specific allergens. Your doctor can help you use this tool to avoid products that are likely to give you reaction. According to PubMed, this approach has proved to be an invaluable tool for both physicians and their patients in contact allergy counseling. If you’re interested in learning more, check with your dermatologist.

What do you think? Do you have specific ingredients that you know you’re sensitive to? Leave a comment and share your suffering with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Here’s an idea for all you cosmetic “Do-It-Yourself-ers” out there: According to Traditionalmidwife.com, you can make your own soap using breast milk.

Not having kids of my own yet it’s hard for me to decide if this idea is appealing or appalling. It could be appealing because there is something natural and wholesome about using mother’s milk. And it could be appalling because this feels kind of like a gimmick that may not necessarily be better for your skin.

The science of soap

The recipe from the website is for a type of lye soap, which is made by neutralizing oils and fatty acids with high pH sodium hydroxide. (Lye is another name for sodium hydroxide, it’s also sometimes called “caustic.”) Lye soaps have been used for thousand of years and while they do the job they can be very harsh in drying to your skin. For this reason they’ve largely been replaced by modern soap bars which are in, in fact, made with synthetic detergents. These are much milder on your skin. Modern soap bars use synthetic detergents that do not strip as much natural oil from your skin so they leave it better moisturized.

While I give the midwife a lot of creative credit for coming up with the idea, I’m not sure it’s better for tender baby butts or not. And here are a few other concerns you should be aware of if you’re planning on making soap from breast milk.

• Be aware of the bio-hazards associated with using someone else’s breast milk for soap making.
• Use precautions when handling raw, unpasteurized human milk.
• You will need to pump and store your milk in the freezer until you have at least one cup or as much as 6 cups. Add a little beer to your diet, it might help production!
• The quality and texture of frozen milk may vary after it’s thawed.

What do YOU think about the idea of breast milk soap? Leave a comment and share your soapy thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

–Mid Brain

Michele’s mystery: Recent articles in the news claim Mercury in mascaras eyeliners, and other beauty products cause neurological damage. What is the Beauty Brains take on this? Do you know which brands are the offenders?

Left Brain’s metallic remarks:
With all the chemical scares propagated by fear-mongering, non-science based groups like the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, it’s a wonder anyone still buys cosmetics. It’s also not surprising that legislators react by creating useless laws that are not likely to have a real impact on our health.

Last month’s scare chemical was lead in your lipstick. This month, it’s mercury in your mascara. Lawmakers in the great state of Minnesota banned it from mascara, skin-lightening creams and eye liners . Great news right? No news really. Read on.

What are the mercury regulations

I say no news because mercury was banned in cosmetics in the US back in 1974. According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) written and enforced by the FDA, mercury is not allowed in cosmetics in levels of more than 1 part per million except for products used around the eye. For these, the limit is 65 part per million and only if it’s used

…as a preservative, and there is no effective and safe nonmercurial substitute preservative available for use in such cosmetic.

Back in 1974 there were no alternative preservatives against pseudomonas (a little microbe that can wreak havoc on your health), but now there are mercury-free preservatives. No legitimate cosmetic manufacturer would use a mercury based one.

Which brands are offenders? None that I know about. If you are buying your product from reputable distributors then this will never be a problem.

Are mascaras safer?

In the AP article, the reporter makes the claim that

“the quest for thicker lashes…should get safer in Minnesota…”

Really? I’m not sure how. Mercury preservatives haven’t been used in mascaras for over 15 years. Additionally, there is no evidence that the trace amount that used to be used was ever dangerous in the first place. The original FDA guidelines were established after years of testing. Nothing has changed that would invalidate that testing.

The end of the news report is most telling about the motivation of the legislation.

The new law is intended as a warning to cosmetics manufacturers not to use mercury, said John Gilkeson, with the state Pollution Control Agency’s toxics reduction program. Enforcement will happen mainly when consumers complain.

How exactly is a consumer going to know if there is mercury in their mascara?
How many of you have mass spectrometers in your home or office?

And I wonder why Minnesota hasn’t banned mercury from fish. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, edible fish are allowed to have 1 part per million of mercury. If legislators were really concerned about people’s health, why haven’t they moved to ban mercury from food? This is a much more significant problem.

Beauty Brains bottom line

Mercury exposure is clearly bad and you should avoid it wherever you can. Gone are the days when high school students could break thermometers and roll little blobs of shiny mercury in their hands.

However, laws like these will not make you safer and could actually make you less safe as manufacturers try other, less tested chemicals to preserve your cosmetics. For most people, this is a non-issue because legitimate cosmetic makers don’t use mercury preservatives.

Kudos to the Minnesota legislature. They’ve passed a law that addresses a non-existent problem and provides no practical process for enforcing it. Way to go! I feel safer already. How about you?

*For more on chemicals that are banned in cosmetics by the FDA see the statement on their webpage. Who says the FDA doesn’t regulate the cosmetic industry?

Leah loves to learn: I recently purchased this reportedly “wonderful” Emu Oil on ebay and, whilst waiting for it to arrive, I am curious as to whether there is any scientific basis to back up the claims made about it. Apparently it’s amazing both in the fight against acne and as a moisturiser. To me, that sounds like a contradictory sentence.

The Right Brain gives her the bird:
Emu oil is made from the fat of the second largest bird in the world, Dromaius novaehollandiae, better known as the Australian emu. What’s the first largest bird, you ask? Who do you think we are, The Bird Brains??

Seriously though, the Australian aborigines have supposedly used emu oil for centuries for treating burns, cuts, and other wounds. Let’s take a closer look at this miracle bird oil.

Good for skin

Emu oil is primarily made up of unsaturated fatty acids (About 70%). The largest component is oleic acid (20%), an unsaturated fatty acid that naturally occurs in skin. It also contains a pretty good slug of linoleic acid (20%) and linolenic acid (1-2%) both of which are Essential Fatty Acids for skin. So, it makes sense that emu oil would be an effective treatment for dry skin. Furthermore, according to a 2003 research study, it’s an effective anti-inflammatory. (Interestingly, that same study also showed that fish oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, and liquefied chicken fat had similar properties. But emu was the best of the bunch so if you’re offered the choice between emu oil and liquefied chicken fat, go for the emu.)

Anxious about acne

Leah also asked about the effect of emu oil acne. The answer to that question is a bit harder to sort out. A quick websearch revealed LOTS of references stating that emu oil is noncomedogenic (i.e., won’t clog pores and cause acne.) But most of these references were from companies selling emu oil or from other non-scienctific sources. The only bona fide scientific references we could find (here and here) state that oleic acid (the major component in emu oil) is VERY comedogenic. While it’s theoretically possible that other components in emu oil counteract the comedogenic effects of the oleic acid, we couldn’t confirm it one way or the other. So, we’re skeptical and we suggest that if you have acne prone skin you try it at your own risk.

What about hair?

Another of the Beauty Brains community, Rachel, asked how emu oil compares to coconut oil for penetrating hair. We weren’t able to find any test data to answer that question but there’s certainly no harm in trying it. So oil away, Rachel, and let us know how it works out for you.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

There’s enough scientific evidence to suggest that emu oil could be good for your skin, but if we’re not sure how it might affect acne. If you’re interested, here are a few emu oil products to try:

Longview Farms Emu Oil

Vanish Triple Emu Oil (As seen on Oprah, so you KNOW it must be good!)

Blu Emu Super Strength Emu Oil

Lisa’s curious about chirality: I recently learned about products that are chiral. They do sound more beneficial (since I now understand chirality), but does that necessarily mean that the other products that don’t claim to be chiral are no good?

The Left Brain’s leftist reply:
You must be taking Organic Chemistry right now if you’ve learned what chirality means. It’s an interesting concept and one that this particular Beauty Brain had a difficult time grasping. Let me explain for the benefit of the rest of our community.

What is chirality?

Chirality essentially means that an object can’t be superimposed on its own mirror image. The easiest way to think about it is to look at your hands. They’re the same size and shape, right? But you can’t put your left hand in your right glove because they’re chiral. If that still doesn’t make sense, here’s a clever online game you can play that does a better job of explaining the concept.

The idea of chirality has implications for chemical synthesis and pharmaceuticals. Some chirally uniform drugs work better than others because the body has receptors that can only interact with molecules in a specific shape. So chirality is very important for medicine.

Can cosmetics be chiral?

Unfortunately, in cosmetics, chirality doesn’t really matter. There are no receptors on the outer layer of your skin or hair that will accept molecules from your cosmetics. They simply work on the surface and penetrate the skin slightly. They don’t interact with cells in the same way that drugs do. And if there isn’t this interaction, whether the molecule is chiral or not doesn’t much matter. So for skin cleansers, wrinkle creams, hair conditioners, styling products, and the vast majority of other cosmetics, it makes no difference.

But that doesn’t stop some cosmetic companies from claiming their products are chiral. One company in particular, called Franche, even references the fact that the 2001 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded for the creation of a catalytic process to manufacture chiral molecules. But as far as I can tell, this really has nothing to do with the ingredients used in Franche cosmetics. For example, look at Franche’s Cleansing Crème Mousse. The only ingredient where chirality is relevant is D-panthenol. And that ingredient doesn’t do ANYTHING for hair from a rinse off product. So shame on them for trying to using misleading science to influence consumers. (Note: If Franche has any data to back up their assertions, we’d be more than happy to reconsider these comments.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Chiral cosmetics are a crock.

I know the Beauty Brains don’t recommend that you take dietary supplements and here’s yet another reason to avoid them.  Colloidal silver can permanently turn your skin blue. According to these health experts the silver can accumulate in your body and give the skin a bluish gray color. And this change is permanent because there is no way to remove the silver. It’s not a serious problem if you take only small amounts but since the product has no benefit anyway, why take it at all?

Do YOU take supplements with the hopes of improving your skin or health?  Has your skin ever changed color because of it.  Leave a comment and let the entire Beauty Brains community know. 

-Mid Brain