The results from Beauty Science Poll 29 are in and 67% of you did not get the right answer.  On the other hand, 33% did figure out that the BS headline was the one about attractive dental braces being the most effective.  Read on for the explanations.

Licorice root may help stop tooth decay - TRUE

Only 14% of you fell for this XXXX. Most of you figured correctly that scientists have found a compound in licorice root that could stop tooth decay. Researchers say the extract inhibits the life cycle of Streptococcus mutans, one of the organisms that cause cavities.

Look at that, another useful “natural” ingredient

Lollipops can prevent cavities - TRUE

This one fooled the most people as 34% of you thought it was fake. However, it’s true. UCLA microbiologist Wenyuan Shi has created an orange-flavored lollipop that is sugar free and contains…get this…a licorice root extract that kills bacteria which causes tooth decay! Basic science used to create useful products, I love it!

Note these are special lollipops. The traditional kinds can still cause cavities.

The most effective dental braces are also the most attractive - FALSE

Oh, if only this were true. It would’ve prevented 9 months of childhood awkwardness and embarrassment in this Beauty Brain. However, the exact opposite is true. Less attractive headgear works better than the more attractive ones. At least that was the findings of scientists at Ohio State University.

Scientists have created a mousse that repairs teeth - TRUE

Only 20% of you did not think this was true, but it is. Researchers at the Australian based Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Heath Science (CRC-OHS) have designed the tooth mousse as a better way to delivered fluoride. It works by repairing tooth damage and replacing minerals lost from decay.

Look for this one coming to the US soon

How did you do? Were you able to sniff out the beauty BS? Leave a comment below and let the Beauty Brains Community know.

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?

Annise asks: What, besides price, is the difference between the all in one multi-purpose contact solution that costs $8 and the Wal-Mart or other generic brand that costs $3?

The Right Brain’s eye-opening answer:

Contact lens cleaners are just like most other personal care products, Annise, you can find expensive name brands or cheaper generic brands. Sometimes there’s a lot of difference between the products and sometimes the formulas are so similar that a regular person would never be able to tell the difference. But before we get into the specifics, let’s review the different types of contact lens solutions and what they do.

5 Types of Contact Lens Solutions

Contact lenses require frequent cleansing and disinfecting to prevent infections from bacteria and fungi. There are a number of products that can be used to cleanse, rinse, and store your lenses, just remember that different types of contacts (hard, soft, gas permeable) will require different types of solutions.

1. Multipurpose solution

This kind of solution performs several functions: it can be used to rinse, disinfect, clean, and store the lenses. The latest generation multipurpose products are effective against bacteria, fungi and an organism known as acanthamoeba that can form a tough to remove film on contacts. These products can actually condition lenses while they soak.

2. Saline solution

A simple salt solution that’s used to rinse the lens after they’re cleaned and before they’re inserted. Saline solutions are not disinfectants.

3. Daily cleaner

Daily cleansers are designed for quick, frequent use. They may not be sufficient to remove tough to clean films and so an enzymatic cleanser may be needed in addition.

4. Hydrogen peroxide solution

Peroxides are powerful disinfectants and are formulated in “one-step” and “two-step” products. When using “two-step” products, extreme care must be taken to fully neutralize the peroxide before putting the lens back in your eye or else you can damage your eye.

5. Enzymatic cleaner

This is a special cleanser designed to remove protein deposits. Unlike other lens care products, these are typically sold in tablet form and are dissolved prior use. (That’s because enzymes aren’t stable for very long when they’re diluted in water.)

Name brand or store brand

Ok, now that we’ve gotten covered the basics, let’s take a look at the ingredients in a brand name product like ReNu:

ReNu MultiPlus Multi Purpose Solution for Soft Contact Lenses, No Rub ($16 for 24 oz)

Hydranate Hydroxyalkylphosphonate , Poloxamine, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Boric Acid , Edetate Disodium, Sodium Borate, Sodium Chloride

Now let’s take a look at two cheaper drug store brand alternative:

Walgreens Multi-Purpose Solution for Soft Contact Lenses, No Rub ($9.49 for 24 oz)

Hydroxyalkyl Phosp , Boric Acid , Edetate Disodium , Polyoxyethylene Polyoxypropylene Block Copolymer, Sodium Borate , Sodium Chloride, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide

Walgreens Multi-Purpose Solution for Soft Contact Lenses, No Rub ($5.99 for 12 oz)

Polyquaternium-1, Sodium Citrate, Poloxamine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Chloride, Borates, Mannitol, Edetate Disodium

Both drug store products are cheaper and have the SAME name. But notice that their ingredients are NOT the same. The first one is virtually identical to the ReNu product and so we’d expect these two products to perform very similarly. The second drug store product uses different ingredients than ReNu and may therefore perform differently.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Contact lens solutions are one type of product where you can find cheaper alternatives to expensive name brands. Just make sure you read the label carefully to make sure you’re getting a comparable product.

What do YOU think? Do you have a favorite low contact lens solution? Leave a comment and share your money saving secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Source: Wikipedia, Drugstore.com

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.

Diana dares to ask: Do cheap sunglasses provide the same amount of UV ray protection as more expensive sunglasses? Does it matter? I understand the FDA does not regulate this (not that I think they should…) but how can we tell if the shades we’re buying will protect our eyes or potentially harm them?

The Right Brain’s squinty replay:

This is a very important question Diane! Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can burn your skin AND the corneas and conjunctivas of your eyes. Plus, long-term UV exposure can lead to eye disease like cataracts (clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration (breakdown of the macula) Sunglasses that block this UV light are a great way to help protect your vision, but you don’t need to spend a bundle to do it.

Good guidelines

You’re right that the FDA doesn’t regulate sunglasses. But the American National Standards Institute has set some guidelines that can help you pick the right pair. They say that glasses should block UVB by 99% and UVA radiation by 95 percent. Here’s the important part - the glasses should indicate the level of protection they provide. If the glasses aren’t labeled with a specific UV claim then DON’T BUY THEM because it’s impossible to know how much protection they will provide. And don’t assume that “special” lenses block UV. Blue blockers, polycarbonate, and polarized lenses may block SOME UV light but without special coatings these lenses DO NOT meet the UV minimum blockage requirements. Make sure the glasses are clearly labeled with the type of protection the offer.

What to look for

Look for these voluntary industry labels that (hopefully) manufacturers are using:

• “Cosmetic” = 70% UV reduction
• “General purpose” = 95% UV reduction
• “Special purpose” = 99% UV reduction
• “UV-400″ and “UV absorption up to 400nm” = 99% to 100% UV reduction

Also, you should know that the UV protectant coating doesn’t have a color, so don’t be tricked into thinking that darker lenses provde better protection. Also, remember that the tint or color of the lens doesn’t matter.

Cost is not critical

UV labeling is what you should look for, not a high price tag. We quote the Glaucoma Research Institute

The good news is that sunglasses don’t have to be expensive to protect your eyes and they can often be found at the local drugstore. Unfortunately, a high price is not always a guarantee of high quality and protection. Part of the difficulty is that standards and labeling regarding UV protection are voluntary, not mandatory-and can be confusing.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Don’t be cheated by Chanel, fooled by Fendi, or duped by Donna Karin. Look for proper UV labeling and save some money!

What do YOU think? Do you buy expensive sunglasses because you think they work better? Leave a comment for the rest of Beauty Brains community.

References:
Mayo Clinic
Glaucoma Research Institut

Natalie’s puffy eye problem: I was wondering if you could tell me if it’s ok to use Preparation H for under eye puffiness on a regular basis. There is a variety that comes with hydrocortisone that I’m particularly interested in. Thanks.

Forebrain gets to the butt of the problem:
First of all, the Beauty Brains would never recommend using ANY medication for any purpose other than it’s intended use, especially around the eyes. Having said that, let’s take a look at causes and solutions for puffiness.

Causes of puffy eyes

Undereye puffiness is characterized by red swollen skin under the eyes and is usually due to one of these causes: bloating, dehydration, fatigue, allergies, hormones, or genetics. Because the roots of these causes are so varied, it is hard to say which physiological mechanism is behind the puffiness appearance, and therefore not all treatments will work equally well; however, since the redness is due to increased blood flow to the area a treatment aimed at restricting blood vessels should provide some temporary relief. The swelling however, may be for a variety reasons and the treatment for that is not as straightforward.

Is Preparation H the answer?

Some people believe that Preparation H is useful for treating undereye puffiness since it works by temporarily restricting the blood vessels in the area onto which it is applied. There are many different variations of Preparation H; however, they all basically perform the same function (they just use different ingredients to reduce the irritation). Preparation H with hydrocortisone contains a 1% concentration of the stuff, quite low considering that you can get hydrocortisone creams with concentrations up to 2.5% over-the-counter.

In general, although it may in theory seem effective, I would not recommend anyone to use any kind Preparation H on their undereye area for one big reason. If you accidentally get some in your eye, the other ingredients can seriously damage the eye, and then unfortunately undereye puffiness will be the least of your concerns. Besides that, I wasn’t able to find any conclusive scientific evidence on Preparation H being more effective than other methods of reducing undereye puffiness, basically meaning that this treatment is more of an urban legend than actual fact. The Straight Dope came to the same conclusion in their entertaining article on this topic.

What about hydrocortisone?

So what about using just hydrocortisone? As I have previously mentioned, you can get hydrocortisone creams without a prescription at a pharmacy at concentrations up to 2.5%. As a topical steroid, it has anti-inflammatory effects and could in theory temporarily reduce puffiness in the undereye region.  However, as with Preparation H, there is a concern regarding accidentally getting the stuff in your eyes, in fact the manufacture state that you should NOT use the product in, or near, your eyes.  Also, prolonged use of topical steroids like hydrocortisone has been shown to cause skin thinning, increase skin fragility, enlarged blood vessels, and prolonged use in large doses can result in problems with your adrenal gland (the natural steroid producer in the body).

So what’s a girl (or boy) to do?

So what should you do to treat undereye puffiness? While there are temporary treatments like applying cool water compresses to the area, sleeping with your head slightly elevated (you can use an extra pillow), the best way to get rid of undereye puffiness is to address the underlying roots of the problem. Are you getting enough rest? Seven hours of sleep per night is the recommended minimum. Also, often undereye puffiness is due to allergies. While it may not be pollen season, you can still be allergic to anything from airborn allergens like grass to certain foods that are a part of your diet. Get an allergy test done, or try eliminating foods from your diet to see if any relief occurs. Another big reason for undereye puffiness is bloating or dehydration. This can be hormonal like before menstruation, or because of diet. The best treatment in these cases is to take a diuretic (it will help you eliminate the extra fluids), as well as to drink enough water and consume healthy amounts of salt to stay hydrated but not bloated.

Finally, for some people, having puffy eyes is hereditary. In these cases, there really is not much you can do besides really invasive measures like cosmetic eyelid surgery, something I don’t personally advocate.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

As undereye puffiness can be a sign of a health issue like lack of sleep, allergies, or hydration problems in these cases, it is important to address the root issue and not just the symptoms. However, in cases where immediate relief is necessary my recommendation is to avoid Preparation H and hydrocortisone, and rather use a cooling compress, head elevation, and rest. (For info on puffy eyes check out this post.) Please remember to read cautions and warnings on packaging of products you are not sure about since they will usually give you a pretty good idea of where the stuff isn’t meant to go. And finally, if you’ve tried everything and the puffiness is still not going away, it might just be hereditary in which case there really isn’t much you can do besides a few make up tricks.

Fun Fact: A rumour exists in the US that Preparation H is the most shoplifted supermarket product since customers are too embarrassed to bring it to the cash register.

References:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/under-eye-puffiness/AN00664

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preparation_H/

http://www.mothernature.com/

http://www.dermnetnz.org/

http://www.drugdigest.org

Darkeyes dwells on drops: I read that Collyre Bleu Eye Drops are used on models and celebrities to make the whites of the eyes whiter and that it also makes blue eyes bluer and gives a little sparkle to the eyes. I don’t think it is available in the US, and I couldn’t find the ingredients list for this product. I’m interested in buying this product but is it safe? Are there any negative long-term effects from using this product?

The Right Brain replies:
As you might infer from the spelling of “bleu,” Collyre Bleu Eye Drops come from France. According to their website, French women have been using these drops for years “to enhance the intensity of their eye color and their beauty.” In the rest of the world “make-up artists have kept this little beauty secret to themselves.” Well, apparently they weren’t very good at keeping secrets, because anyone can buy it now on the Internet.

The Wow effect

From what we can tell, it looks like the French company that owns the product is GSP (Groupe Services Pharmactifs Inc.) but the US distributor is a company called Verseo. According to Verseo’s website: “Blue Eye Drops increase the intensity of blue eyes and the whiteness of the cornea of all eye colors for instant WOW! effect.”

The site goes on to say that regardless of your eye color, Collyre Bleu Eye drops will…

Make your eyes look clear and bright.
Increase the appearance of alertness and awakeness.
Enhance your eyes intensity for photos.
Eliminate the appearance of redness due to any factors including tiredness, allergies and more.
Eliminate yellow-ness in your sclera (white part of your eye) for bright white eyes.

The Red, White, and Bleu

The product makes two key claims: it makes eyes whiter and increases the intensity of eye color. Let’s look at whitening. First of all, we find it odd that the makers of the product claim that it affects the “whiteness of the cornea.” This wording implies that the cornea is the white part of your eye when in fact it’s not - it’s the covering of the iris and the lens. And the cornea is clear, it doesn’t have any color. (The iris is the colored part of the eye. The white part is called the sclera, just in case you’re keeping score. They did get it right in the final bullet we quoted above.) The fact that Verseo doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of eye anatomy doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence in their ability to deliver a product that really works.

Eye whitening products, like Visine work by reducing the appearance of blood vessels in the eye. Visine contains tetrahydrozaline hydrochloride, a drug that constricts the blood vessels in the eye to reduce redness. Collyre drops don’t appear to contain any such drug actives. Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Boric Acid, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Extract, Malva Sylvestris Extract, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Borate, C142051

Based on reviewing Pubmed and various ophthalmologic sources, the only one of these ingredients that has any documented use in eye care is Boric acid. It’s used to irrigate the eye, to buffer pH buffer, and to preserve the product. While it could have some soothing effect, we could find no specific information that indicates it will whiten the sclera. Likewise, the botanical extracts used in the formula have no referenced functionality in eye care. The only other ingredient that could theoretically have a whitening effect is the last one, the blue dye (C142051). Blue/violet colors can cancel out yellow shades because they are opposite colors. A substrate can be whitened by counteracting yellow with a little blue. This is similar in principle to how fabric brighteners work. So, in theory, Collyre could be making the whites appear whiter by counteracting yellow. But that’s just our guess.

Don’t it make your brown eyes bleu

We can find no mention of any mechanism by which the intensity of the iris color can be increased via eye drops. So, we’re assuming that if the whitening effect described above really works, what’s happening is that these drops increase the appearance of the iris color by increasing the contrast between the white part of the eye. In other words, the iris color appears brighter and deeper against a nicely whitened background than it does compared to a dingy, yellow sclera. It seems that this kind of claim could easily be backed up with some research, but there’s no reference to any kind of studies on any of the websites we looked at.

Long term safety?

Finally, Darkeyes asked about the safety of this product for long-term use. We have no idea. On one hand, Boric acid is used in many other eye drop products on the market. On the other hand, according to Dr. Steven Pray of the School of Pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, boric acid exposure in the eye should be limited because of potential toxicity.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

This may be a perfectly wonderful product, but unless Verseo can present some kind of data to substantiate that these drops are safe and effective, we’d stick with a proven eye-whitening drug like Visine.

Has anyone in the Beauty Brains community tried these drops? Leave a comment and share your experience. And let us know if you’ve seen any technical references to how and why this product really works.

Leah sees spots: My grandmother always says to put a drop of Visine on spots. I’ve never done it, but was curious as to whether there is any truth in this. And would it damage the skin?

The Right Brain’s red-eyed reply:
Visine reduces red eye because its active ingredient, tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride, constricts the superficial blood vessels in the eye. But skin spots, like acne blemishes, scars and age spots, are not caused by dilated blood vessels. Therefore, there doesn’t appear to be any benefit to applying Visine to your skin. In fact, there’s at least one good reason NOT to use Visine any place else except your eyes. And that reason is related to a nasty practical joke.

Visine and potty humor

Supposedly, you can prank someone by someone by putting a few drops of Visine in their drink to give them an amusing case of diarrhea. (This is assuming of course, that you’re the kind of person who finds diarrhea amusing.) But according to Snopes.com, this prank is actually an urban legend; Visine will NOT give you the runs. But it will cause vomiting, seizures, difficulty breathing, blurred vision and it can even induce coma. Now THAT’S entertainment!

Visine ruined my love life

What does this have to do with your skin? Imagine the following scenario: The night of your Big Date you discover a nasty pimple on your face. Taking your kindly old grandmother’s advice, you dab a few drops of Visine on the zit. Later that night in the throes of passion, as your main squeeze’s lips brush across your rosy cheek, he gets a tiny taste of tetrahydrozoline hydrochoride. Sometime after the vomiting and tremors subside, but before he slips into a coma, he drives you home. You do NOT get a good night kiss.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Visine may or may not ruin your date, but it won’t do anything for your skin spots. Slather on some Clearasil or cover up with some Face Spray Foundation instead.

Does anyone else have a favorite grandma’s home remedy they’d like to ask about? Vomit your comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Kim inquires: In the winter, I swear by Olay’s In Shower Body Lotion. It works better and lasts longer than any regular moisturizer I’ve ever tried. How does it work even after you rinse it off? Why is it different from other moisturizers or moisturizing body washes? Is it safe?

The Left Brain responds:
As the name implies, this lotion is designed to be used in the shower. You rub it on your body after you wash and then rinse it off (just like you use a rinse off hair conditioner.) P&G (makers of Olay) have developed a very interesting formula for this product. Take a look at the ingredient list:

Olay Ingredients

Water, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Stearyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Mica, Polysorbate 60, Titanium Dioxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol, Tin Oxide

Pay attention to the first five ingredients: three of them very hydrophobic (meaning water insoluble) moisturizers: petrolatum, mineral and dimethicone. These ingredients are good at creating a barrier that prevents water vapor from escaping your skin.

How Is Olay In Shower Lotion different than other moisturizers?

Compared to traditional lotions there are two main differences. The moisturizing ingredients noted above are high up in the ingredient list. Normally the fatty alcohols that form the body of the lotion are the primary ingredients. Second, this formula uses a modified starch to suspend/emulsify the ingredients instead of traditional emulsifiers. (Regular lotions usually contain two or more emulsifiers to help the oil and water soluble ingredients mix.) Because of the way regular lotions are formulated, most of their moisturizing ingredients will rinse off and go down the drain if you use them in the shower.

Olay’s In Shower product uses a modified starch to tie the water and oil soluble ingredients together. They’ve balanced the formula such that the oily ingredients aren’t highly emulsified. That way, when you apply it in the shower, these ingredients tend to stay behind on the skin instead of mixing with the shower water and rinsing away.

Safe in the shower?

Is it safe? Sure, these ingredients are excellent moisturizers. The only danger I see is that the high concentration of water insoluble ingredients could end up making the shower floor very slippery.

Has anyone tried Olay’s In Shower Lotion and slipped in the shower? Slip in and leave a comment.

I had to take a break from working on the Beauty Brains book to comment on this story. We’ve written about and debated whether eyelash growth products like Jan Marini actually work. Some say yes, some say no. The Beauty Brains have always said we were skeptical unless they are using an unapproved drug. Well, that looks like it’s true.

$2 million worth of product

According to news reports, 12,682 tubes of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash product (purported to make your eyelashes grow longer) have been seized by US Marshals on directives from the FDA.

In a press release, the FDA says that it “takes seriously its responsibility to protect Americans from unapproved drugs”. They say the product contains bimatoprost an active ingredient found in an FDA-approved drug. They say use of the Jan Marini product could result in optic nerve damage which could ultimately cause blindness. Other side effects could be swelling of the retina and inflammation in the eye. YIKES!

The FDA recommends consumers who have bought the product should DISCONTINUE USING IT.

According to the Fresno Bee, Jan Marini, the company’s president and CEO, the company stopped selling the product in September of last year.

They should have known better not to sell it in the first place!

The Beauty Brains bottom line

We’ve said this before. If a cosmetic product claims to affect hair growth and they are not using an approved OTC drug, then it’s either an illegal drug or the people selling it are liars. In the case of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash product, it seems like they are the former.