If you want learn how to pick a mild facial cleanser, read this Beauty Brains article on Today.com. We talk about formulations containing Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (the same ingredient used in the mildest body washes) and we give the example of Murad Renewing Cleanser that uses milder ingredients than other leading products.

Disclaimer: If you purchase Murad using this link you’ll be supporting the Beauty Brains blog.

Murad Renewing Cleanser

WATER (AQUA), SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, CETYL ALCOHOL, PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) KERNEL OIL, MENHADEN OIL, BORAGO OFFICINALIS SEED OIL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) OIL, SERENOA SERRULATA FRUIT EXTRACT, PANTHENOL, ALGAE EXTRACT, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, IMPERATA CYLINDRICA ROOT EXTRACT, SORBITOL, CARICA PAPAYA (PAPAYA) FRUIT EXTRACT, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) FRUIT EXTRACT, GLYCERIN, BENZOPHENONE-4, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-8, CARBOMER, XANTHAN GUM, PHENOXYETHANOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, CITRUS AURANTIUM DULCIS (ORANGE) OIL, CITRUS AURANTIFOLIA (LIME) OIL, CITRUS TANGERINA (TANGERINE) PEEL OIL, ANIBA ROSAEODORA (ROSEWOOD) WOOD OIL, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS AMARA (BITTER ALMOND) KERNEL OIL, BAROSMA BETULINA LEAF OIL, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL

Here are the complete ingredient lists for the clean face products discussed in the Today.com article that don’t use the same mild ingredient.

Sebamed Liquid Face and Body Wash

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Laureth-2, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Glycol Distearate, Fragrance (Parfum), Saccharide Isomerate, Allantoin, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Pyridoxine HCI (Vitamin B6), Glycine, Magnesium Aspartate, Alanine, Lysine, Leucine, Biotin (Vitamin H), Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Citrate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sorbitan Laurate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Blue 1 (CI 42090)

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

Purified water, sodium laureth sulfate, lauramidopropyl betaine,  cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, sodium chloride, sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, tea cocyl glutamate, butylene glycol, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, serenoa serrulata (saw palmetto fruit extract), PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate, sucrose, menthol, hexylene glycol, polyquaternium-7, laureth 2, caprylyl glycol, sodium sulfate, EDTA, disodium EDTA, sodium benzoate, phenoxyethanol

References (JSCC):

Why is sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) mild to the skin barrier?An in vitro investigation based on …2007, Vol 58

Review of properties of surfactants that determine their interactions with stratum corneum 1997, Vol 48

The use of fluorescein as a probe to monitor anionic surfactant rinsability from skin 1998, Vol 49

Today’s link love question comes from the blog “Ask an Esthetician” which you should do as soon as you’re finished looking at our site.

AAE asks…I was wondering what The Beauty Brains thought about the idea that you need to use toner after cleansing in order to restore the skin to its proper pH. I’ve come around to thinking that this is an outdated beauty idea, but I would love to hear your take on it.

The Right Brain responds:

I think “outdated” is a good way to explain it!

What is skin toner and does it restore pH?

Traditional toners consist of witch hazel extract in alcohol (ethanol) which can be drying and irritating to skin. Does this mixture restore skin pH? Well, your skin pH is a result of the skin’s acid mantle, a mixture of sebum (skin oils) and sweat that form on the surface of your skin. This acid mantle keeps the pH of your skin at about 4 to 4.5. A slightly acidic pH protects your skin from becoming infected by harmful bacteria. When you wash your skin you strip away this acid mantle because cleansers are very good at dissolving oils. However, this is not really a problem since your skin will regenerate the acid mantle in just a few hours. Toners don’t impact the regeneration of the acid mantle and are therefore unnecessary. They may feel refreshing but you don’t need them for the sake of pH balance.

Image credit: neweyes.atlblogs.com

If you’re in the market for an alcohol-free skin toner look no further! Well look a little further because you have to scroll down to our Amazon link. But if you buy anything through this link you’re helping to support the Beauty Brains. Thanks!

Even though the Beauty Brains don’t do traditional reviews, from time to time we like to share new products that we’re trying. We want you to know that we received free samples in exchange for a mention on our blog and that we’re not necessarily recommending you buy anything. We’re just sharing new product news; please do your own research before you buy.

Since the Beauty Brains have a book titled “Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm,” we’d be remiss if we didn’t blog about lip products every once in a while. Recently we had a chance to try a few samples of Paul Frank’s monkey-themed Lip Smacker lip. They taste delicious and, as you can see from the ingredient list below they’re   based primarily on natural oils and waxes. Also, did I mention they’re monkey-themed?

LIP SMACKER INGREDIENTS

RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL, CETYL ACETATE, BEESWAX (CERA ALBA). EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, FLAVOR/AROMA. POLYBUTENE. SESAMUM INDICUM (SESAME) SEED OIL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL. OZOKERITE. COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX, ACETYLATED LANOLIN ALCOHOL. MINERAL OIL (PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM), HYDROGENATED SOY GLYCERIDES, PARAFFIN, TRITICUM VULGARE (WHEAT) GERM OIL. STEARIC ACID, PROPYL GALLATE, CITRIC ACID, NEOTAME. POLYESTER-3. BENZYL ALCOHOL, BENZYL BENZOATE, BENZYL CINNAMATE, GERANIOL, ANISE ALCOHOL, CINNAMAL, CINNAMYL ALCOHOL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, CITRAL, EUGENOL, ISOEUGENOL. MAY CONTAIN/PEUT RENFERMER (+/-): TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), RED 7 LAKE (C115850), YELLOW 5 LAKE (C119140), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491,77492,77499). BLUE 1 LAKE(CI 42090), RED 6 LAKE (C115850), RED 28 (CI 45410)

Do you think there should be more primate-themed personal care products? Leave a comment and share your ape-ish opinions with the rest of the Beauty Brains community. 

Link Love Month, here’s how it works: we answer questions from other bloggers. After reading our answer you go visit their site.  The bloggers get readers, you get to read more blogs. Now go practice with Nicole from Bagful of Notions!  

Nicole needs to know…Is there a really big difference between using SPF 15 and SPF 30 facial moisturizer? If so, why? I was told to wear 30 in order to prevent rosacea flare ups.

The Left Brain’s loquacious reply: 

Skin exposure to UV rays is almost never good for the skin. It causes sun burn, wrinkles, dryness, and as you’ve implied, rosacea flare ups. This is why the most important thing you can do for your skin is to wear a sunscreen or stay out of the sun. But what kind of sunscreen should you use?

SPF

Before answering this, we should first tell you what the SPF number means. SPF stands for sun protection factor and it essentially is a rating of how much UV light will be blocked. In general, a higher SPF number offers more protection from UV exposure than a lower number. How effective it is depends on many factors but the number one factor is your skin type. SPF 15 means that if you would normally burn after being in the sun for 20 minutes, you will be able to stay in the sun for 15 times as long or 5 hours. But it is important to note that the SPF scale is not a linear one. An SPF 2 will block 50% of the UV light while an SPF 15 will block 92% of all the UV light that reaches your skin and an SPF 34 blocks 97% of the UV light.

SPF effectiveness

Although skin type is the number one factor is determining the effectiveness of a sunscreen, it is not the only factor. The intensity of the sun and the amount that you apply is also important. It’s this second factor that is most relevant to your question.

SPF 15, 30 or more

For cosmetic chemists, creating a great sunscreen is a balance between making a product that is effective and making one that feels good on the skin. If it were just a matter of effectiveness, everyone would create SPF 50 products or higher. But the problem with creating a higher SPF product is that for each number you go up, you increase the greasy, nasty feel on your skin. An SPF 15 feels much better than an SPF 30. And an SPF 100 is, well, gross.

Of course, the point of a sunscreen is to protect you from UV damage so you need to use an SPF sunblock with a high enough number to give you good protection.

SPF experts

Experts at the FDA have suggested that an sPF 15 is the minium that you should be using to protect your skin from UV damage. In testing these sunscreens have been shown to provide adequate protection when combined with limiting your time in the sun, wearing sun protective clothes. And an SPF 15 also can be made so it doesn’t feel excessively greasy.

SPF 15 is not enough

While the experts say SPF 15 scores high enough in testing to give protection, that is only true if you are applying the right amount. In testing, scientists use 2 mg/cm2 of skin. So, do people apply this much?

In a word…no. It is well known that people typically apply much less than the amount tested by sunscreen manufacturers.

Think about how much you use. If you were applying 2 mg/cm2 of sunscreen, your skin should feel greasy, slippery, and some of the sunscreen will be running off your skin. For an average sized person, you would need to apply about 30 mL of sunscreen per application. One bottle wouldn’t even be enough for a week at the beach.

1/3 effective

So, while technically an SPF 15 will work (and it’s certainly better than nothing), it requires much more than you apply now. A good rule of thumb is that your sunscreen will be 1/3 as effective as the number based on the way people typically apply the product. That means an SPF 15 will protect you like a lab tested SPF 5. An SPF 30 will give SPF 10 protection in real life application.

Therefore, unless you going to glop on a lot more SPF sunblock than you are using now, you should stick with an SPF 30 or higher. This will give you the best chance at preventing sunburns and UV induced rosacea flare ups.

For more information on sunscreen effectiveness see the following resources
1. Melanoma foundation facts about sunscreens.
2. FDA Sunscreen guide
3. National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence Skin cancer prevention report
4. Dr. Steven Wang – Sunscreen Guide

Image credit: Flickr.com
If you need to purchase sunscreen, please shop using the link below and you’ll be supporting the Beauty Brains.

February is link love month!  We’re taking questions from other bloggers and encouraging you to check out their blogs. Today’s question is from Mary at Pure Healthy Makeup. Stop by and say hello! 

Mary asks: Is is possible to make pressed makeup without using any synthetics?

The Right Brain responds:

Rather than re-opened the debate on natural vs synthetic, I’ll try to address your question as it applies specifically to powdered makeup.

Loose powder needs fewer ingredients

One can certainly make the case that certain brands of so-called mineral makeup are among the most “natural” of cosmetic products. For example, Mineral Hygenics only contains a few powders which are all derived from crushed rocks (more or less.) This kind of product is relatively easy to formulate using only mineral (ie “natural”) ingredients because it’s just a simple blend of powders.

Pressed powder is more complex

Pressed powders, on the other hand, are much more complex. In order for the powders to stay compressed they need some kind of binding oil. And for those oils to mix with the powders they may require a surfactant to lower the surface tension. And the pressed powders have to spread easily across your skin so they may require emollients to provide slip. And these surfactants and binders and emollients may require antioxidants to prevent rancidity. And, since pressed powders have a surface that comes in contact with fingers and makeup brushes, they are more likely to require preservatives than loose powders. And…well you get the idea.

The more ingredients that a formula requires, the more difficult it becomes to source ingredients that everyone will agree are “natural.” And although natural alternatives may be available, they may not work as well as the nasty old “synthetic” chemicals. This is particluarly true of preservatives and of many surfactants.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

It’s not impossible to formulate a pressed powder without  ”synthetics” but the requirements of the formula make it much more difficult.

Image credit: Beautyiswithin.

Do YOU know of a pressed powder that made of only natural ingredients? Leave a comment and share your natural knowledge with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.