Sue says...Can all shower gels be used as bubble baths, or are some ingredients only meant for short-term skin contact?

The Right Brain Responds:
Excellent question, Sue, but there’s no simple answer. Products that are intended to remove oil and dirt from skin and hair (like bar soap, shower gels, body washes and shampoos) are a double edged sword. They use surfactants (aka detergents) to dissolve oils to get hair and skin clean, but dissolving too much oil can dry out skin and cause damage. And guess what – the surfactants that do a really good job of cleaning away “dirty” oils also remove more of the “good” oils.

Bath buddies

For most people most of the time, these surfactants don’t pose a huge problem. Most shower gels and bubble baths are based on some combination of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Short term exposure to these materials is usually fine. But the more sustained the exposure is, the great the chance is that these harsh detergents can dry out your skin.

This is particularly true in the case of bubble baths because a) you tend to soak in them longer, increasing the exposure time and b) the areas of the body that are soaking can be rather delicate (if you catch our drift.)  For example, over exposure to drying bubble baths can have an impact on yeast infections.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Not all shower gels make good bubbles baths, especially if you soak in them a lot. To be on the safe side, either minimize your soak time or look for milder (and more expensive) products that do NOT have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, and Cocamidopropyl Betaine on the ingredient list.

Saskya ask…Does any one know some about Juice Beauty? I’m looking for a new mosturizer, but I don’t really know what to buy I don’t want something extremely expensive.

The Left Beauty Brain replies
If you are looking for a new moisturizer but don’t want to spend a lot of money, then Juice Beauty is not the product for you. Based on the ingredient lists and the marketing story, Juice Beauty products appear to be a bit over-priced for what you get. Of course, this is true of most facial products. Truthfully, a facial moisturizer is not much different than a moisturizer you might use on your hands.

Juice Beauty Moisturizer

At $36 for 2 ounces of product Juice Beauty moisturizer is only about 50% more expensive than a store brand like Olay or Neutragena. But is it 50% better? To figure this out we need to look at the ingredients and the marketing story.

Juice Beauty Ingredients

Here is the ingredient list for their nutrient moisturizer.

organic juices of vitis vinifera (white grape) juice, daucus carota sativa (carrot) juice & aloe barbadensis leaf juice, organic botanical extracts of calendula officinalis flower, matricaria chamomilla flower, tilia europea (linden) leaf & rose canina (rosehip) fruit, glycerin, organic plant oils of butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) & simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed, organic essential fatty acids of oenothera biennis (evening primrose), linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed & borago officinali (borage) seed, organic honey, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, organic algae extract, squalane, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), panthenol (vitamin B5), hyaluronic acid, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, glyceryl stearate, potassium sorbate, phospholipids, beta carotene, palmitic acid, stearic acid, cetearyl glucoside, xanthan gum, disodium edta, sodium hydroxide, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, litsea cubeba (may chang), cananga odorata (ylang ylang), boswellia carterii (frankincense) & commiphora myrrha pure essential oils.

I have to give them credit, they sure pack a lot of ingredients into their formulas. But this is the first red flag. In fact, it could be a basic Beauty Brains belief.

“BEWARE OF LONG INGREDIENT LISTS”

You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a good moisturizer so when you see a long list you can be fairly certain that the company is trying to trick you. Why have carrots, aloe, grape juice, rose hip, jojoba, linseed, ylang ylang and more? Is this a martini, a salad or a moisturizer?

Of the nearly 40 ingredients in the formula, only about 12 of them are actually making the product work. Those are the thickeners (hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, xanthan gum), and the “fatty/oily/moisturizing” materials (palmitic acid, stearic acid, cetearyl glucoside, glycerin). Other cosmetic ingredients like sodium hydroxide, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol & disodium EDTA are for preservation and formula adjustment. All of these ingredients can be found in less expensive store brands.

The rest of the ingredients are marketing fluff to make you think the product is worth more.

Juice Beauty story

On their website, Juice Beauty has the quote “Buy it because it’s organic…use it because it works.” They then go on to explain why “organic” is better than “non-organic” in an interesting Question and Answer section. In reality, no one has ever shown proof that using “organic” ingredients in skin care products will make them work any better or be any safer for you. It’s one of those things that might feel better even though it’s not.

Brain’s Bottom line

Juice Beauty moisturizer contains ingredients proven to help moisturize your dried out skin. But these ingredients are the same ones you’ll find in less expensive store brands so you might want to try those products first. While Juice Beauty moisturizer is 50% more expensive, it’s not 50% better.

Do you use Juice Beauty products?  What do you think of them?  Are they worth the expense?

ibteachnu asks…I can no longer afford Arbonne. What drugstore brands are comparable to their hydrating wash, balancing toner, facial serum, and day creme? I’ve already replaced their RE-9 foaming body wash with Olay’s age defying body wash. What are your thoughts on that product?

Right Brain responds
After that big battle about Arbonne, we no longer let Left Brain answer questions about Arbonne, so this one is mine.

Arbonne Hydrating Wash

At almost $40 for a 3 ounce bottle of the Arbonne Hydrating Wash, it’s no wonder you can’t afford Arbonne anymore. No cleanser is worth that expense. Cleansers are put on and then rinsed away. Unless the skin is specially prepared before-hand, cleansers have limited ability to deliver anything to the skin. They simply remove things.

Arbonne does make it challenging to find ingredient lists, but with enough Google searching you can usually find them. The basic ingredient list for the Hydrating wash is as follows.

Sodium Cocoyl Sulfate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Lauroamphoacetate

This isn’t a complete list but it’s enough to get the general gist of the product. Basically, they are using standard but more gentle surfactants.

Olay alternative?

Oil of Olay is always a good choice. It is made by P&G and is one of the most thoroughly tested skin care lines available. It also has the most cosmetic chemists and scientists behind its development.

The ingredients in this particular product are different than the ones found in Arbonne. Here’s the ingredient list.

Water, Petrolatum, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauric Acid, Fragrance, Trihydroxystearin, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Butyrospermum (Shea Butter) Extract (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, PEG 14M

ALES & ALS are typically harsh detergents but the harshness is more than off-set by the fact that a moisturizing ingredient (Petrolatum) is the second ingredient. The Petrolatum will protect skin from the harshness of the detergents so overall, the Olay product should be more gentle than the Arbonne product.

Closer Drugstore Alternative

The Olay product and Arbonne products should behave similarly but if you are looking for something even closer, consider trying some of the following.

Johnsons Soothing Naturals Hair and Body Wash – hair and body wash. Contains PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate as the primary surfactant.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash – Contains three of the primary surfactants found in Arbonne

Beauty Brains bottom line

Everyone has different skin and you need to experiment to figure out which type of cleansing product works best for you. However, there is no need to spend a lot on a cleansing wash. Go to your local drugstore and find a product that will work for you. It will be good for your skin and wallet too.

How much do you spend on skin cleansing products? Do you think it is worth it? Leave a comment below.

LoonyLolipop asks…Many news articles are gushing about the revolutionary development of sunscreen supplements, specifically SunPill and Heliocare. These products would be a wonderful alternative to topical sunscreens because I am very allergic to oxybenzone and avenobenzene, two common ingredients in over-the-counter topical sun blocks. However, no article has mentioned whether this pill offers broad spectrum protection. It seems like I can get more effective and less expensive sun protection by wearing a hat and drinking green tea. I admit that I am a cynical person and can be fairly stubborn. Since you have more access and knowledge about scientific breakthroughs, are these sunscreen supplements over-hyped products? Or is there a sizable benefit that warrants the expensive price?

Left Brain enlightens…
I agree that sunscreen pills would be a great invention. Slathering on sunscreen lotions multiple times a day can be a bit of a pain. Of course, using sunscreen is one of the most important things you can do to prevent skin cancer and keep you skin looking young and healthy.

Sunscreen pills

There are a few different options for sunscreen pills. These include the following

Heliocare – Heliocare contains antioxidants derived from a natural fern (Polypodium leucotomos). These antioxidants are supposed to reduce skin-damaging free radicals which could theoretically have benefits to skin elasticity, reduce sun damage and increase tolerance to the sun. There is some evidence that the natural fern antioxidants taken orally can decrease UV damage. However, the study was pretty small (9 people) so more work needs to be done.

Verdict – There is some evidence that Heliocare supplements work.

SunPill – Sunpill contains a variety of antioxidants including Polypodium leucotomos extract, Green tea extract, pomegranate, etc. Again, these have some theoretical support but the studies have all been small and should only be considered preliminary.

Verdict – There is some evidence SunPills work and they are less expensive than Heliocare.

Murad Pomphenol Sunguard – This product contains a high level of pomegranate extract and some studies like this one suggest that it can help inhibit sun damage pigmentation.

Verdict – There is some evidence that Murad is somewhat effective.

Potential Problems with Sunscreen Pills

While there is some evidence that these products can work, there are a couple of problems with them.

The first issue with these sunscreen pills is that none of them claim to be a replacement for topically applied sunscreens. So, if you still have to apply sunscreen, what’s the point of taking an expensive supplement? At over $50 for 60 pills one has to wonder if it’s really worth it.

The next issue is that it’s unclear how long the product will work. With a topical sunscreen you know approximately how long it will last and when you need to reapply. With these supplements their effectiveness will depend on how your digestive system works. And this will be significantly different from person to person.

Perhaps the most significant problem with these products is that they are not regulated by the FDA, so you don’t even know if they contain the ingredients they claim to have. I’m always skeptical of supplements.

Beauty Brains bottom line

While sunscreen pills have some science suggesting they work, they are not a replacement for topical sunscreens. Add to that the price and they hardly seem worth the expense. I’d wait until the price comes down and products become more effective.

Kalisa’s Question…What can you tell me about Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser/Mask? Specifically, is there any additional benefit to my skin of using it as mask (leaving it on for three minutes) as opposed to merely washing my face with it?

The Right Brain’s Answer:
To our surprise, Neutrogena does indeed recommend that this cleanser can be left on and used as a mask. We quote:

This revolutionary formula works as a daily cleanser or 3-minute mask. It foams instantly to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup. Skin tingles as the cooling lather deep cleans to leave skin feeling energized and shine-free for hours. For more intensive cleansing, use it as a mask. As it dries, you’ll feel it working deep within the skin’s surface to absorb shine-causing oil and pore-clogging impurities.

Why do we find this surprising? Let’s look at the ingredients, ignoring preservatives, fragrance, etc., and just focusing on the functional ingredients:

Ingredients that clean your skin:
Methyl Gluceth 20, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, Polyquaternium-7

Ingredients that form a film on your skin and feel like a mask:
Polyethylene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax

Based on the presence of the mask type ingredients, this does look different than a typical cleanser – it appears to be designed to have a mask like feel to it. But how good of a mask is this? Typical masks contain clay or some kind of film forming polymer that really tighten the skin as it dries. Becaus this formula is different and because it contains so many cleansing ingredientes that will tend to soften the film so we doubt formula one would give you that strong tightening effect. Based on looking at the formula, our guess is this product would be a really good cleanser but it wouldn’t be a great mask.

But our real concern is about leaving this much surfactant on your face for so long. Surfactants, even relatively mild ones like this formula uses, can irritate skin. This product also contains menthol which is a known irritant.

The Beauty Brain’s bottom line:

Based on looking at the ingredients, we think that the risk of drying out your skin would outweigh any potential benefits. That’s our opinion without doing any testing so take it with the proverbial grain of salt. If anyone has tried this, let us know.