The Left Brain updates:

I created quite a stir in the world of silk pillow cases last year when I tried to answer the question “Are Silk Pillow Cases Good For Your Skin? (Follow the link for the original post and all the entertaining comments.)

Silk from a sow’s ear?

According to the ASA (the UK organization that enforces British advertising laws) it looks like I was right.  Cosmeticsdesign reports that they have ruled that Direct Beauty Products have not adequately supported their advertising claims that their silk pillow cases have anti-aging properties.  A key issue was the lack of support for minimizing wrinkles. In this particular ad, the company even went so far as to imply that cotton and polyester pillow cases are a major cause of aging, second only to sun damage!

Despite the fact that the company presented a study from the American Academy of Dermatology suggesting that silk pillowcases might reduce sleep lines and wrinkles, the ASA upheld the complaint and said the advertisement must be removed from circulation.  It’s nice to see a governmental body looking out for truth, honesty, and the scientific way! Now if the ASA could just go after Kinoki Detox Foot Pads.

It’s bad enough that men make more money than women for doing the same job, but this is just ridiculous. According to skin researchers in Germany, women’s skin ages faster than men’s! Life is so unfair.

In their study, the researchers used pulses of laser light to measure the amount of collagen and elastin in the skin. Collagen is responsible for giving skin its strength and elasticity. As you get older your body produces less collagen so skin looks droopy and wrinkled. These researchers found that women lose collagen at faster rates than men. So if it seems like you have to work harder to keep your skin looking good than the men in your life, you’re right.

Mid Brain reports:

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.

This month Mid Brain reports on new cosmetic science stories while the Left and Right Brains take time off to work on the new Beauty Brains book.

Mid Brain reports:

It sounds sketchy to me, but here’s a new hair care product designed to prevent acne: Kairos Anti-acne Hair Care Treatment.

The active ingredient is Salicylic acid, a legitimate anti-acne ingredient (that has anti-dandruff properties as well.) But I don’t get it. It’s a shampoo so I see how it could help control acne on your scalp. But is scalp acne really a big problem? I usually don’t get zits on the top of my head. Or, are you supposed to wash your face with it while you wash your hair so it’s a kind of two in one product? Sounds more like a marketing gimmick than a product breakthrough to me.

What do YOU think? Would you use an anti-acne shampoo? Leave a comment and share your pimply prose with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Vananners asks…What do the Beauty Brains think about the new Dove Visibly Smooth Deodorant that supposed to minimize hair growth? I’ve been using it about 3 weeks now and feel like I’ve noticed a difference. The hair seems to grow slower, is softer and easier to shave.

The Left Brain replies:

As I pointed out in the Forum, hair growth minimizers are more marketing than anything else.  If the product actually worked to slow down hair growth then it would be considered a drug and require much more extensive testing.  In fact, if you check the claims that Dove’s website makes about Visibly Smooth, you’ll see that they do NOT claim that it does reduces hair growth.

Dove Visibly Smooth claims

• Conditions your underarm skin from the first time you use it
• Minimizes the visible appearance of underarm hair over time
• Within weeks you’ll notice hair feels softer, finer and easier to remove
• Hair should be less noticeable between shaves and you may need to shave less often.
• Hair growth is not slowed down

How does ProEpil Complex work?

The “reason to believe” ingredient in Visibly Smooth is Dove’s “ProEpil complex.” According to the website, the complex  is a mixture of ingredients including sunflower oil and Dove’s “1/4 translucent moisturizers” what ever that means. It sounds like these conditioners make the hair softer and less likely to “stick up” so razor stubble is less noticeable.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Dove Visibly Smooth doesn’t claim to reduce hair growth, it only claims to make underarm hair look and feel less noticeable. How does the product accomplish this? None of the information from Dove makes this perfectly clear, but it appears to be by conditioning underarm hair.  Still, it’s not surprising that you think you notice a difference after using the product.  Marketing messages are extremely powerful persuaders.

Do YOU worry about underarm stubble? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.