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!

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.

One of our favorite websites, InventorSpot, brought a new product to our attention: GlamGLow’s tingling face mask.  According to GlamGlow’s website the tagline for this product is “Tingle effect + exfoliation = sexy!” So it is an exfoliationg mask? Or is it a masking exfoliant? And why the heck does it tingle?  Let’s look at the label to find out.

GlamGlow Tingling Mud Mask Ingredients

Purified Water, Montmorillonite, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Polyethylene, Pumice, Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hedera Helix Plant Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Aroma, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea.

Contrary to what you might think, there are no menthol-type ingredients like you would find in a scalp tingling product. Instead, the tingling effect most likely comes from the abrasivity of the pumice and polyethylene beads combined with the skin tightening effect of the kaolin and Montmorillonite clays.

Ingredient inaccuracies

It’s also interesting to note (at least for those of you who care about such things) that a few of these ingredients are not listed accurately. (Hey, this is a Look at the Label post, so we get to nitpick stuff like that.) Anyway, “purified water” is not the officially allowed name since any water used in cosmetics is purified to some extent. Usually it’s deionized. I also think it’s entertaining that my spell checker wants to change “deionized” to “demonized.” But I digress… Another error is “Vegetable Glycerin.” The correct name is just glycerin. And finally “fragrance” is the proper name for any kind of scent, not “aroma.”
Image credit: GlamGlow.com

If you’re inclined to want your face to tingle while you’re scraping off its upper layers, you can buy GlamGlow by clicking the link below. You’ll also be supporting the Beauty Brains and that makes our insides all tingly.

Floraesthetics asks…After reading your blog post about scare tactics, I decided to try my hand at homemade deodorant. I looked at all kinds of recipes, and I created one based on the available ingredients I had in my kitchen. The result was amazing! I was so excited to have created a natural, “aluminum-free” deodorant that worked. Then, I researched a little more and realized that the clays I was using have aluminum content. I went back online and noticed that many natural deodorants contain clays that have aluminum. Can you help me figure out if it can be called aluminum-free if it contains bentonite clay, for example? Also, how does this type of aluminum fit into the neurotoxicity issue?

The Right Brain responds:

First a little background about the different kinds of aluminum in Antiperspirant/Deodorant products.

How is Aluminum used in APDs?

Antiperspirants
Ingredient: Aluminum zirconium tetrachorohydrex glycine

Function: These ingredients are designed to interact with the pores of your body, creating tiny gelatinous plugs that reduce  sweating. Best research shows no connection to Alzheimer’s disease.

Deodorants
Ingredient: Bentonite, Kaolinite

Function: These are naturally occurring clays that are used as thickeners because of their ability to gel the solvents typically used in deodorants. We have not been able to find any reference linking these to the Alzheimer’s controversy.

Can you legally claim aluminum-free?

Unfortunately we’re not lawyers (although we do like to watch them on TV) so we can’t really advise you of the legality of making such a claim. You’re certainly free to make such a product for your personal use, but if you plan on selling your own deodorants we recommend consulting an attorney.  Regardless of what legal council tells you, would this claim really pass the “red faced test” for you?  In other words, if you really don’t believe the scientific consensus that says aluminum salts in APs are safe, then can you in good conscience add aluminum containing ingredients to your deodorant?  If science says their safe, they should be safe in both cases.

Image credit: www.marieclaire.com