The Beauty Brains

Michael says: I liked very much your review of Ren products and thought to myself, “What would they say about my products?” Then answered myself, “Why not ask?” So, I am putting myself and my products up on the block. Would you be willing to tell me and your readers what you think of our ingredients, copy, etc?

The Right Brain responds:
Michael thanks so much for contacting us about your line of Emily Skin Soother products. Since you were brave enough to offer your products up for our review, the least we can do is give you our honest feedback. Below you’ll find a few statements taken from your website followed by our comments. So take a deep breath, here we go!

The Pros and Cons of Emily Skin Soothers

Emily: Our original creation, Baby and Adult Skin Soother was created because of our daughter’s baby eczema. It was born of a father’s love and concern.

Beauty Brains: Wow! You have to find that statement touching unless you’re a cold hearted bee-yatch like a certain lobe of the Beauty Brains. (Just kidding, LB!) Seriously though, we like they way Michael summarized his philosophy in an email to us:

“I am not trying to scare consumers, I am trying to reach out to people who have a similar mind set and concern. I do not think such statements will make someone who does not care suddenly worry about these ingredients. This type of statement is more a pledge to those people who are concerned that we will not use such ’suspected’ ingredients because we can easily make a quality product without them.”

This is a much better rationale than companies who say “don’t use this because it causes cancer.”

Emily: It was created to soothe and beautify any type of dry and itchy skin condition.

Beauty Brains: While olive oil and beeswax will soothe dry skin, “soothing itching” is technically a drug claim and shouldn’t be made by a cosmetic product.

Emily: It is made of the bare, essential ingredients of the highest quality. We use olive oil, beeswax, and three herbs.”

Beauty Brains: While we don’t question the quality of your ingredients, let’s not to confuse naturalness with efficacy. There’s a reason that skin moisturizers contain silicones and mineral derived oil – these ingredients are better moisture barriers. You may not like these “unnatural ingredients” but they DO perform!

Emily: Skin Soothers products are natural and effective…powered by Chinese Herbs.

Beauty Brains: While we accept that olive oil and beeswax are good for skin because they provide emolliency and moisture retention, we’d like to know how the herbal blend “powers” the product. Do the herbs have proven benefits or are they just known for their folkloric uses?

Emily: We do not add anything unnecessary, so our products do not have colorants, added fragrance, preservative or any unpronounceable nasties.

Beauty Brains: Ok, Michael, be careful with this one. First of all, you’re implying your herbs are “necessary” without any proof of efficacy (see above). Second, you’re promoting fear of chemicals with your remark about “unpronounceable nasties.” Not everything with a scientific name is bad for you. For example, the official names for the herbs in your product are “Potentillae Chinensis” and “Mentha Haplocalyx.” Those names don’t exactly roll off your tongue, but that doesn’t mean they’re harmful!

Emily: Our herbs …are from an American company that batch tests all of its herbs for contaminants, heavy-metals, and pesticides and does not use sulfur preservatives.

Beauty Brains: We’re not sure how much of a danger this represents, but we give them credit for at least trying to support their claims about having pure products. Not all companies are this thorough.

Emily: A 2 oz jar costs $14.00.

Beauty Brains: We’re used to expensive products, but $14 bucks for 2 ounces of olive oil and beeswax seems a bit high!

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Compared to other companies we’ve seen, Emily Skin Soothers has a refreshingly realistic approach to marketing an “all natural” product. While we nit-picked a few technical points above, overall we respect the honest way they offer as pure a product as possible without making exaggerated claims. And most importantly, they DON’T try to scare you into buying something you don’t need.

Alex asks: I read that Canola Oil is a very good skin moisturizer because it contains a lot of alpha hydroxy acids. I’ve tried it and I think it makes my skin feel softer. Can you explain why Canola oil is good for skin? Thanks a bunch!

The Right Brain responds:
Before we talk about its benefits, we’ll explain why Canola is one of the most controversial of all the vegetable cooking oils.

What is Canola oil?

As you might guess, Canola oil comes from the seeds of the Canola plant. You might guess that, but you’d be WRONG. Canola oil actually comes from the rapeseed plant. For some strange reason, women didn’t seem inclined to buy a product called “Rape Oil,” so in the late 1970s, Canadian rapeseed growers renamed their product Canola, which is an abbreviation for “Canadian Oil, Low Acid.” Voila, sales of Canola oil took off. Then, disaster struck a few years later when Canola oil was hit with more bad press: it was found to cause glaucoma and Mad Cow Disease. Psych! That connection actually turned out to be just an urban myth. So despite a rocky start, Canola oil finally established itself as a popular cooking oil.

Can Canola condition skin?

Ok, so it’s good to cook with, but is it good for skin? The answer is yes, no, and maybe. First of all, whatever benefit Canola has on skin, it’s unlikely to be related to alphahydroxy acids. In fact, we can’t find any reference to alpha hydroxy acids in Canola, which makes sense since those acids are water soluble and generally come from fruits. (If you’ve seen any credible sources that say something different, let us know and we’ll check them out.)

Instead of AHAs, at least one study suggests that naturally high levels of sterols might give Canola oil the ability to soothe skin that is irritated by surfactants. But these studies showed little effect on normal skin. And other studies show no benefit at all. But even if Canola Oil provides no special benefit, it can still make your skin feel soft just because it’s an oil.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

If you have irritated skin you may see some benefit from Canola oil. But for most people it probably doesn’t make enough of a difference to justify spending more money. A regular moisturizer will work just fine.

(By the way term “rape” in rapeseed is derived the Latin “rapum,” which means turnip. That’s because turnips, rutabagas, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are related to the rapeseed plant.)

We’ve blogged before about the soothing power of oat extract and Aveeno has positioned an entire brand around oat protein, so it MUST be good for your skin, right? For adults yes, but maybe not for babies.

A recent article in the Dermatology Times (which is always on my nightstand right next to Cosmo) reveals that children with sensitive skin may be allergic to the oat proteins used in skin products. French researchers worked with over 300 eczema patients at the Hopital Pellegrin-Enfants in Bordeaux, and found that almost a third of the kids (between 4 months and 15 years) were sensitive to oat proteins. Apparently, repeated use of skin lotions with oat derivatives can sensitize the skin and cause future allergic reactions. The researchers recommend that you do not use these products on children less than 2 years old. Ok people, let’s check our baby lotions for oats right now!

Do you or your kids have any strange skin allergies? Leave a comment and share your stories with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

–Mid Brain

Michelle’s M.A.C. question: I love M.A.C. cosmetics and there’s been a lot of hype about their Charged Waters Renewal Defense. I’ve read that it really helps tone down oiliness. I’m disappointed to say though that it’s main active ingredient, rhodochrosite, seems like a load of crock! I can’t find any information on rhodochrosite being an antioxidant as claimed. I do however see a humectant, an emollient and salicylic acid in the ingredients list. Are these the ingredients leading to the decrease in oiliness reported, and is there anything in Renewal Defense that I couldn’t get using another facial spray and moisturiser?

The Left Brain’s charged reply:
M.A.C. color cosmetics can be terrific, but Charged Waters seems like it’s all wet to me.

What is rhodochrosite?

The alleged miracle ingredient in the product, rhodochrosite, is a type of manganese carbonate, a peachy-rose colored mineral. Its color lead the early Incas to believe the mineral was formed by the blood of former kings and queens that was turned to stone. According to folklore, rhodocrosite can bring you love, help erase psychological problems and improve your eyesight.

What does it really do?

I couldn’t find any mention of rhodochrosite having any function, antioxidant or otherwise, anywhere in the technical literature. The only connection I could find is a bit thin: Rhodochrosite is a form of manganese and manganese is also a component of superoxide dismutase, a powerful natural antioxidant. But that doesn’t mean rhodochroite has the same antioxidant properties. (If you’re interested, you read more about the benefits of manganese.)

What does M.A.C. say?

To be fair, M.A.C.’s website doesn’t exactly say that rhodochrosite is an antioxidant, it just says that the Charged Waters is “packed” with them. Here’s what it is packed with:

Water, butylene glycol, polysorbate 80, rhodochrosite, calcium chloride, sodium sulfate, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate, salicylic acid, fragrance, linalool, citral, limonene, and phenoxyethanol.

There are no oil based ingredients in the product so it won’t make your skin greasy, but I don’t see anything here that would affect sebum production so I’m skeptical that is has an effect on oil control. It looks like a very light weight moisturizer with a touch of salicylic acid.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

If you want to waste your money by spritzing Charged Waters on your face that’s your choice But don’t buy this product because of the magic properties of a mineral that doesn’t do anything.

What do YOU think? Do you have a problem with oily skin? Have you found any solutions what work for you? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Theresa’s talking: Lately I’ve noticed a trend toward solid skin lotion bars. I saw it first with Lush (mmmm, Lush) but now I see other boutique brands that offer them, like Soap Lady. Are these solid bars as good as a regular lotion?

The Right Brain Responds:
The most difficult part of answering your question was deciding which Beauty Brain would respond. When Sarah Bellum saw the word “bar” she automatically assumed SHE should be the one to answer. Fortunately for you, I explained to her that THIS kind of bar is not a drinking establishment, but a highly portable, solid moisturizer that you could use to touch up dry skin. Whether or not you chose bars over lotions is your personal preference but to help you make up your mind, here are the Beauty Brains’ top five pro’s and con’s of solid moisturizers.

1. Pro: Convenient to carry

You don’t have to worry about a bar leaking in your purse or suitcase like you do with bottles and tubes. You can even tuck a bar in your pocket and carry it around (as long as you put it in a protective tin like Lush provides.)

2. Con: Tricky application

Bars are great for touch up areas like elbows, but the bar form makes them harder to use over large areas like legs and arms. It can also take longer to apply than regular lotion.

3. Pro: Super-sustainable

These products tend to be made with sustainable plant based ingredients like beeswax, avocado oil, and cacao butter. They also use less packaging in general. Instead of a bottle and cap, all you have is the wrapping paper.

4. Con: Minimally moisturizing

While these formulas are good at providing instant emolliency, they generally don’t contain the types of ingredients that provide a high degree of long lasting moisturization like dimethicone or petrolatum.

5. Pro: Wrap it up

Lotion bars are unusual and they come in cute designs so they make great gifts.

What do you think? Would you go bar-hopping and leave your lotion behind? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know how you feel about solid lotion bars like Lush’s Fever Massage Bar or Blockhead Bath’s Bare Bar.

Pas71 is curious about Curel: I read an ad for Curel’s Ultra Healing Lotion, which claims to give you “more moisture where you need it and less where you don’t.” Supposedly it works by making the lotion positively charged so that it is attracted to the negative charge of dry skin. Is this a great new way to moisturize or just another product cashing in on the “positive ion” trend?

The Left Brain responds:
Curel makes an interesting claim that is based on a bit of real science.

Ionic Moisture

Here’s the real science: Skin and hair protein do develop a slight negative charge when they are damaged. It’s also true that positively charged ions are attracted to negative charges. (Think of how a magnet works.) Looking at the ingredients in Curel I see that in addition to standard moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and petrolatum, it also contains something called Behentrimonium Chloride. This is a cationic (meaning positively charged) conditioning agent. It’s typically used in hair conditioners, but in theory it would be attracted to negatively charged, damaged areas of skin.

Real world

However, theory doesn’t always reflect reality. In reality, moisturizers work by forming a film on top of the skin that prevents water from evaporating. It’s not like one ingredient is going to migrate across your skin to magically reach the damaged spots. Just because a lotion contains cationic ingredients doesn’t necessarily make it moisturize better. Curel Ultra Healing Lotion appears to be a very good moisturizer but I think this claim is more marketing hype than moisturizing breakthrough.

Ginger has a hunch about humectants: I’ve heard that that humectants only work if there’s a high moisture level in the air and other wise they’ll draw the moisture out of your hair. Is this possible?

The Right Brain replies: Humectant is a very misused word in the beauty industry. Many people use “humectant” interchangeably with “moisturizer” when in reality the two are very different. Let’s take a look.

How do humectants work?

Humectants are different from regular moisturizers because they are able to attract and hold onto water molecules. Chemicals that have this ability are said to hygroscopic. Examples of hygroscopic, or humectant, cosmetic ingredients include glycerine, sorbitol and propylene glycol. What do these ingredients have in common that allow them pull moisture from the air? They all have multiple OH (Oxygen and Hydrogen) groups that interact with water molecules in a process called hydrogen bonding. Chemicals that have multiple OH groups are known as polyols. Whew! Enough with the chemical vocabulary let’s get on with the answer to your question.

Can humectants cause dry skin?

If humectants can attract moisture from the air, can they also pull it out of your hair or skin? In theory, yes. If you were in a very dry climate and you slathered on a pure humectant (glycerine for example), the OH groups could pull moisture from the deeper layers of your skin up to the surface where it could evaporate. So in this particular example, a humectant could actually cause your skin to become drier.

Fortunately, skin lotions don’t contain pure humectants; they also contain water, emollients, occlusive agents and other water binding chemicals. Water provides an immediate burst of moisture to the upper layers of skin while the other ingredients help prevent water from evaporating from your skin. So the chances of the humectant having a drying effect on your hair or skin is pretty slight.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Hair and skin lotions are formulated with multiple moisturizing agents. Even products like Gly-Miracle Skin Humectant cream contain more than just humectants. So you don’t have to worry about these lotions sucking you dry.

It’s amazing to me how far cosmetic companies will go to stretch the claims of their skin care products. Here are two examples which illustrate how extreme these claims can be.

Skin lotion protects from Acid

Here’s an interesting video by Skin MD lotion. According to them, you can put the lotion on and pour hydrochloric acid on your hand.

It’s an interesting and compelling demonstration. Of course, it’s not as impressive if you consider that when the scientist pours the acid on the rock (probably limestone), there is a neutralizing reaction that occurs. A neutralized acid is like pouring salt water on your skin.

As the man in the white coat says in the demo (despite what he shows), Skin MD will not protect you from acid burns.

Skin cream protects from radiation

This one is even worse. According to the Advertising Standards Authorities (ASA) in the UK, Clarins cosmetic maker was slapped with a fine for claiming that their skin cream could protect you from mobile phone & other radiation. They erroneously said that skin exposed to artificial electromagnetic radiation would age faster. Then they went on to imply that their lotion could protect you from it. According to Clarins

If electromagnetic waves can penetrate walls, imagine what they can do to your skin. Today, electromagnetic waves generated by a host of modern day electronic devices join a list of well-known pollutants which can damage skin.

Unfortunately for Clarins, the research that they submitted was soundly rejected by the ASA and any other legitimate scientist who saw it. Don’t worry Beauty Brains community, your skin is not being degraded by your phone. And that cell phone is not causing acne either. Geez!

What’s the most ridiculous claim YOU’VE seen from a skin care product? Share your comments with the rest of the Beauty Brains community. 

Cynthia’s feeling rosy: I LOOOVE the Beauty Brains! Thanks for everything you all do! Here’s my question: I came across a new skin care company online called Aroma Prescriptions. I am thinking of buying their rose moisturizer but since it’s over $100, I wanted to ask you guys first! The line claims that rose oil has been used as medicine for years and is great for the skin. I wanted to see what you guys thought of rose oil all over the body and if it really is known to be good.

The Left Brain finds some thorns:
Thanks for the kind words Cynthia. It’s always nice to hear from our fans. The Aroma Prescriptions line is interesting. All of their products are formulated by a physician who touts the benefits of rose oil. He says their flagship product, Roses of Sparta Pure Rose Oil Lotion, is America’s only physician-formulated rose oil lotion.

A rose by any other name

You can check out the website for the entire list of claims but basically the good doctor says his special rose oil smells better than regular rose oil used in other products. “With one whiff, rose connoisseurs will understand its significance” and “unlike any synthetic rose fragrance, this REAL rose aroma is deeply entrancing and unrivaled.” Ok, fine. The stuff smells really good. I’ll give him that. He also claims that rose oil has been used to treat chronic skin conditions like rosacea and eczema by multiple medical cultures and that it has natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Let’s see if that’s true.

Does rose oil really work?

It’s true that rose oil contains over 300 different chemical compounds and that several of them do have some functional properties. For example, citronellol, been shown to be an antioxidant while geraniol and eugenol have antibacterial properties. A quick search of Pubmed confirms that that as far as essential oils go, rose oil is a pretty good anti-oxidant. I couldn’t find any specific references to rose oil’s anti-inflammatory or antiseptic properties. In fact, according to at least one source, rose oil can be a skin sensitizer and an irritant.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Antioxidant and antibacterial properties are beneficial in skin care, but there are many ways to formulate these into a product. There just doesn’t seem to be any compelling data to show that this rose oil product is really better. If you’re one of those rose connoisseurs who love the way it smells and you can afford it – then buy it. But if you’re buying it because it’s better for your skin, this Beauty Brain says there’s no proof that this product is worth that much money.

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.