If you enjoy the Beauty Brains blog, you’ll also enjoy sharing your thoughts with others in the Beauty Brains Forum. There are thousands of comments from over 400 members on all kinds of beauty issues.

As a special reward to the more prolific Forum members, we provide them with new beauty products to review. In today’s post, forum member “Taiwanese Girl” shares her thoughts on PURPOSE Redness Reducing Moisturizer.

Taiwanese Girl tells all: I used to have an extremely sensitive face that was always red. The redness was from a combination of pretty stupid things, such as:

• Using products that irritated my skin (thanks mom for telling me to use a salt scrub everyday to get my face really REALLY clean!)
• Spending tons of time in the sun without proper SPF, and
• The lovely and infamous Santa Ana winds that we experience here in LA.

Mother doesn’t always know best

Even though my skin has calmed down dramatically since the days of following my mom’s clueless skincare advice, my face is still a tad red and angry looking. When the opportunity to sample PURPOSE Redness Reducing Moisturizer with SPF 30, I took it right away. After all, according to its website, this product claims to have “CLINICALLY shown to reduce redness in just one week while it protects your face with broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen. Its unique moisturizing complex begins to soothe dry skin on contact and works to improve overall skin tone and texture.”

After using it in the morning for 5 days, I don’t know if my face is really less red. The area right beside my nose is still red, but I think that’s due to my year-round “seasonal” allergies. Also, my face has been behaving rather well for the past 2 months, meaning no angry pimples exploding out of nowhere, no random rashes (except when I eat seafood), or anything evil. My diet has been normal, I haven’t seen the sun since I started working, and I’ve also been getting plenty of sleep each night. I did ask my sister over the weekend if she thought my face looked less red, and she said it did…

BUT, I’ve been having stomachaches the entire weekend, making me look a bit ghastly. So, does this product really work as a redness reducer? I really have no idea! None of the active ingredients are redness reducing agents, and their website doesn’t contain a working link to any research data showing that it contains an agent proven to reduce redness.

A good value for UV

Nevertheless, it’s a good basic morning moisturizer that contains tons of protection against both UVA and UVB. Their active ingredients are: Ensulizole, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, and Zinc Oxide, all of which offer great protection against the evil sun. It’s not oily at all, and it absorbs pretty quickly into my skin. I’ve found it to be a great base for both liquid foundations and powdered foundations. A lot of moisturizers tend to be too rich to use under liquid foundations, while others are too dry to use under powdered foundations, but this one was great for both. It’s also quite inexpensive and can be found at almost every drugstore. I definitely recommend this to people who spend a lot of time outside, but I can’t say for sure that it reduces redness.

What do YOU think about PURPOSE Redness Reducing Moisturizer? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Taiwanese Girl directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

If you enjoy the Beauty Brains blog, you’ll also enjoy sharing your thoughts with others in the Beauty Brains Forum. There are thousands of comments from nearly 400 members on all kinds of beauty issues.

As a special reward to the more prolific Forum members, we provide them with new beauty products to review. In today’s post, forum member “Cate” shares her thoughts on Aveeno Active Naturals Intense Relief Hand Cream.

Nanny knows best

Cate says: Well the Fall is here, the leaves are changing colors and there is a bit of Jack Frost in the air. It’s simply beautiful! But with all the beauty and cooler temperatures comes dry skin. And in my case dry dry dry hands. So I was extremely happy to try a product that might really help my skin. It seems that dry, cracked, skin is coming earlier and earlier every year.

I have been using Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream on my severely dry hands for a week. This product is “formulated with natural oatmeal and rich emollients to heal dry skin and form a protective glove against the elements.” It claims that it gives moisture for 24 hours and even lasts through hand washings.

It goes on nicely and quickly absorbs and feels great for a while. My hands felt soft and smooth. But after a while I could feel my hands becoming dry again and so I would re-apply. Also you can’t apply too much or it won’t absorb very nicely at all. I made the mistake and had to wipe it all off.

I am a nanny and decided to put the “lasts through hand washing” claim to the test. I wash my hands at least 20 times a day, potty breaks, feeding, diapering etc. And in my case this did not last through hand washing for me. I generally had to re-apply after I dried my hands. It may last for other people during hand washing, but in my extreme case it definitely did not.

I have noticed though over the past few days that my hands aren’t as cracked as they used to be and the skin around my nails doesn’t seem as dry. So it is definitely doing something.

I think this is a fine product. I’m not jubilant about it, but my hands do feel a bit softer and smoother. I’m going to continue to use this product and proper maintenance (such as wearing gloves to wash dishes and not using scalding hot water when washing), and hopefully the condition of my hands will improve.
What do YOU think about Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Cate directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

If you enjoy the Beauty Brains blog, you’ll also enjoy sharing your thoughts with others in the Beauty Brains Forum. There are thousands of comments from nearly 400 members on all kinds of beauty issues.

As a special reward to the more prolific Forum members, we provide them with new beauty products to review. In today’s post, forum member “Purple Rules” shares her thoughts on Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula Foot Cream.

Feelings For Foot Cream

Purple Rules says: I’ve used the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Foot cream for a week. It’s a thick glycerin-based cream so it creates an effective barrier that locks in moisture and is recommended for dry heals and calluses. I buff my feet regularly so there isn’t a lot of dry, cracked skin to prevent this from being absorbed but it still took some work to rub it in and I was still aware of the residue on the surface. (One of the listed benefits is that it “does not stain socks;” I can see how that might be an issue.) It also contains Menthol but my nose and feet couldn’t detect it.

After a week, my feet were no better and no worse so I’d say it’s a good, basic foot cream that will keep your feet soft and moisturized if you take the time to remove the rough, dead skin first but it’s no substitute for a good foot file and some elbow grease. It doesn’t contain anything that would penetrate a layer of thick, dead skin so if you’ve got dry, rough feet I would expect it to sit on the surface and feel greasy. If you use it regularly and take a minute to rub it in, it will improve the condition of your feet and may even make them look better but if you want sandal-ready feet that look like you just got a pedicure, you’ll need to put a little more effort into it.

What do YOU think about Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Foot Cream? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Purple Rules directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

LeighAnn longs to learn: The new Keri Renewal Serum claims to moisturize, protect and exfoliate with visible results in three days. I was wondering what your opinion on this product is and since they call it a serum, how different is it from any run of the mill moisturizer.

The Left Brain’s reply:
The Keri brand, which was created by Bristol Myers Squibb and recently acquired by Novartis Consumer Health, has gotten a make over. One of the new products they’ve launched is Keri’s Renewal Serum which claims to be “a triple-action formula that moisturizes, protects and exfoliates to give you fast, effective relief from rough, dry skin. This patented formula combines specialized polyhydroxy acids with rich moisturizers to help repair and nourish the skin while providing a protective barrier to retain moisture.”

Serum vs lotion

Let’s take the easy question first: why is this a serum and not a moisturizing lotion? In the cosmetic industry there are no absolute definitions for these terms; companies are really free to use whatever descriptors they want. But in general, lotions are creams made by mixing water and oil. Serums tend to be thick liquids, usually clear, because they don’t contain oils. The Keri product is a mixture of water in a silicone base.

Moisturize, protect, and exfoliate

Based on a review of the ingredients, this product should pretty much do what it says. That’s because it contains propylene glycol, a known humectant-type moisturizer, as well as lactobionic acid which is a relatively new type of cosmetic ingredient known as a Polyhydroxy Acid, or PHA.

Here’s the complete ingredient list:
Water, Urea, Propylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclomethicone, Lactobionic Acid, Gluconolactone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Arginine, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ammonium Hydroxide, Dimethiconol, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben

What are PHAs

A PHA is special type of Alphahydroxy Acid (AHA) that is larger and has more hydroxy groups. Keri contains two: lactobionic acid which comes from oxidized lactose or milk sugar, and gluconolactone which is made from oxidized glucose (a natural sugar found in the human body). PHAs are considered to be the next generation AHA because they provide milder exfoliation and better moisturization. (Learn more about PHAs). This particular formula is patented, but I couldn’t find a reference to it (Novartis has over 2000 patents in the US!) If anyone has a bottle of the serum, let me know if the patent number is on the package and I’ll look into it further.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Keri product sells for about $16 US which is considerably more than a typical lotion. Is it technically worth more ? It might be, depending on your needs. If you have very dry skin, need exfoliation, and don’t tolerate AHAs very well, then buy a bottle of Keri serum and give it a try. But if you just need a regular moisturizer, save your money and buy a typical lotion.

Teresa has Trepidations: I was shopping for high end spa products and noticed that their exfolliant cream contains Nonoxynol-9, a famously debated spermicide ingredient! I’m assuming it’s not there to keep my freshly smoothed skin from becoming pregnant. So why is it in my creme and is there any downside to using it?

The Right Brain calms her down:

Take a deep breath Teresa, there’s nothing to worry about.

Some creams contain detergents

Nonoxynol-9 (or N-9) is in your spa cream to help the dissolve the oil soluble ingredients in the cream base. That’s because it’s a surfactant (which is short for surface active agent) which is just a fancy way of saying it’s a type of detergent. The cool thing is that N-9 is a nonionic surfactant which is a special type that doesn’t create a lot of lather. Otherwise the spa cream would get all foamy when you rub it into your skin.

Detergents can be spermicidal

It just so happens that N-9’s ability to dissolve oil into water has a very important side effect – it can also dissolve the acrosomal membranes of sperm, which stops the little guys from swimming. That’s why it’s used in many spermicidal creams, jellies, foams, gel, film, and suppositories. So, N-9 serves double duty: shy spa-cream emulsifier by day; sultry sperm-killer by night.

Finally, I feel compelled to point out that this discussion reminds me of the Seinfeld episode about being “sponge-worthy.”

Margaret and Betty are inquisitive about Definity: Margaret says Definity works great for her but she wants to know if all the products in the line are basically the same; Betty is worried that Definity’s not safe because she heard it contains hydroquinone.

The Right Brain provides this definitive response:

P&G must be doing a good job of marketing their Olay line because we get a lot of questions about Definity. So, we present a double dose of Definity: In Part 1 we explain how the products work; in Part 2, we’ll talk about how the products in the line are different from one another.

What Does Definity Do?

According to P&G, Definity “fights what ages you most: discoloration, dullness, brown spots, and fights wrinkles.” The fighting wrinkles stuff is pretty standard in beauty creams. If you’re hydrating the skin (especially if you’re using a film forming agent that helps hide fine lines) you can support anti-wrinkle claims. The interesting aspect of Definity is that it claims to make the skin more luminous because it gets rid of darkness and dullness.

How Does Definity Make Skin Luminous?

Skin lightening claims like these normally involve hydroquinone, a skin bleaching agent that’s come under fire for safety reasons. Fortunately, Definity doesn’t contain hydroquinone. Instead, it uses N-acetyl glucosamine, chemical that inhibits glycosylation of pro-tyrosinase. (Relax, that just means it prevents the kind of chemical reactions that make liver spots and freckles.) N-acetyl glucosamine (or NAG as it’s known) is not as effective as hydroquinone, but it’s safer to use.

Sound too good to be true? Check out the multiple clinical test results that show glucosamine effectively prevents dark age spots. And if dark spots are reduced, skin will look lighter and more luminous.

Of course, the question is, how MUCH improvement will you really see. The only way to tell for sure is to try the product. But at least Olay has done their homework and formulated a product line that’s based on science, not snake oil.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Definity does contain an ingredient proven to lighten skin. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll notice a difference yourself. It’s a bit expensive at $22 for 1.7 ounces, but at least their claims are based on real science.

In Part 2 we’ll talk about the other products in the line and how they differ.

Christine’s Question: Tell us about Revitol, “The beauty secret of the stars!” Their moisturizer is supposed to contain an “uninjectable” Botox. The before and after pictures are amazing but I’ve learned that before I buy ANYTHING else I am checking it out with you! The Right Brain’s Revitol-izing reply:

You’re wise to be skeptical, Christine. Before and after pictures are not always credible proof of efficacy. And looking at the information provided by Revitol for their Moisturizing Skin Treatment Cream, we see that some of it is technically misleading and some is blatantly untrue.

For example, they say: “Hyaluronic Acid has been found to help maintain healthy collagen and to keep the skin moisturized. Reduced levels of Hyaluronic Acid are associated with a wide range of diseases, including premature wrinkling, osteoarthritis, Marfan syndrome and detached retinas.”

We Say: It’s true that hyaluronic acid is a good moisturizer (it binds moisture to the surface of skin when applied topically.) But the diseases they attribute to reduced levels of HA are genetic conditions. NOTHING applied to your skin will affect those diseases. To imply that rubbing HA on your skin can affect damaged genes is pure rubbish.

They Say: “Argireline is a safer alternative to Botox. It works by relaxing facial tension because it reduces excessive release of the neurotransmitters, called catecholamines, that make your facial muscles tense up. It’s as simple as that: reduce muscle tension, avoid poison and maintain skin shape.”

We say: It’s not as simple as that at all! First, you have to get the Argireline down to the muscle tissue. To get to the muscle you have to pass through a thick layer of skin, then fat, then connective tissue. (That’s why Botox requires injection!) Second, even if the chemical could penetrate that deeply, if it’s going to reduce the release of neurotransmitters it has to get inside the neuromuscular junction. And that requires a specific biochemical transporter to move the chemicals into the neurons. Finally, even IF it could work, it would be a drug that is regulated by the FDA.

We could give you more examples, but you get the idea. This Revitol product may be a nice moisturizing cream, but The Beauty Brains think their technical credentials are dubious at best.

Annette Anxiously Asks: I read your post on mineral oil myths. I`m curious about using mineral oil with skin care ingredients that should penetrate the skin (Vitamin C, for example). Does mineral oil prevent their absorption? I would hate to spend a fortune on Vitamin C serums to then find the cheap mineral oil I was using was preventing them working. The Left Brain responds:

To be safe, you should apply “active” ingredients like Vitamin C or even sunscreens BEFORE you apply anything else. This is especially true if you’re using straight mineral oil, because it can set up a barrier on top of your skin.

But what about a Vitamin C lotion that contains mineral oil? Will that prevent absorbtion? Probably not. While occlusive ingredients, like mineral oil, can impede penetration of some ingredients, it depends on what else is in the formula to help drive the actives into the skin. This varies from formula to formula. If you’re buying a well-formulated product from a reputable manufacturer, they’ve probably done their home work to test the product to make sure it works as they claim.

Andreea asks: I’m thinking of buying the Korres Pomegranate Balancing Moisturizer. Their products are silicone free, mineral oil free, propylene glycol free and ethanolamine free. What do you think about Korres “ are they better since they`re more natural? The Left Brain communicates about Korres:

The Korres products do appear to be tantalizingly natural. They make a big deal out of the fact that they don`t use mineral oil or propylene glycol. But if you’re a regular reader of the Beauty Brains, you already know that mineral oil is perfectly fine for your skin! (And basically the same is true of propylene glycol.)

According to their website, Korres pride themselves on broadly avoiding synthetic components that can sum up to 30 to 60% of a cosmetic formula, replacing them with greatly beneficial naturally derived ingredients. Sounds too good to be true, doesn`t it? But are their products really more natural?

I see from looking at the ingredient list for the Pomegranate skin moisturizer you mentioned that they do use natural ingredients. For example, the formula contains plant extracts like Punica Granatum Extract (Pomegranate), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, and Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, to name a few.

But I also see C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Pentylene Glycol, Sucrose Cocoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Lauryl Glucoside, Methylparaben, PEG 8, Polyglyceryl 2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Propylparaben, and Carbomer. These ingredients are emulsifiers, thickeners, and preservatives that are used in many other unnatural cosmetics. So at best, Korres` claim about replacing synthetic components with naturally derived ingredients seems to be a bit of a stretch.

This argument really comes down to a case of what is considered natural and what is not. I think everyone would agree that pomegranate extract is natural. But what about mineral oil which is refined from petroleum that comes out of the earth? It is it any more or any less natural? Since there is no single definition of what constitutes natural there is no clear answer. Companies can pretty much say anything they want about natural even if they`re exploiting consumer ignorance and fear of chemistry to make a buck.

I’m not saying the Korres product isn`t a good moisturizer. I’m just put off by the fact that they`re trying to mislead consumers with bad information.

Veronica`s Very Concerned: Are eye creams really necessary? I`ve been using them for years, and I`m starting to wonder if they are really specially formulated for skin around the eyes. Why do I say so? Because I compared ingredients comparison between a face moisturizer (Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream) and eye cream (Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum) and found that they`re very similar. What gives? The Right Brain Tries To Assuage Her:

You’re right, eye and face cream formulas can be pretty similar. Of course, this varies from brand to brand, but it`s certainly possible for a company to formulate and test a product that works perfectly well on your face and under your eyes. So while in principle there’s nothing with using face cream around your eyes, there are few issues you should be aware of:

1. Face and eye skin are different

Face creams are designed for the skin on your face, not the very thin skin under your eyes. So, they might be too greasy. That doesn`t mean they won`t work it just means they might not feel as nice.

2. Eye creams should be better tested

Eye creams (at least ones from reputable companies) should tested to see if they are harmful if you accidentally get some in your eye. Face creams may or may not be tested this way. Look at the Olay products and you’ll see that the eye cream is opthalmologist tested and the face cream is not.

3. Face creams may contain more irritants

Face creams may contain fragrance or other ingredients that can be irritating when used close to your eyes. The Olay Regenerist is a good example “ the face cream has fragrance, the eye cream does not.

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:

Depending on which brands you buy, you can use your facial moisturizer as an under eye cream. But you might be better off finding an inexpensive eye cream from a brand you trust.