The Beauty Brains

Skeptical Susan says: In your story about cosmetics that really work, you mentioned all those products that don’t really do what they say. That made me wonder why don’t any of these companies ever get in trouble if they’re lying? I thought we had laws against false advertising.

The Right Brain retorts:
You’re correct, there are laws against false advertising. They vary from county to country but generally speaking for those laws to take effect someone has to initiate a challenge against the suspicious advertiser. That challenge can come from a consumer such as yourself, another company, or from an interested party such as a consumer group or governmental body.

Two ways to challenge

Regardless of who initiates the challenge, in the US there are two basic ways by which advertisements are “policed.” The first way involves taking the company directly to court because you believe you can show their advertisement is false and misleading. If the courts rule in the plaintiff’s favor, the offending company can be forced to stop specific advertising and they may have to pull recall product from distribution. In addition, the court can levy fines against the company if warranted. This is not usually the course that is followed because of the time and money involved in engaging the legal system.

Most of the time, cases are reviewed by an arbitrating body, specifically the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau. The NAD has no specific legal authority and can not punish companies for running bad ads, but their opinion carries a lot of weight. So if the NAD rules against a company, in most cases, the advertiser follows their advice (or they may face more severe action in court.) While the general public may not realize it, companies are challenged on their claims ALL the time. In fact here’s a recent example from the NAD case files issued April 2008:

Is Actifade illegal?

This case involves a product called Actifade, a sunspot/age spot fade cream. We’ve blogged before about similar products like Meladerm and other skin lighteners. These are Over The Counter (OTC) drugs because they contain active ingredients that reduce skin pigmentation. The NAD took issue with the advertiser’s claims because product performance claims should follow the language in the OTC drug monograph. Here’s how the NAD ruled on specific Actifade claims:

• Claims regarding “stopping sun spots, age spots and liver spots” implied that the product permanently eliminated skin discolorations and are not supported by any data from the advertiser. Claims about looking “5, 10, even 20 years younger” are also not supported. Both claims should be discontinued

• The claims “Younger looking skin has never been easier” and “Just rub it on and it works,” must be modified to avoid implying that the products immediately remove age spots

• The claim “Actifade combines a cosmetic with powerful medication that will fade sun spots, age spots and dark discoloration with no greasy mess” is acceptable and can be used.

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line

As a result of this NAD challenge, Actifade has agreed to change their advertising. If they had not agreed, they could have been taken to court to face more serious action. So there you have it - that’s how the system protects us from false advertising.

What do YOU think? Does the legal system do a good job of protecting the public from fraudulent cosmetic claims? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Begam wants to believe: Does “Pond’s Flawless White Visible Lightening Daily Lotion” really make skin fairer and is it safe to use?

The Right Brain preaches about Ponds:
Thanks for the question. We’ve never been asked about Ponds, but we have blogged before about products like Definity and Meladerm that use skin lightening technologies.

Pond’s Lightening Lotion

Ponds is made by Unilever, a major global marketer of personal care products and we have no doubt that they have tested the product to ensure its safety. But does it really work? Let’s examine the ingredients:

Ingredients:
Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Niacinamide 3%, Stearic acid, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 1.25% Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Titanium Dioxide 0.2%,
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 0.4%, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Sodium PCA, Tocopheryl Acetate 0.1%, Sodium Hydroxide , Disodium EDTA, BHT, Cl 14700.

Skin lightening technology

There are two ingredients we want you to pay attention to: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Niacinamide. The former is a sunscreen. Since skin spots can be triggered by sun exposure, a sun protection cream will help keep your skin fairer. The second ingredient, Niacinamide, has been shown to reduce cutaneous pigmentation (in lab tests) and improve skin lightness (in clinical test) compared with a control vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Based on the research we’ve found there does appear to be evidence that products like Ponds that are based on Niacinamide are effective lighteners. But remember, that the degree of benefit varies greatly depending on what’s causing the dark slots. For example, sun induced melanogenisis is treatable but dark spots caused by acne scars are not.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://66.102.7.104/
http://ezinearticles.com/
http://answers.google.com/

Cat’s question: She wants to know if alpha arbutin, one of the ingredients in Meladerm skin lightener, is related to hydroquinone a skin lightening chemical that has safety concerns. She also wanted to know if Meladerm is safe to use for 2 or 3 months or longer.

The Left Brain Replies:
On Cat’s behalf, we contacted Civant and asked them to help answer her questions. Here is the response from John Connelly of Civant’s R&D department.

Answers about Arbutin

1) Arbutin is extracted from Bearberry (Uva Ursi) and is natural occurring substance, unlike synthetic hydroquinone. Arbutin is present not only in the Bearberry plant, but also found in many plant-derived foods. Arbutin can be converted into hydroquinone when introduced to very alkaline conditions. These conditions however are uncommon and most definitely do not occur on the skin. Gastric fluids are known to be alkaline, but the Arbutin would have to be taken orally for it to enter the gastrointestinal tract. Our product, Meladerm, uses Alpha-Arbutin as opposed to regular (beta) Arbutin. Alpha-Arbutin is considered the most stable and effective form of Arbutin and does not readily hydrolyze into hydroquinone.

Arbutin and hydroquinone each have a different chemical composition and differ greatly in their skin lightening properties. Arbutin inhibits melanin synthesis where as hydroquinone can actually be cytotoxic to melanocytes. Furthermore, Arbutin does not have the associated side effects of hydroquinone. Due to the safety concerns presented by the FDA, we do not use hydroquinone in our products.

2) We suggest discontinuing daily use after 3-4 months. This is generally advisable for all skin lighteners, and not just Meladerm. After a few months of use, you will find that the results will begin to plateau and regular applications will no longer be necessary.

If there are any further questions, please have your readers contact our customer service. For specific product questions, I would advise them to send an email through our website’s contact page. Emailing enables us to direct inquires to our R&D dept and allows the staff some time to fully investigate the questions and provide a thorough and knowledgeable response. Readers should ensure that their contact information is entered correctly so we do not encounter any issues when responding. It’s also a good idea for them to double-check their spam email filtering options as sometimes important emails can be unintentionally deleted by the filters.”

Thanks to Civant for promptly responding to Cat’s concerns. The Beauty Brains are glad we could be of help!

Want lighter skin in as fast as 2 weeks? Click here to try Meladerm skin lightener today!

Hafsa has a question: I’ve been looking around for some lightening lotions as I have melasma. I came across a skin care range by Diana Stalder. Theres a lot of hype going around saying that Diana Stalder lightens skin within weeks or even a matter of days! The active ingredient is kojic acid. Is it true that it can help lighten skin that fast?

The Right Brain has an answer:
Diana Stalder is credited with starting the first Filipino-owned company offering direct sales of skin care and beauty products. Unfortunately, we can’t confirm if she’s using kojic acid in her whitening formulas or not. There’s only one distribution outlet for her products in the US (in Kentucky for some strange reason!) so it’s hard to find products to look at. And her website includes very little information about the ingredients used in her products.

Krazy for Kojic

We’ve blogged before about other skin lightening products, like Meladerm, that are based on kojic acid. These appear to be viable alternatives to hydroquinone, which is the “gold standard” for skin lightening but which has come under criticism for safety concerns. Kojic acid is not as effective as hydroquinone but it does appear to work. Generally, it takes weeks to see a pronounced effect. (Meladerm claims you’ll see results in 2 weeks.) We’d be surprised if you see results in only a few days but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. If you try this product write back and let us know how it works out for you!

Want lighter skin in as fast as 2 weeks? Click here to try Meladerm skin lightener today!

Do you have a favorite skin-whitening product?  Leave a comment in the Beauty Brains Forum and help lighten up the rest of the Beauty Brains community!

Bobby is bothered: I was wondering about IS Clinical Active Serum. I’m skeptical about whether active ingredients are really worth the $120 price tag — or whether, at the very least, they work. In terms of what this particular product promises to do (anti-acneic, skin lightening, and mild wrinkle prevention), it is covering all my bases, but I know better than to be drawn to promises (okay, at least sometimes). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

The Right Brain responds:
IS Clinical is an “Innovative Skincare” company with a range of high-end facial products. Their Active Serum treatment “reduces fine lines and wrinkles, helps treat acne, and evens skin pigmentation.” The key ingredients include glycolic acid, lactic acid, arbutin, and kojic acid. Is it worth $120? The information presented on their website gives me several reasons to be suspicious:

1. Lack of differentiating technology

This product doesn’t seem to contain anything new or breakthrough. Alphahydroxy acids are well known ingredients for treating fine lines and wrinkles. And Salycylic Acid is approved as an approved anti-acne drug ingredient, so nothing new there. Finally, skin lightening can be achieved through products like Meladerm (which is effective but also expensive) or less expensive products like Olay’s Definity. Given that you can buy other products with similar functionality for significantly less money, I just don’t understand what’s so different about IS that makes it worth its $120 price tag. Strike 1.

2. Lack of clinical test data on the formula

The IS website has a “Clinical Opinions” section under the Science tab. While one might expect to see results of studies of IS products in this section, all the information is just generic data. For example, there’s a section about kojic acid and cancer but there’s no mention of any clinical tests that show kojic acid is an effective skin lightener. This is a red flag that could indicate they haven’t tested their product. Strike 2.

3. Lack of relevant information on ingredients

One might also expect to find useful information under the “Clinical Ingredient Studies” section. Alas, all we see here is regurgitation of some standard industry literature references. My favorite is the discussion of Carbomer 941 (a thickener). They list several scientific papers, including “Release Profile of Lidocaine HCl from Topical Liposomal Gel Formulation.” What this has to do with their own formulas, I have NO idea! Strike 3 - IS is out.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Active Serum may be a perfectly fine product but it certainly doesn’t seem worth the price. Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that the company is trying to look more scientifically credible than it really is.

What do YOU think? Does it bother you when companies try to trick you this way? Or do you just ignore all the hype? Leave a comment so we can all learn from our fellow Beauty Brainiacs.

Janie’s Freaking Out About Freckles: I’m Asian and through out the years my face is getting covered with freckles. It was cute at first when it was just on the top of my cheeks. But now it has spread to my forehead…all over my nose and on my cheeks. I was walking through Macy’s and saw Shisedo White Lucent, which targets freckles and dark age spots. Do you think this will work? Do you know of any other products that might actually work?

The Right Brain hits the spot:
There are many conditions that can cause your skin to develop brown spots. Sun exposure is often the guilty culprit. Here are 3 of the most common spots caused by the sun:

Freckles (Medical Name: Ephilides)

These small, flat brown marks appear mainly on the face, shoulders, and other sun exposed areas. They most frequently occur on fair skinned individuals but since they are an inherited characteristic they can also affect darker skin types. These spots are caused by increased pigment in the upper layers of skin so they are most noticeable after exposure to intense summer sun. They fade or disappear in the winter as upper layers of skin are replaced by new cells from below. In general, as you age this type of freckle becomes less noticeable.

Age Spots or Liver Spots (Medical Name: Lentigines)

Age spots are sometimes called liver spots although they have nothing to do with liver disease. This type of spot is larger than a freckle and tends to appear later in life because of cumulative sun damage. Generally, these spots appear on the hands and face and, unlike freckles, they don’t fade as much in the winter.

Scaly brown marks (Medical Name: Keratoses)

Brown spots that have a scaly texture may be solar keratoses. There marks are similar to liver spots in coloration but they are also characterized by abnormal skin cell growth so they’re not completely flat.

Causes and Cures

As we noted above, all of these brown spots are caused by sun exposure. UV radiation triggers a biochemical chain of events that results in increased production of melanin, the same pigment that gives your skin a tan. The good news is that there are some products that can interrupt this chemical pathway and stop, (or at least slow down) the melanin production.

Products based on hydroquinone, alpha hydroxy acids, vitamin-C, retinoids, and azelaic acid have shown varying degrees of success. One of the most popular of these age spot fading products is Meladerm. If you want to learn more about Meladerm, read our previous post on skin lighteners.

Dark spots can also be removed using chemical peels, cryotherapy or certain pigment lasers that target melanin in the skin. Consult a dermatologist to find out if one of these procedures is right for you.

Finally, you should realize that the best treatment is prevention. Shielding your skin from the sun will help minimize the appearance of freckles and other dark spots.

Source: dermnetnz.org

Can someone please explain this product to me?

Lusidina 18K Gold Nurse Whitener Nose Mask.

It’s new from Guangzhou Danjia Cosmetics in China and it claims to “penetrate into skin around the nose area removing dirt, grease, blackheads and ageing skin.” It also provides whitening nourishment” whatever that is.

It’s made with the finest Yulan oil, pure fresh milk, vitamin E, vegetable protein, collagen, arbutin and dangerously high levels of lead. (Ok, I made up the part about lead but the rest is true). Normally I’d stop here to comment on the obvious ridiculousness of the ingredients but right now I’m having trouble even getting past the name: Lusidina 18K Gold Nurse Whitener Nose Mask.

Nose mask?

Ok, I get that part. I can even sort of grasp the concept of a whitening nose mask. Heck, who wouldn’t want a whiter nose!

18K Gold?

This is a mystery to me. The product doesn’t contain gold. It’s not like gold has a long historical association with nasal care. Gold doesn’t even smell good! And for God’s sake, why not use 24K gold?

Nurse?

Now you’ve really lost me. WHY is the spokesmodel for this product a nurse? By virtue of their occupation are nurses more prone to unsightly nose darkening? And why are her breasts trying to escape from her uniform?

Lusidina?

Is that the nurse’s name?

We may never know all the answers to these hard hitting questions, but I can tell you this for sure: If I’m ever in the hospital and I see a large-breasted nurse with a hyper-pigmented nose and a flair for expensive jewelry, I know what product I’d recommend for her. Is it Meladerm? Hylexin? Meladerm? No. It’s Lusidina 18K Gold Nurse Whitener Nose Mask!

Rachel slyly says…Supposedly, Gwyneth Paltrow is using the Ultra Lux 9 lotion by Sonya Dakar with snake venom. This review of snake oil’s benefits and lack there of, reminded me of it. Here’s a story about Gwyneth P. using snake venom as well. I’m very curious about your reaction.

Left Brain’s biting reply..My reaction is that Gwyneth is nuts! It sounds absolutely crazy that someone would put poison on their skin in hopes of getting rid of wrinkles.

Of course, that is just my initial emotional reaction which isn’t exactly useful for making an objective judgment. Unfortunately, the Beauty Brains don’t have a bottle of the Ultra Lux 9 lotion to look at the ingredients, so this opinion isn’t definitive.

However, after scouring through the latest scientific literature what I found was alarming. According to these Brazilian researchers, exposure to snake venom from either rattlesnakes or vipers has the following effects…

“Besides hemorrhage, snake venom metalloproteinase induce local myonecrosis, skin damage, and inflammatory reaction in experimental models.”

I certainly wouldn’t suggest putting that on my face!

How much snake venom?

Granted, we don’t know what kind of snake venom they use in the product. Heck, we don’t even know if they use any! If they do, it would be used at such low levels that it wouldn’t cause a toxic reaction (or have any other effect for that matter). How much is a low level? It would be like putting a single eye drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Not even snake venom could hurt you at those low levels.

Why use snake venom in a skin product

You might wonder why they would put any snake venom in there at all. This is all about marketing. Pretty good marketing too as they got the New York Post, Style Dash, handbag.com, China Daily, Makeherup, a host of other beauty blogs, and now the Beauty Brains to talk about it. All this PR without a single dollar spent. Brilliant!

Of course, the reason people talk about it is because it’s something icky (snake venom), it’s “endorsed” by a celebrity, and it sounds plausible (people us botox right?) Well, rest assured Beauty Brainiacs this idea is just as crazy as it sounds.

Keep venom off your face and in the snake.

Mary Anne Murmurs: Do you think buying high-priced products that claim to diminish sun/age spots are any better than the drugstore kind (like Olay’s?)

The Right Brain Roars:

Dark spots have a number of causes. For example, there’s the kind you get from acne scars. These are tough to get rid of! Then there’s the kind you get from sun exposure. Sunlight increases melanin production, the natural pigment in your skin that gives you a sun tan. Sometimes your melanin kicks into over drive and you end up with dark spots. Products that block this reaction can make your skin lighter. There are 3 basic types of skin lightening ingredients:

1. Hydroquinone

Proven to be the most effective ingredient but also the most controversial. Due to safety concerns, some countries have banned this ingredient. You can still find it in a number of products sold at different prices. For example, you can buy Black and White Bleaching Cream for only $12.00.

2. N-acetyl glucosamine

As we discussed in our post on Olay Definity, this glucosamine derivative has been proven to work in clinical trials. It’s less effective than hydroquinone, but it doesn’t have the same risks. How well it works will vary from person to person, but it’s priced low enough to give it a try. You can buy Olay Definity here for around $20.00.

3. Kojic acid and alpha-arbutin

We’ve blogged about these ingredients before; they’re used in products such as Meladerm. It’s a bit more expensive (around $50.00), but a number of our community have reported good results with Meladerm. You can buy Meladerm here.

And remember, using a sunscreen is a pretty good way to prevent dark spots from forming in the first place.

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.