Do you think it’s okay for cosmetic companies to keep their ingredients a secret from you if it means you get better products? We discuss this question and more in today’s quick Q&A show.
Improbable Products
Two of these “ancient secrets” have been found to really work; one of them is just made up. Can you spot which one is fake? Tune in to the show for the answer.
- An onion and Garlic wine cooler can kill Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
- Pancake syrup from middle eastern dates inhibits the growth of Strep and E coli.
- Goat grease fights the fungus that cause cradle cap in infants.
Can I protect a product from oxygen by transferring it to an airless pump?
Bronwyn asks…I know products in jars are not ideal but I found I bought a “Holy grail” product that happen to come in jars. Can I decant to an airless pump container or will the oxygen that it’s exposed to during process render the products ineffective?
I think that as long as you do the transfer quickly and avoid stirring up the product too much it may be worth the effort. Once you’ve transferred it to an airless pump it will be less likely to come in contact with oxygen than if you were dipping into the jar every time. Keep the container as full as possible to minimize head space. One question – where do you even get a container like this?
Are eyelash perms safe?
Michelle asks…I had an eyelash perm before without problems, but I was wondering if the procedure is safe. I couldn’t find anything on the FDA website, but apparently is not approved according to other sources. Does that mean the procedure is unsafe or because it is a cosmetic doesn’t really require approval?”
I thought these had gone away because of their so dangerous but there are still several eyelash perm products on the market. (All from small I companies, I believe.) I looked up the ingredients on one and this is a true perm: A high pH solution of ammonium thioglycolate. This is a BAD idea: the eyes absorb things really quickly and no one ever rinses their eyes long enough to get it out. You could seriously damage your eye with a product like this. I’m not even sure how well these products would work. Any curl you achieve wouldn’t last very long because even the longest lashes aren’t really very long any bend you create would quickly revert to its natural state.
Is this hydrogel claim bogus?
Ling asks…I was hoping you guys could help me with a product claim for Etude House Collagen Eye Gel Patch. It says on the packaging (in bad english) “Hydro-gel under eye patches formulated with collagen to revitalize and improve appearance around eyes.” I just want to clarify something – Etude House isn’t claiming that the collagen in the product is what is “revitalizing and improving the appearance around eyes” and that this product isn’t claiming to actually improve the eye area (since it says appearance) or prevent any aging. Right? Or are they misleading people with bad science? Commas make a big difference it seems…
You’re right. Commas DO make a huge difference. To be completely accurate, the claim should be written with commas:
“Hydro-gel under eye patches, formulated with collagen, to revitalize and improve appearance around eyes.”
This way it’s clear that the product (NOT the collagen) is responsible for whatever revitalization and improvement it provides. It’s all about “weasel words” or, in this case, “weasel punctuation.”
Are Celloplex and Juvalift miracle products?
Lee asks…Can you expose CelloPlex and JuvaLift, please (unless these really ARE the ‘miracle products’ to which all the stars are turning!
I couldn’t find an ingredient list for Celloplex but any product that claims to work “better than Botox” is obviously over-hyped. There doesn’t appear to be any that special about Juvalift. It contains (among other things) Ceramides (which are used in a lot of products) Retinol Palmitate (which is about the least effective form of retinol), and Palmitoyl oligopeptide (a peptide which is also used in other products.)
Is facial mapping for real?
More Blonde Than Human says…I’ve had two facialists praise facial mapping (wherein acne on different parts of the face correlates with functioning of various internal organs.) But it it seems… unscientific. Thoughts?
“Unscientific” pretty much says it all. This idea is so ridiculous that I was surprised to find so many articles in a quick web search. But even most of these articles said something like “such and such dermatologist says there’s no research that proves this is true.” We even had one reader say the following…
“These articles that discuss facial mapping I believe point out that the ancient Chinese used it so therefore it must be true (I’m Chinese btw and I’ve never heard of this from my family but rather from these articles!).”
This is a logical fallacy (Argument from antiquity).
Should beauty science be kept secret?
Irina asks…‘In your educated opinions: How important is secrecy (either technology or ingredients) when developing a new beauty product? And are there advantages to keeping some of those ingredients or technologies secret when the beauty product is released to the public?
I agree that Ingredients must be labeled… but that doesn’t mean the ingredient list discloses all the product’s secrets. For example:
- Ingredient that has a surprise benefit – color protection.
- Ingredient combination that works better than single ingredients – hairspray
- How ingredients are put together makes a difference – patent on silicone dispersion.
Also, companies can protect specific technology with patents without being “secret.”
Why is sunscreen always greasy?
Roni asks…Why is sunscreen so slick and oily?
Here’s a quick answer to your question: basically, you’re out of luck! Sunscreens feel oily for two reasons. First the UV absorbers used in sunscreens are oil soluble. Without a good slug of an oil like material the UV absorber won’t stay dissolved. Second, to keep the UV absorber on skin after exposure to sweat or moisture formulas have to be waterproof and that means more oil.
You might have better luck with some of the so-called “dry oil” products. I don’t recall a brand name off the top of my head but I have seen products that use esters which feel a little less greasy than traditional oils. Look for the phrase “dry oil” on the label.