50 Tips for Healthier Skin at Any Age

Fiona (last name withheld) alerted me to this article 50 Tips for Healthier Skin at Any Age, which features helpful advice on protection from the sun, skin care, healthy living, what goes in your body, what goes on your body, and supplements.

The article states, "Your hair has oils on it, so when your hair is constantly touching your face, it is transferring those oils. Keep your hair back or find a new cut that features your face front and center." I would add that one should change pillowcases (in which case, it's advisable to buy more than one set of pillowcases) and clean their combs and brushes every time they wash their hair - especially if she goes without washing their hair for several days!

The article did not mention the use of AHAs and BHAs for exfoliation. For advice on AHAs and BHAs in particular and skin care in general, consult The Beauty Brains based on the popular blog and Paula Begoun's The Beauty Bible.

More mineral madness

When I went to Target last week, I was surprised to see Bare Escentuals kits at the end of the aisle. I shouldn't have been surprised. Target always strives to be up-to-moment, with its tie-ups with various designers. As for Leslie Blodgett (as she's the CEO and face of Bare Escentuals, I'll target her), she never misses an opportunity to push her product, whether it's through TV ads, half hour informercials, QVC, Sephora, Ulta, or Bare Escentuals boutiques.

My previous article Mineral Madness struck a chord with readers. Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog commended me on the article. I was surprised, however, to receive messages from founders of startup beauty lines who were glad that someone had finally called out companies on claims about mineral cosmetics.

Ruthie Malloy of Illuminaré Cosmetics wrote, "Most women are judging mineral makeup brands by which is most “pure”, or which doesn’t have parabens or bismuth oxychloride and yet they totally are missing the most important feature and benefit that mineral makeup should provide," namely sunscreen. While Bare Escentuals' bareMinerals has obtained the seal of the Skin Cancer Foundation for being rated SPF 15 (another brilliant marketing ploy by Leslie Blodgett), it's hard to believe that a light dusting of its powder foundation will provide adequate sun protection.

Jennifer Bradley of Goddessy Rx wrote, "I am so happy to hear that someone is finally mentioning how the mineral makeup companies are using the terms 'mineral' and 'all natural' in such liberal terms. These companies are merely scamming the average consumer with this marketing ploy. Talc, of all things, is for one, an all natural occurring mineral. It is not even toxic, as many of these companies claim!" Indeed. Talc has been used in cosmetics safely for years.

Both Ruthie and Jennifer make excellent points. Be skeptical about the claims for mineral makeup, know your ingredients, and recognize that "mineral" is just another marketing construct.

North American certification for natural and organic cosmetics

From Cosmeticsdesign.com comes this article Natural and organic certification developed specifically for cosmetics. Canadian organization Certech Registration Inc. announces certification of cosmetics products as "organic." The certification rules have the same requirements as those provided by Ecocert, a certification body based in France.

Currently, the only products that Certech Registration Inc. has certified are eaurganic products from Canadian company d'Avicenna. This does not mean other products do not meet Certech's requirements; it might mean that other companies have not submitted their products for certification. It would be interesting to know what certification costs: for example, a CEO of a small independent cosmetics company told me that one pays $10,000 per year for the Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation. Certification or recognition therefore would be prohibitive for small companies such as hers.

NSF International, another product certification body, plans to roll out its own rules for organic products this spring, if these rules are agreed upon.

For other articles on The Style Page blog about organic cosmetics, see Who Needs Soy Lecithin? 'S.T. Lawder,' Naturally - WSJ.com and Work Initiated on American National Standard for Organic Personal Care Products.

In a subsequent article, I'll review Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer from Physicians Formula. The Organic wear™ line advertises itself as the first Ecocert certified Organic Line of Makeup in the U.S.

Who Needs Soy Lecithin? 'S.T. Lawder,' Naturally - WSJ.com

Origins Organics

Who Needs Soy Lecithin? 'S.T. Lawder,' Naturally from the December 28, 2007 edition of the Wall Street Journal discusses how Estee Lauder (get it? "S.T. Lawder"?) searched for a source that extracted soy lecithin without chemicals for the Origins Organics line.

Soy lecithin is an emulsifier, which enables oil and water to be blended together. Estee Lauder found its source through American Natural Soy Inc., a seed processor in Iowa. American Natural Soy Inc. faced special challenges in being a supplier to Estee Lauder: as the article notes, "Because the germ levels permitted in beauty products are stricter than those of food products -- given cosmetics' long shelf life and vulnerability to contamination -- Estée Lauder's technical requirements for the emulsifier were tougher than the two companies [American Natural Soy Inc. and its partner] were used to."

Other organic ingredients were sourced from around the world: "Organic palm oil ... in Brazil, clove in Indonesia, coconut oil in the Philippines, olive oil in Greece, thyme in Spain and lavender in Bulgaria." Is Estee Lauder also concerned about sustainable agriculture? As noted in the post about Lush, Lush is seeking to eliminate palm oil from its products, as some countries are clearing rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations.

NOTE Many WSJ.com articles are available for subscribers only.

Lush develops palm oil-free soap base

Lush, the purveyors of bath and body products with clever names, natural ingredients, and minimal packaging, is taking yet another step for environmental responsibility. It will switch from palm oil base for its soaps to base using sunflower, rapeseed and coconut oil. To meet the demand for palm oil, countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have been clearing rainforests to build palm plantations. Lush claims that sunflower and rapeseed are sustainable products harvested in Europe, while coconut oil is sourced from sustainable plantations in Indonesia.

For more, see Lush develops palm oil-free soap base

The fun Gus is having with you

"But Gus the gardener’s left now and you went with him, too
The fungus there reminds me of the fun Gus is having with you" - Garden of Love

Could a breakthrough in treating dandruff be far off? Scientists at P&G Complete Genome Sequence of Fungus Responsible for Dandruff, Skin Disorders (a really gross picture of the fungus Malassezia globosa may be seen by selecting this link).

The opening paragraph from this Reuters article Dandruff's genes sequenced is graphic enough:

First, researchers grew enough fungus to give dandruff to 10 million people. Next, they sequenced its genes. Then they found out that not only does an icky fungus live on your head and cause dandruff-- but it could be having sex. On your head. Right now.

This fungus had been discovered to reproduce sexually. According to the article, 10 liters of this fungus is enough for 10 million people.

Two consumer items for cosmetics users

Cosmetics Products Get a Makeover - A new international standard provides guidelines for the detection and identification of candida albicans, which can contaminate cosmetics while in production. Yes, candida, the nasty little fungus responsible for yeast infections. However, there is no reason for alarm: most cosmetics are safe to use.

FDA Proposes New Rule for Sunscreen Products - The Food and Drug Administration (U.S.) has proposed rules for rating UVA in a sunscreen and labeling sunscreens. SPF covers protection from UVB rays only. In addition, the FDA proposes this warning label on sunscreens:"UV exposure from the sun increases the risk of skin cancer, premature skin aging, and other skin damage. It is important to decrease UV exposure by limiting time in the sun, wearing protective clothing, and using a sunscreen."

The FDA is accepting comments on the proposed rules until November 26, 2007. You may submit comments to FDA referencing Docket No. 1978N-0038.

Removing Eye Makeup: More Important than You Think!

Soon after I publshed a criticism on the fallacy of keeping mascara and eyeliner on overnight, Paula Begoun noted, "a basic remedy for puffy, irritated, crepey skin around the eyes was being sure to remove every last trace of eye makeup before you go to bed" and recommended using an eye makeup remover in addition to a water-soluble cleanser.


Artificial tears - a must in your makeup kit

On a related issue, I recently had some inflammation along the lower eyelid. I quit wearing eye makeup on the lower lid, applied artificial tears
(not eye drops formulated with steroids) and an eye ointment
, and began washing my hands more thoroughly. I use hand sanitizers like Purell
only sparingly, as I take seriously the fact that bacteria and microbes will mutate into more resistant strains in response to antiseptics.

The longest corporate legal battle

... or so it seems.

I am no fan of direct selling or multi-tier marketing (examples: Amway, Mary Kay). I don't like the aggressive selling or recruitment of customers to be salespeople, with the benefits accruing to those above them. Moreover, I don't like how many of these companies often conflate religion with selling a product.



Probably the most egregious example to conflate religion with selling products was the rumours spread by Amway distributors to tie Procter & Gamble to satanic worship because of P & G's (former) use of a logo featuring a man in the moon and 13 stars. I suspect that the distributors thought that this would play well among conservative Christian customers. For more background, see Logo controversy on Wikipedia. I regarded this effort to be defamation of P & G.

Now Amway is challenging the decision that they pay P & G nearly $20 million in legal expenses:
Amway claims P&G Satanic damages to be improper

Paula Begoun questions sources and methodology of cosmetics ingredient report

Paula

The Beauty > Consumer page of The Style Page provides links to product reviews, sites on cosmetics safety, and animal testing. This page links to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep report, "a safety assessment of ingredients in personal care products." Paula Begoun questions the sources and methodology used by the EWG in her Beauty Bulletin in response to an inquiry about the safety of titanium dioxide, which is used as a white pigment in cosmetics and also as a sunscreen ingredient.

Paula notes,

"Much of what the EWG reported was confusing or hard to interpret as their sources either didn’t include the actual substance being evaluated or they used animal and inhalation studies ... Rats being fed or injected with substances doesn’t relate to how it is used (or what effect it might have) when mixed in a cosmetic and applied on the skin."