I once burned a patch of skin on my face so badly that it oozed for several days. I have no idea what I used to cause that reaction, mostly because I used to put a lot of things on my face. I just told everyone that I had burned myself with my curling iron because that seemed less embarrassing. Fortunately, events like that are rare and most things that we apply to our skin at worst will be irritating, at best- effective. I’m a person of necessity though now- and I wonder if 30, or 40, or 50 or 60 ingredients in any product are ever necessary.
So why does the beauty industry not catch on? To a certain extent, I think the trend towards organic or homeopathic products is a backlash to those overpowering lists on the backs of bottles. The word ‘chemical’ has been shamed by the massive amounts of company it tends to keep. It’s been misrepresented a bit though- plant extracts are chemicals as is water. Rather than dismissing chemicals, I’d rather formulators show a little bit of discipline instead. Choose chemicals that have been proven effective, put them in the right concentration. It’s not mystery science.
To a certain extent- it is the fault of us the users. It is not complicated to moisturize the skin. Yet many of us prefer thick, luxurious puffs of cream with the odd gold fleck and a whiff of fragrance. Those add-ons increase the ingredient list significantly. Sometimes, even brands that are “Committed to Dermatology” can slip up and include ingredients that Contact Dermatologists know are irritating but the public does not know. For instance Propylene Glycol tops a lot of ingredient lists but causes a reaction in 4% of the population. (Parabens can cause a reaction in less than 1%!) Or we rebel against the brands that our dermatologist offers us because the packaging is tantamount to a white jug and it’s called ‘something-Derm’ (just joking! Our name is chock full of sex appeal).
Also- not to draw the ire of Health Canada- but cosmetics/cosmeceuticals are regulated in a back-ended way. There are a few but a limited amount of rules that the industry has to abide by when formulating. The Hot list restricts the use of certain chemicals or the concentration that they can be used in but it is not extensive and really only covers ones that can pose a real safety concern. However, while Health Canada does limit its involvement with formulating, it has very clear rules about marketing claims that can border on semantics- I’m not complaining (yes I am). For example- an anti-aging cream can claim to “improve the appearance of fine wrinkles” but cannot claim to “improve fine wrinkles”. If you are a born litigator then the difference in language might be material to you- but for the rest of us, the distinction is a bit mute. Yet, this distinction is meant to be one of the few safeguards consumers have and it comes only at the end of developing the product.
I did a little bit of pharmacy sleuthing yesterday. I walked the aisles looking for moisturizers and cleanser that I liked based on their ingredient list-pen and paper in hand. Mostly I looked odd/like a shoplifter. I did find a few that I was lukewarm about but from a jam packed aisle I should have found plenty.
Finally, the following are some ingredients that are known irritants to look out for: Tea tree oil, Quaternium-15, ylang ylang oil, Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol or alpha tocopherol acetate), lanolin, propylene glycol and most fragrances.
As always, bring on your questions, even if they do not relate to this week’s post. Next week-sunscreens! Yes, the poll is a trick question.
All the Beauty best,
Sara A. DudleyLabels: Chemicals, Good skin care formulations, green beauty