Are superfoods effective beauty ingredients?
Jana asks…What are your thoughts on the best foods in skin care? Ingredients like acacia, coconut, grapeseed oil, berries, green tea, avocado, turmeric and resveratrol.
What the heck IS superfood? There is no scientific or medical explanation. You’ll often see them described like this: “superfoods are powerful sources of nutrients that pack large doses of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals.”
Jana’s question came at a good time because I was asked the same thing by a reporter from R29. You asked about things like Kale, Spirulina, and Chia seeds.
First of all, this is not a surprising trend. Edible ingredients are a common source of inspiration for cosmetic products and it usually takes a few years for an ingredient to “catch on” in the food industry before it becomes popular in personal care. We’ve seen this with things like Pomegranate, Açaí Berries, Kiwi, and Dragon Fruit. Why is this happening? First of all these things SOUND like they could help you. They are very tempting.
Second, the food industry has stricter research requirements than cosmetics so there is more data on the nutritional value of food. That kind of data makes a good story which is one of the reasons you see so many food ingredients make up cosmetics.
What do we think of this trend? I think there are 3 reasons why superfoods in beauty products are more popular than science:
- The good thing about superfoods may be that they are nutritious but they are not necessarily good for the skin. Just because something is good for you when you eat it doesn’t mean it will do anything when you rub it on your skin. For example, kale is rich in iron which does nothing for the skin.
- Even if a superfood contains an ingredient that benefits the skin that ingredient may not be effective when applied topically. There must be a proposed method of how the ingredient will work when applied to the skin AND it must penetrate the skin to where it needs to work. Green tea is a good example. The active component of EGCG is water soluble so it is not well suited for skin absorption.
- Even if a superfood contains a beneficial ingredient and that ingredient works when applied topically, it is STILL unlikely to provide any benefit because it is not enough. Many products contain super foods and use them in very low doses. Vitamin C is really effective for example but needs to be used at levels of around 10 to 20%. Superfoods contain very small amounts.
If you want the goodie benefits of a superfood why not just use those ingredients like vitamin C?
Can I mix VO5 hair with hair gel?
Scott says… I’ve read really good reviews about VO5 Conditioning Hairdressing and I’m dying to try it. I was wondering, would I be able to mix a dab of it with hair gel? I want to be able to add products to my hair when it’s still wet and then leave it to dry and set properly, before I brush it.
VO5 hair care is a classic hair care product that we have been proud to work with for several years. It contains a mixture of fatty substances such as petrolatum, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate and certain waxes. (Back in the day it used to contain lanolin as well.) It’s great for making hair shiny and manageable. On the other hand, hair gels are usually water-based. They include a hardening agent and some type of hold or polymer conditioning.
Since the hair conditioner is oil based and the gel is water based the two will not mix well. That means you won’t be able to pre-assemble your bundle together. (Even if you might be able to mix it beforehand, that’s not a good idea because the preservative system might be compromised.) If you just want to mix a small dab together in the palm of your hand, that’s not a small problem. It won’t damage your hair but it may have an unpleasant consistency and may not dry well. But if you want to try, go for it!
Should I use soap or shower gel – part 2
Back in episode 134 we answered a question from Lil’ Tabby who wanted to know if it’s better to wash with shower gel or soap. We pointed out that a good alternative would be syndet bars (which stand for synthetic detergent bars) which are very popular in the US.
But our British friend Colin Sanders from Colin’s Beauty Pages has a slight objection to our answer. Listen to the show and hear him explain in his own words but I will summarize his key points:
- Syndet bars are not very popular in Europe.
- European soaps are rich because they are based on palm oil.
- Detergents always involve a trade-off between gentleness, cleaning power, and foaming.
How does permanent eyebrow makeup work?
Yimmy from Thailand says… My question is about the temporary makeup trend that is sweeping Asia right now. There is an eyebrow tattoo gel that you apply thick layers of gel to your brows overnight and peel them off in the morning and blind! You get eyebrows that last all week. Are such products safe and how do they work?
I looked at the Etude House product you asked about and was surprised to see that it is actually a very clever design. Instead of relying on conventional eyebrow colorants (which can be washed off) this product uses the same active DHA used in sunless tanners. It mainly tones (or more precisely, lubricates) the skin under your eyes. No wonder it lasts all week!
As long as you don’t get the product in your eyes you should be safe. We will have to wait and see if it will continue as a trend.
Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Butylene glycol, POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, Dihydroxyacetone, PVP, 1,2-hexanediol, Yellow 6 (CI 15985), POLYSORBATE 80, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol 30330, Blue CiRED, 1 CiRED Accommod, 1, 1 CiREDA (CI 42090), Disodium EDTA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract Leaf, Centella Asiatica Extract
Beauty Stories of Science
Consumers Sue Counterfeit Anti-Aging Serum
Link
Reviva Labs is in trouble for its “Stem Cell Booster Serum with Swiss Apple Stem Cells.” It turns out that they claimed that this product uses apple stem cells to prevent aging. It sounds like a great natural alternative to all those nasty synthetic chemicals. There are only two problems with that, according to an article I read…”there is no scientific evidence that stem cells can be used in humans” and the product is “a fake sold illegally as a drug instead of an unapproved drug.” Details, details.
To make a long story short, their company is being sued for $5M in a class action lawsuit. It’s one thing when companies are sued for security reasons but I like the idea of them responding to misleading allegations.
Old Spice deodorant upsets consumers
Link
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Nikkipoo says..This podcast is a great combination of entertainment and education. There are a lot of dangerous myths floating around on social media today and these guys do a great job of tackling these myths from a scientific perspective.
Bestinbreed says…I love you smart guys! As a professional pet breeder I have learned a lot about not only what I use on myself but also what I use on dogs. Thanks guys!
