Last week I was asked by Cynthia (also known as Miss Lipgloss) if I could let her know what the difference is between Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate. It struck me that in no time there were more than a 100 people who had reacted to the piece on her blog.
Before buying a skincare product I always check its ingredients list. And if alcohol is listed near the top I usually put it straight back on the shelf. Alcohol can dry out and irritate your skin considerably.
Lately I have received many questions about sun allergies. Even yesterday a beauty journalist asked, why it is that sun allergies are more common now than a few years ago. I have my suspicions about this!
The cosmetic industry is, with an annual turnover of around 220 billion dollars, one of the biggest in the world! And it is still growing. I wrote two years ago that the “average woman” uses around 9 products a day, it currently stands at 12. I am noticing though that people have lost their faith in the effectiveness of cosmetic products. It’s a pity, because despite my often critical comments, I believe more than ever in the possibilities of cosmetic products. Searching for your wonder cream…
It is no longer a surprise for most people; fragrances in skincare products are the most common cause of a cosmetic allergy. These fragrances are found on the ingredients list under the heading of perfume or fragrance.
Some fragrances must be listed separately on the packaging because they are known to cause problems for many consumers.
Ruby, diamond, gold! Skincare products are now more frequently advertised with these type of luxury ingredients. And then the asking price for such products is easily a couple of hundred euros. Better still La Prairie retail one product at 1,000 euros.
If the magazines are to be believed then your ‘skincare regime’ is not complete without a weekly mask. I’ve personally never had enough patience for them. Besides I’m always a bit scared of being caught out by the rest of my family with a strange white face. Some people do swear by them.
“There are many things that we know we know. There are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also things that we don’t know that we don’t know. And this last category grows each year.” This statement applies to many things in life, but also especially to do with the safety of cosmetics. How can we be sure and guarantee that ingredients in cosmetics are safe if we don’t ask ourselves what effect daily use has, on children, pregnant women and from long term use. Safety is a relative term that has been demonstrated many times throughout history. Remember a certain type of phthalates which were once safe but are now no longer permitted to be used in cosmetics. “At that time we didn’t know that we didn’t know it, but now we do know it”. Therefore today more information about Oxybenzone.
It is not easy reading and understanding the list of ingredients (INCI) on cosmetic products. In fact it is this information which should be used to determine if a product is good or not. Many claims which are found on the packaging of cosmetic products such as ‘hypo-allergenic’ or ‘dermatologically tested’ don’t really tell us very much. The INCI list is therefore an impartial way in which to choose a product.
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