Read-the-Label: Embryolisse Essential Dry Skin Balm

I have mentioned the Embryolisse Essential Dry Skin Balm in the last post about shea butter, so I thought it would be nice to discuss the ingredient list of the balm.

The ingredient list is short, I guess something we all like (fewer ingredients means lower cost price, which equals a cheaper retail price):

BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII. HYDROGENATED SWEET ALMOND OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, PRUNUS ARMENIACA KERNEL OIL. PARFUM

The list starts with Butyrospermum parkii, known as Shea or Karité butter.
I guess that the listing will be changed soon to Vitellaria paradoxa, because that is the new, proper name.
Shea butter is known for its moisturizing properties, and consists of fatty
acids and anti-oxidants. The melting point of shea butter (at which the butter becomes an oil) is very close to the temperature of the human body, so the butter melts when you rub your finger over the balm. Be careful when you have a latex allergy.

A Closer Look At: Shea Butter

Vitellaria paradoxa

Today I want to highlight an ingredient – Vitellaria paradoxa. Perhaps you might have heard of it, with it’s more common name: Shea or Karité Butter. The name ‘shea’ comes from ‘s’í’, the name of the tree in Bamana (spoken in Mali). ‘Karité’ comes from ‘ghariti’, the equivalent in Wolof (spoken in Senegal). It used to be listed as Butyrospermum parkii, but has changed recently to Vitellaria paradoxa.

I think I’m going to refer it as shea butter from now on – so I don’t make any more spelling errors than necessary

Shea butter is an oil that is solid at room temperature (around 20 degrees celcius) from the Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa).

The tree grows in central Africa, in a range of nearly 5,000 km from Senegal to Uganda. The tree is perennial, meaning that it grows for more than two years – most trees do so anyway). The first fruit comes from the tree is when it’s about 10 – 15 years old, and production is in full swing when the tree is about 20 – 30 years old. For 200 years, the tree produces nuts.

The fruits are plum shaped and need to ripen for 4 – 6 months. The avarage yield is 15 – 20 kilograms of fresh fruit per tree, with a maximum up to 45 kilograms. Each kilogram of fruit yields about 400 grams of dry seeds – per tree it is 400 grams x 15 kilograms, about 6000 gram of nuts – and that for about 200 years!

The oil (or butter) is extracted from the nuts. Traditionally, first the outer pulp (the fruit) is removed and the nut is dried. After drying, the nuts are separated from the outer. This can be done with an machine (but there is controversy whether those nuts are still useful), but mostly it is done by eldery women and young girls, by cracking the shells with small rocks.

Then, the nuts must be crushes.This is done with heavy pestles, slamming them into mortars. This is a very heavy and long proces. 

The crushed nuts are then roasted in huge pots over open wood fires. The pots must be stirred constantly with wooden paddles so the butter does not burn. The butter is heavy and stirring is hard under the african sun. This is also where the slightely smokey scent comes from traditional shea butter originates from.

 

 

After the roasting, the nuts are ground into a smoother paste, water is gradually added and the paste is mixed well by hand. The paste is kneaded by hand in large basins and water is gradually added to help separate out the butter oils. As they float to the top, the butter oils, which are in a curd state, are removed and excess water squeezed out.

The butter oil curds are then melted in large open pots over slow fires. A period of slow boiling will remove any remaining water, by evaporation.

 

Collecting and shaping: The shea butter, which is creamy or golden yellow at this point, is ladled from the top of the pots and put in cool places to harden. Then it is formed into balls. In the cosmetic industry, shea butter can be refined, either with chemicals such as hexane or by clay filtering.
The shea butter extract is a mixture of fat that contains, besides many components that can’t react with an alkali (a strong base, such as sodiumhydroxide) to become a soap, a diversity of fatty acids like oleic acid (40-60%), stearic acid (20-50%), linoleic acid (3-11%), palmitic acid (2-9%), linolenic acid (<1%) and arachidic acid (<1%).  Shea butter is a rich source of antioxidants, including epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, gallocatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate, as well as quercetin (Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, October 2003, pages 6268–6273).
Because shea butter is a product formed by nature, the concentration of these oils may vary.

Shea butter is mostly used in cosmetics and medicinal ointments as a base or because of it’s moisturizing properties. Shea butter is solid, but its melting point is very close to the temperature of the human body (37 degrees Celcius), so that after a bit of rubbing, the butter becomes liquid again so it can be easily spread and absorbs quickly into the skin.

Take for instance the Embryolisse Essential Dry Skin Balm, in which shea butter is the main component, or the Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre or Lait Fluide.

Shea butter gives it it’s great moisturizing properties.

For the dutch readers: here is Beautytreat’s review of the Baume Secours  ~Monique

Some soap makers love to add shea butter in small amounts (5-7% of the total of oils used) because it leaves a small amount of oil in the soap (the parts of the oil that do not transform to a soap, as written above). Some of the components of shea butter are reported to be anti-inflammatory, moisturizing and humectant properties. It also can be used as a sunblocking lotion (but I would’nt DIY with it – not unless you have a tried and tested recipe). Oh, and if you are allergic to latex, watch out with Shea butter, because there might be chance for a cross-allergy (another example for a cross-allergy is that if you are allergic to peaches, you also might be allergic to birch because of the allergens (the substance which the body reacts to in case of an allergy) look a lot alike.

Until next time,

Dymphy

Read-the-Label: Model in a Bottle setting spray

A setting spray locks in make up, and eliminates the necessity of touch ups. It gives a matte finish, and is resistance to smudging, tears, humidity and water. These qualities makes it excellent for days when extra staying power is needed, like photo- and theater makeup, brides, workouts. You name it, it will hold.

On the ingredientlist:
SD Alcohol 40B, Purified Water, Isopentyldiol, Acrylates / Octocrylamide, Copolymer, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Biosaccharide Gum, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, and light Fragrance 

This ingredientlist is, well, a bit poor. There is no proper INCI listing of the ingredients, and some ingredients are incomplete. But, let’s give it a try.

SD Alcohol 40B, I was a bit sceptical whether or not this was the proper listing. SD Alcohol 40B is denaturated alcohol. I have seen many products just listing Alcohol denat. Alcohol is denaturated ethanol (the most common alcohol – can also be found in beer) so that it is impossible to drink. I know, if somebody wants to drink denaturated alcohol, it will probably be easy to do so, but don’t expect to wake up the next morning. One common way to denaturate alcohol is to add methanol, which is highly toxic. The SD in the name stands for “specially denaturated”, in which the “40B” is the recipe/formula/protocol used to make the denaturated alcohol.

Most types of alcohol are drying to the skin. A setting spray is used to evaporate on top of the makeup, to lock it in place so it goes nowhere. Another popular product group are the finishing sprays. Those are not suited to do pro make up. They don’t contain alcohol, so the make up isn’t locked onto the skin, it just makes the make up look better by creating a dewy finish. It also acts as a solvent.

Purified Water. The right way to list water on an ingredientlist is to refer it as “Aqua”. Anyway, I guess that most people know what water is. It acts as a solvent which the other ingredients are mixed into. 

Isopentyldiol, another alcohol. Combined with sorbitol (which is not the case), it can moisturize the skin. I have found that the ingredient is tested on rabits.
(Model in a Bottle spray as a whole is, however, only tested on models  ~ Monique)

Acrylates / Octocrylamide, Copolymer, for the sake of convinience, I grouped them. Acrylates and polymers form a film, which protects (in this case) the skin and make up from water.

For Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) I had to go to the Model in the Bottle website to discover that the extract of the plant is used (my bet was on Aloe Vera gel). Aloe Vera is very popular moisturizing agent and can be found in many products. It is proven to work when it is in the pure form (like, straight from the plant), it is still not discovered whether or not it works in processed form. There is still quite some discussion about it, but when there is some adequate research done, I’ll write an article about it.

Biosaccharide Gum is a gum that isn’t properly listed. Therefore, I can’t look up the ingredient. Anyway, from what I can derive from the name that it is a gum, derived from a sugar (“saccharide” means “sugar”) and consists of two (“bi” means “two”) sugarmolecules or, well, sugars from an organic source. Based on other gums, I can go as far as telling that this ingredient is used as a thickening, emulsifiying or stabilizing agent.

Propylparaben & Methylparaben. It is a delight to see something listed properly. Parabens (propyl has three extra carbon atoms, methyl one) are one of the most effective and non-irritating preservatives and is in use as far from the 1920′s. Do use spf with it. And last,

light Fragrance. I hate to end a post with a sour note, but “light” is, well, to say it without having to censore my words (sorry Monique!),  an absolute disappointment. Doesn’t it sound ridicolous? I can image what I say if it would be applied to those two parabens above: “… and this formula is preserved with the help of a hint of light methylparaben…” Ah well, you get the point. I am assuming that there are no fragrance components that are prone to cause allergies (such as citronollol or coumarin), because it is required that those are listed as well.
(I have to disagree with Dymphy here, in my opinion, “light” is just used as a description and it is, well, a light fragrance. It doesn’t bother me personally, but of course to each his/her own ~Monique)

Anyway, the ingredients are listed somewhat poorly, but don’t let it withold you from buying it. The product is wonderful – it just needs a chemist that can properly label the ingredientlist.

Until next time,
Dymphy

A Closer Look At: Anti-Oxidants

Recently, I wrote a paragraph about anti-oxidants in the article about parabens. Here’s a recap:

Anti-oxidants can capture so called “free radicals” which are free electrons that roam the body in search of a bond they can make. Sometimes, in order to create such a bond, they break up excisting bonds, thus creating damage in the body. Instead of letting the free electrons break up stuff, anti-oxidants prevent the electrons creating damage by offering a bonding place. That also explains the anti-oxidant hype.

Truth is, although it is proven that anti-oxidants work ‘in vitro’ (in a petridish in a laboratorium), there is insufficient proof that it also works that way in the body (‘in vivo’). Perhaps I’ll explain more in a follow-up article.

While it is correct (otherwise I wouldn’t write it), I think I owe a somewhat more detailed explanation. It all has to do with atoms and their electrons. Everything in the world is composed of atoms. Yes. The chair you’re sitting on (assuming that you are sitting on one). Your mobile phone. Your hair. The rest of your body.

An atom consist of a nucleus that consists of protons (positive charged) and neutrons. Around the nucleus, the electrons circle in, well, circles called shells. Perhaps you have seen this (pictured below) in some popular (wannabe) scientific program on tv.

These shells have a tendency to become “full”. The first ring wants to have two electrons, the second ring eight, and so on. However, some atoms do not have enough electrons to completely fill the outer shell, and therefore, will seek some companionship. This is why molecules (multiple atoms together) exsist. Take for instance water. Water’s chemical structure/name is H2O. That means that water is made out of two hydrogen atoms (H2) and one oxygen atom (O). The two hydrogenatoms only have one electron each, so they seek companionship to complete their circle. They found a partner in oxygen, who is missing two electrons as well. A reaction occurs and voilà: water.


Above, water is pictured (without the protons en neutrons in the nucleus). The electrons are pictured as little blue circles. The outer shells of oxygen and the two hydrogenatoms are combined, so that both atoms have a full shell. But, if an atom can’t find a partner, then it is known as a free radical. Free radicals can damage other molecules, to create a binding to satisfy themselves (this is actually called oxidating). Pretty selfish. But imagine if those molecules are part of something bigger, like cells, which can be part of something like your skin. We don’t want that to happen.

Enter: anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants offer a possiblity, a double bond between two atoms (in the anti-oxidants), which can break and therefore can offer two extra electrons for the free radical to bind. This is proven in vitro. In vitro means in a petridish on the lab. Why is that? Anti-oxidants can deteriorate when exposed (for some time) to air and light (UV radiation). It is possible that the anti-oxidant in your jar of fabulous anti-oxidant cream has, well, detoriated. One way to avoid this is to seek products which are packaged in opaque tubes or bottles and to check if the opening dispenses only small amounts of product to minimize the exposure of the product to air and light.

O, and eat your veggies and fruits. They are loaded with anti-oxidants!

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time,

Dymphy

Sources:
Picture 1: http://www.dipity.com/AyumuT3497/Atomic-Theory-Timeline/
Picture 2: http://www.historyoftheuniverse.com/shelmod6.html

How-To: get the most out of your Beauty Blender!

Pretty cool video from the pros at Beauty Blender, and one by Koren Zander, showing you how to get the best results from you pink egg!
It shows you:

• how to take it out of the packaging (yes this does make a difference!)
• why it’s best to use it damp rather than dry
• how to apply product with it
• how to clean your beauty blender
• what to do when your blender is past it’s prime

Hope you enjoyed and if you have any questions, leave them in the comment box!

Read-the-Label: Yaby Pearl Paints

Yaby is the number one in the field of an organized kit. Ok, Z-palletes are great as well (great transparant front!), but only Yaby combines palettes and products.
Today, I picked the Pearl Paints to look at the label. They are available in 15,5 mm refill pans and can be used in either 40-well palettes, freestyle palettes or Zpalettes.

The ingredientlist is actually quite short:
Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Phenyl Trimethicone, Talc, Magnesium Stearate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT.

May Contain: Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Chromium Oxide Greens, FD&C Red No.40 Al Lake, FD&C Yellow No.5 Al Lake, FD&C Blue No.1 Al Lake.

Mica comprises a group of crystallized minerals that naturally occur in thin, separated sheets. It is used as pigment in most mineral makeups (and many other products like eyeshadow, blushes and powders) to give it colour and to add a luminescent shine. The colour of mica ranges from pale green to black, and colourless. Mica has a nearly weightless and silky texture. Mica can be the ingredient that most people with oily skin dislike: it can interact with the oil in the skin, making the colour look darker and make the skin shine. It also enhances wrinkles and fine lines.

Titanium Dioxide: also known as Titanium white, Pigment white 6, or CI77891, provides the enhanced coverage and a matte finish. It can also act as sunscreen and as a thickening agent. Because of it’s gentleness, it is great to use around the eyes. While it can provide sun protection, but in these doses only at a very low level. The titanium dioxide particles used in sunscreens and other products have to be coated with silica (sand) or alumina (aluminium oxide) because titanium dioxide on it’s own creates free radicals which are carcinogenic. If you happen to be allergic to silica or aluminium oxide, it is wise to avoid titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is occlusive and can clog pores, so it can either cure acne or breakouts, or worsen it (note: what may work for one, may not work for another).

Phenyl trimethicone: Ding, ding, ding, we have a silicone! Silicones are not bad, see my previous article about silicones. It provides the silky-smooth touch, and a breathable barrier for the skin. It has a ‘drier’ finish than dimethicone.

Talc: Most people will say that talc is a filler, however, it can also absorb excess oils. Some people think talc can cause cancer, but a study in 2006 showed that there is no evidence for the relation talc – lungcancer (source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2006, pages 4–9).

Magnesium Stearate: Magnesium stearate is often used as a carrier, the diluent in powders. Therefore it can be found in eyeshadow, blush and even medical tablets. It also has lubricating properties. Manufacturers love it because magnesium stearate prevents ingredients from sticking to the manufacturing equipment during the compression of chemical powders into solid tablets.

Methylparaben & Propylparaben: If you have read last Friday’s article on parabens, then you know that you don’t have to worry about or avoid them. They are one of the most effective and least harmful preservatives. Luckily, in this formula, titanium dioxide is also used, which gives you some protection against the sun. And, for a short recap: methylparaben is the one with one carbon atom added, and propylparaben is the paraben with three extra carbon atoms added.

BHT: Butylhydroxytoluene, an anti-oxidant with antiviral properties. It is therefore mostly used as a preservative.

Then, over to the pigments; I think, some of the colours are derived from mica (for instance, I guess that there’s mica in the colour “Emerald Green”). Unfortunatly, there is little information about pigments, so we have to trust the manufacturers on this one.

I have to say; most of the eyeshadow and other powders are the same. Mostly, a combination of mica, titanium dioxide and talc form the base of the majority of eyeshadows and blushes. Then preservatives are added, in this case, methyparaben, propylparaben and butylhydroxytoluene. What is very unique (at least, for me) is the silicone (phenyl trimethicone), I haven’t seen it before in a powder. I guess that’s why this product receives so many raving reviews all around the world.

Until next time,

Dymphy

As always, if you liked this post let us know! If you have more questions, let us know also!

A Closer Look At: Parabens

Parabens have a bad reputation. But why? And is it really wise to avoid them?

Let me first start to explain what parabens are.
There are different kinds of parabens. The list is endless: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, pentylparaben, hexylpraben, heptylparaben, octylparaben, nonylparaben, decylparaben, and so forward. The difference is the amount of carbon atoms added. The number of atoms stands for the name; “methyl” stands for one extra carbon atom, “butyl” for four extra atoms, “octyl” for eight (octyl – octopus – eight – a favourite mnemonic). The extra carbon atoms are added to 4 – hydroxzybenzoic acid. The adding of the carbon atoms is the “estering” of the hydrozybenzoic acid.
Hydrozybenzoic acid is an anti-oxidant which can be found in coconuts, although most of the 4 – hydroxybenzoic acid are made syntheticly.

To illustrate this point I have made a very boring infographic:

Parabens already have been used for ages, as food and cosmetic preservatives. Preservatives are necessary in cosmetic formulas, because of the product integrity (how the products looks, smells and performs, whether it is now, or six months from now, and for the control of the growth of microbes (fungus, bacteria, virusses (the herpes virus in lipsticks – the horror!)). Parabens are popular because they cause little risk of allergies, are low in cost, and there aren’t many alternative (and/or “natural”) preservatives available that work as well.

Anti-oxidants can capture so called “free radicals” which are free electrons that roam the body in search of a bond they can make. Sometimes, in order to create such a bond, they break up excisting bonds, thus creating damage in the body. Instead of letting the free electrons break up stuff, anti-oxidants prevent the electrons creating damage by offering a bonding place. That also explains the anti-oxidant hype.

Truth is, although it is proven that anti-oxidants work ‘in vitro’ (in a petridish), there is insufficient proof that it also works that way in the body (‘in vivo’). Perhaps I’ll explain more in a follow-up article. A funny fact is that metylparabens can be found in blueberries!

So, parabens have been around for ages, and yet, they are surrounded by controversy. Why is that? I blame the media.
A while (ok, a good while) ago, multiple scientists researched parabens. Some drew hasty conclusions (a no – no in the scientific world), some found that parabens looked a lot like estrogens (and estrogens are linked to cancer), which led to incorrect statements that parabens could cause cancer. The media picked it up, and started terrorizing the consumer. I will list the concerns or alleged “hazards” of parabens per topic:

Allergies and irritation: Parabens are known to cause very few allergies and irritations. The mayority of users (my estimate is 95%) do not develop allergies or irritations. Only people with very, very, very sensitive skin or rosecea can develop allergies or irritations. This is no rule: what works for one, may not work for another. Remember: every substance can cause allergies. What you should look at, is the allergy – rate. The allergy – rate is very low with parabens – you don’t have to worry about it.

Breastcancer: It all begun with a research in 2004 lead by Philippa Darbre. They researched 20 breast tumors and found parabens present in the sample. However, the conclusion was (okay, I have to admit, part of the conclusion was): ‘From this research it is not possible to say whether parabens actually caused these tumors’. There you have it. Since then, there is more research done. Some said parabens caused cancer, some said they don’t. It ended (well, at least for me) with a review (a type of scientific paper) in 2008 which looked at 59 research papers and found that there is ‘no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis (parabens are bad) was identified and no validated hypothesis appears likely to open the way to interesting avenues of research. Finally, it seems possible to affirm that this question does not constitute a problem of public health and that it appears therefore useless to pursue the research on the subject.’

Estrogen & Cancer: Estrogens can cause cancer. Parabens look (a bit) like estrogens (the longer the tail, ‘the carbon atoms’, the more they look and act like estrogen). However, research has shown that butylparaben is 100,000 weaker than estradiol (the, ehm, ‘sister’ of estrogen – they look a lot alike) and the effect was only observed at a dose level approximately 25,000 times higher than the level typically used to preserve products. Therefore, the estrogenic activity of parabens can be neglected.

UV Damage: It has been shown that parabens can react with UVB radiaton and therefore can lead to skin aging and DNA damage. However, if you sunbathe wisely and use sunscreen, you don’t have to worry.

I think I have covered all of the controversy surrounding parabens – most of them are incorrect. If you find any more alarming sounds about parabens, post a comment below and/or contact me (go to the “ask” page – and send a e-mail) and I will happily do more research.

To sum it all up: don’t worry about parabens. They are very safe and very effective. Do use a sunscreen though. As the FDA (the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration – the American institute on consumer safety) states: “FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of cosmetics containing parabens.”

Until next time,
Dymphy

Sources and further reading: Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, October 2010, pages 568-577;International Journal of Toxicology, Supplement 4, 2008, pages 1-82; Water Research, November 2008, pages 4578–4588; Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2005, page 22; Toxicology, January 2005, pages 471–488; Menopause, March–April 2002, pages 145–150; Critical Reviews in Toxicology, Golden et al, 2005; Menopause, May–June 2004, pages 281–289; Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, Spring 2002, pages 85–90; Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, January 2002, pages 49–60; American Journal of Epidemiology October 1996, pages 642–644