What are superfoods?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Thank you all for the amazing feedback I got from you on the different social networks about my latest article "What's a gluten-free diet?".

Right after the holiday season, we all love a good detox program to purify our body and soul from all our Christmas sins. Some of us take the plunge and go for the latest fad diet. Whereas others feel they got the whole Healthy Diet with particular attention to superfoods.

But what are those Superfoods everyone seem to talk about these days? And most importantly is there any truth, medical or theoretical evidence that these foods are Super?

What are Superfoods?

Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are considered to be especially beneficial for our health and well-being.

Superfood Berries

However the name 'Superfood' has been disputed by many saying that it is a non-medical term used in marketing with little scientific evidence for it. The term itself has been prohibited in the European Union since 2007 unless it is accompanied by a medical notice approved by an medically and scientifically accredited name or organisation.

What are these superfoods?

Berries, nuts and seeds in general, dark green vegetables (such as spinach, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli), citrus fruits, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, vegetables with bright, dark, or intense colors (such as beets and their greens, and sweet potatoes), many legumes (peanuts, lentils, beans, raw cocoa), and whole grains as a group.

You might say, 'Well, if these are good foods to begin with, foods that could be part of a healthy diet, what's wrong with naming them Superfoods?'

Tweet This - If these are good foods, part of a healthy diet, what's wrong with naming them Superfoods?

And in essence, there's nothing wrong with it if these are actually eaten as part of a healthy diet and not popped in your mouth in a pill form!!!

Green tea leaves from Chengdu

For example, green tea is well known for its superfood quality as it is a superoxidant and contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, and caffeine. Many weight loss supplements include green tea extracts but there is currently insufficient scientific evidence that consumption of green tea or its specific extract EGCG has any health benefit.  The FDA itself sent a warning letter in 2013 about false advertising and health claims concerning the effects of green tea consumption.

Why are they called Superfoods?

Many Superfoods contain natural chemicals that have been shown to have positive health effects in laboratory studies. These include antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

It’s certainly true that a healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes but it is unlikely that any single food will make a major difference on its own.  

Cancer Research UK note that Superfoods are often promoted as having an ability to prevent or cure diseases, including cancer; they caution, 'you shouldn’t rely on Superfoods to reduce the risk of cancer. They cannot substitute for a generally healthy and balanced diet'.

Fighting Cancer with Superfoods?

From HERE

There is some lab data that show that some of these ingredients can affect cancer cells in a laboratory setting, including killing them and stopping them from growing. But unfortunately jumping to the conclusion that eating those nutrient-rich foods can affect your cancer outcome is a biiiiiiig leap!

First of all, your body is a complex organism and the interactions between the food we eat and our bodies are much more complex than those between a purified chemical and cells in a tube.
Secondly, food is itself complex: An isolated chemical may behave very differently in a test tube than when it is eaten as part of food.
Last but not least, dose as always is of paramount importance. Even eating very large portions of a ‘superfood’ might not provide enough of a specific ingredient to a sufficient amount to have any effect on our health. For example, garlic contains a nutrient alleged to help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. But you'd have to eat up to 28 cloves a day to match the doses used in the lab!

Is it bad though?

As part of a healthy diet, the short answer is not at all. With everything though, dosing and pacing are essential. You won't get a quick fix by gorging yourself on Superfoods, you won't cure any disease and your disease risk may not be that much reduced if you are already on a healthy diet. If anything, an exclusive diet might put you at risk of deficiency of other essential nutrients.
Some foods when eaten in large quantities can put you at risk of toxicities - think fish and mercury - for example, some seaweeds contain natural toxins which are thought by some to increase risk of cancer and liver damage.

Do you like your Superfoods? Do you include them in your diet on purpose?

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

References and further reading

Wikipedia
Cancer Research UK - Superfoods
NHS - Superfoods

Are you a Calorie or a Chemical counter?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I know it is not possible to argue with everything and anything scientifically inaccurate that is happening on the net and especially on Facebook, but really... It IS difficult to let it go! Now I love social media, I love blogging, I love how all international communities come together, but with the amount of information that we are absorbing everyday, I think we are all guilty of forgetting to, once in a while, stop in our tracks and wonder 'Is it really true?'. Now, this article is certainly not a post about debugging some fact or another but about using my beloved Sexy blog to do just what its primary functions are supposed to be which are to 1. rant about something and 2. share information I deem useful/interesting/Sexy for my beloved Sexy readers! And now that I've finished 1. Let's get on with 2.:

The image that sparked this ranting is this one ==>

I'm sure all of you have seen it and I know from the number of Sexy requests I get that the majority of us are concerned about chemicals, whatever anyone refers to when using this word.
Also, my Sexy followers are Sexy because they are concerned about adopting a healthy lifestyle.
And as a Sexy note, I would like to define Sexiness as the level of confidence one can exhube when feeling healthy through whatever mean one employs to reach one's desired healthy state.

As a community blogger, I would like to share with you a couple of blog articles I particularly enjoyed and found most interesting and relate to this picture:

On the subject of calories
Everyday, I receive updates from the ScienceBlog. It's a very interesting and efficient way to keep up to date with the latest news on diverse subjects and be sure these are scientifically treated and accurately reported. A few months ago, I came across a particularly intriguing post on the confusing science behind weight loss. The concepts explained challenge what we know or think about weight loss-inducing diet as well as the relation between exercise and weight loss. If we are all interested in improving our health by adopting a healthy lifestyle, we are not so very good at implementing common sense in our quest. This article is certainly food for thought But beware it is not for extreme senseless decision making such as 'no point exercising then'.
As always, all in good measure!!

On the subject of chemicals
I wrote many articles on chemicals, notably a mini-series on chemicals in our make up as well as a mini-series on chemicals in shampoos with a special focus on Parabens and SLS.
Time and time again, we are getting confused by the scary nature of the word itself 'Chemicals', but do we really need to make a hotch potch of it all? That is precisely what I'm worried about when I read all these articles and see these pictures on FB/Pinterest.
To make sense of it all, I call upon a fellow #scienceblogger but also a #nailblogger well recognized on the blogosphere who is Michelle aka Lab Muffin.
She wrote a well explained article on the very nature of the word 'Chemical' that should highlight a few concepts that unfortunately get lost among the vast information pool that is Internet.

Let me know your thoughts on all these pseudo Scientific facts that you can encounter and how do you do to make sense of it all? And of course, are you a calorie or a chemical counter?

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

More Reading
The Confusing Science Behind Weight Loss
Chemicals vs Natural

6 Facts about Cosmetics Regulation

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I know a lot of you are very worried about beauty products and in particular the controls behind them. We want them to be safe to make sure that any allergic reaction or sensitization effect can be identified.

So here are a  few facts on cosmetics regulations:

"Responsible manufacturers invest their reputation in their brands, building trust with loyal customers and relying on customer satisfaction for their success. Such companies are not going to jeopardise that by selling unsafe or unsatisfactory products."  Excerpt from HERE

1. In the US, Cosmetics regulation is ruled by the FDA (Food and Drug administration) agency part of the US department of Health and Human Services and has been established to protect and promote consumer's health. They also regulate other things such as food, drugs, vaccines, etc...! They are not in charge of the testing but its authority includes the banning or restriction of ingredients for safety reasons (see below for a list). 

In Europe, regulation is implemented by a committee from the European commission. The latest document was applied in July last year 2013 and refers to the '1223/2009' amendment of the last 2008 regulations. The UK also complies to it and is reviewed by the "Cosmetic Products Regulation". The full document can be viewed HERE.

2. In the US, The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an independent, scientific review board, critically evaluates chemical ingredients used in cosmetics and publishes the results of its findings in the peer-reviewed literature. 

Note for Skeptics: " Health-related allegations about cosmetic ingredients are generally based on the results of high-dose laboratory testing in animals and have little relevance for humans. As true now as when Paracelsus said it in the 16th century, “It is the dose that makes the poison.” . Animal and human physiology differ in crucial ways, further invalidating simplistic attempts to extrapolate rodent testing to human health risks. The cosmetic industry should be encouraged to publish more of its toxicity studies and safety evaluations, which would aid in dispelling the uncertainty that some consumers have about cosmetic safety. " Excerpt from HERE

3.  In the US, FDA has consistently advised manufacturers to use whatever testing is necessary to ensure the safety of their products and ingredients, which do not need FDA premarket approval, with the exception of color additives. Under the law, manufacturers are not required to register their cosmetic establishments or file their product formulations with FDA, they are encouraged to participate in FDA's Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) using an online registration system.

In Europe, The document (EC) 1223/2009 clarifies the role of a ‘responsible person’ and a distributor in ensuring compliance with the relevant obligations, it requires all cosmetic products to be notified to the European Commission rather than to national authorities and more clearly describes the product information file. It also introduces a concept of Serious Undesirable Effects, which have to be reported, and defines nanomaterials, which also have to be reported. 

4. In general, except for colour additives and those ingredients that are prohibited or restricted by regulation, a manufacturer may use any ingredient in the formulation of a cosmetic, provided that:

• the ingredient and the finished cosmetic are safe under labeled or customary conditions of use,
• the product is properly labeled, and
• the use of the ingredient does not otherwise cause the cosmetic to be adulterated or misbranded under the laws that FDA enforces.

Colour additives

5. In the US, the FDA regulations prohibit or restrict the use of several ingredients in cosmetic products and require warning statements on the labels of certain types of cosmetics.
In Europe, The Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 document also lists restricted and banned substances, and provides positive lists of preservatives, colorants and UV filters (LIST OF SUBSTANCES WHICH MUST NOT FORM PART OF THE COMPOSITION OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS (UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED)

6. In the US, as well as in Europe/UK, regulatory action can be taken if reliable information indicating that a cosmetic is adulterated or misbranded is gathered; an action can be pursued through its respective Department of Justice to remove this cosmetic from the market. Cosmetics that are not in compliance with the law may be subject to seizure which means that the government takes possession of property from someone who has violated the law, or is suspected of doing so. FDA also may initiate criminal action against a person violating the law.

Additional Notes: FDA can and does inspect cosmetic manufacturing facilities to assure cosmetic product safety and determine whether cosmetics are adulterated or misbranded under the FD&C Act or FPLA. Also, the FDA collect samples for examination and analysis as part of cosmetic facility inspections, import inspections, and follow-up to complaints of adverse events associated with their use. FDA may also conduct research on cosmetic products and ingredients to address safety concerns. FDA does not function as a private testing laboratory, and in order to avoid even the perception of conflict of interest, they do not recommend private laboratories to consumers or manufacturers for sample analysis.

Are you worried about cosmetics safety? Is there something I haven't covered, let me know in the comments, I'll try to dig up some more info for you. In writing this post, I stumbled upon this amazing website that is all about regulations, scare stories, chemicals in cosmetics etc.. I think if you are worried, do check it out. I hope that, like me, you feel reassured that our cosmetics are checked out by the proper authorities.

In the meantime, if you are interested to know more about chemicals in make up or shampoos, do check out SSS previous posts.

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

All references have been inserted as links, please hover your pointer to the relevant sections and click on them to be redirected to the websites.

Happy New Year 2014!!!!

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I wish you all a Sexy

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas, hopefully surrounded by your family. 

NOW is time for fun with friends!!!

If you are out and about tonight, you will be in full preparation mode about right now, so if you are wondering what are the "chemicals" you put on your face, check out SSS mini series on Chemicals in your Make up.

Later on, you might be tempted by a late night snack such as a little omelet? Maybe you will be wondering if your eggs are still fresh, although this might not be your biggest worry. Anyhow, here is how to know!

Or maybe you'd like a nice piece of toast with some Nutella on it?

To make sure that you are not too hungovered, you might be tempted to finish your night with a cuppa. Find out here what are the effects of caffeine in your body.

Tomorrow morning, you will probably wake up wondering why you feel the way you feel!?! It might be about anything but this article is about 'feeling rough' after a big one!!!

And then will start the usual guilty feelings about not respecting your body, so you will be tempted to start a January Detox programme. Come over here for some tips and how to avoid spending too much money on so called miracle cures!

See you Soon for More Sexy Science,

Merry Christmas

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I wish you a

I hope you have enjoyed this year's So Sexy articles.
And if you are in full Xmas preps and baking your way into your family's get together dinner, you might find the article about the difference between yeast and baking powder interesting or useful or need to know how to make a gorgeous home made mayonnaise.
Also, little tricks here or there about why you cry when you are chopping your onions, but fear not, they are good for your health, check it out over here.
When you'll be all finished in the kitchen and will be preparing yourself, you might wonder if wearing make up is really healthy, this mini-series on Chemicals in your make up will help you make up your mind on the subject. As well as being informative and an excellent conversation topic, check out this mini-series on What's in your Shampoo? with a focus on the infamous SLS and Parabens.

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Feeling rough and dehydrated? Oh why?

Dear Sexy Readers,
(... Although I guess right now you don't feel very sexy... Did you overdo it?)

First and foremost:

I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas and partied hard for New Year!!! Let's welcome Sexy 2013, yeahhhhh...
So let's kick off this new year by looking at why the hell you all feel your skin is going to crack and what you should do about it!
Is the culprit alcohol? Coffee? Whatever happened last night, you swear that you'll never do it again? I bet you are not alone...

Why is my skin dry?
Well, simply because alcohol and coffee are diuretics. Meaning that they make you pee! and the more you drink the more you pee, but you pee more than what you drank: Your body is actually losing its own water. The result is that your mouth is the driest, your scalp is flaky, your face is about to crack and your hands are rough!

Diuretic?
A diuretic is something that promotes the formation of urine by the kidney. They do so by diverse means that disturb the balance between the kidney and electrolytes (sodium, chloride and potassium) normally absorbed.
Alcohol also reduces the production of a hormone called vasopressin. The role of that hormone is to tell your kidney to reabsorb water and not flush it out through the bladder. So if alcohol reduces that signal, the door to your bladder is wide open and just fills up with fluid!

Check out this video on how and why

How to avoid it?
Well well,... By not drinking? Or you could slightly counteract the effect by alternating your drinks with pints of water. And the well known advice to drink coffee to sober up is, as you now realise, the worst one as it just increases your dehydration problem.

What can I do to repair my skin?
Drink drink drink loads of water, avoid hot showers, don't rub your skin too harsh and moisturise it after your shower.

What moisturiser to use?
As anything in the beauty department you'll have to try what's best for you and your skin. You might wanna read some tips on ingredients found in beauty products (Lotions recipes, chemicals in make up). Some of you suffer from dermatitis and should be extra careful when choosing one. Check out this previous post of mine where I address a common skin problem namely Eczema.
However if you are a bit of wannabe chemist - like me!, I found you a few sites where you can get ideas on how to make your own:

Photo borrowed from HERE

Recipe for Home Made Moisturiser

You only need a few things such as Beeswax, carrier oil and water, maybe some butter and definitely some antibacterial agent!
Looking through many beauty blogs, I found this very sexy post on Crunchy Betty named Simple Homemade 3-ingredient facial Oil Moisturiser that explains a little bit of the different oils you can find to use as a base for your cream.
Then I found this post entitled How to make your own moisturiser and skin cream which is really good as it explain to you exactly what and how to put ingredients in your cream.
For a definitive recipe on how to blend your ingredients, check out Mirror Image: How to make Natural Body Moisturiser.
Can't wait to try out my own!!

Happy Rehydration Sexy People...
Don't forget that this step should be carried out into a healthy living plan. For more info on this, check out my previous post on Detox Intox

See you soon,

Sexy Reads on SSS... A retrospective

Dear Sexy Readers,
As the year 2012 is coming to an end, and we survived the end of the world on the 21st, it's time for a few tips on how to prepare that beautiful skin and hair of yours.
Far from being a beauty blog - there are so many incredible ones out there - let me draw your attention to a few things, if I may....

Starting with a bit of cookery information! After all some of you will be in full cooking/baking zone this holiday season, so why not have a look at "What is the difference between Yeast and Baking Powder" if you run out of one and you wonder if you could replace one for the other...

Also, if you suddenly cry a river while chopping onions, by checking out this one out, you'll know why.

Then once you have finished in the kitchen and it's time to prepare that pretty face of yours, you might be interested to know exactly what you put on your face. Don't be alarmed by the amount of chemicals in there but at least you'll be informed. All this information is contained in the Mini-Serie Chemicals in your make up.
And what about your shampoos? How does it work? Yours contains Parabens and SLS? Read the Mini-Serie What's in your shampoo, and you'll find out why it's all talk and no worries (except for some of you who suffer from Eczema - a topic covered elsewhere on SSS).

And then, when all the festivities are a thing of the past and you promise yourself that next year, you won't help yourself a second time to that succulent stuffed turkey or that Xmas pudding, you'll probably make a list of all the things that you HAVE to start doing in the 2013, like reading more, watching less TV, going to the gym and starting that new detox programme that your favorite chemist is raging about. But before spending all that money on a "detox treatment" (note that all the others resolutions are excellent ;) ), you might wanna read why it's all crap and only money-making scam!!

I wish you all my sexy readers, a fantastic Xmas and already a Happy New Year 2013! Let me know how your holidays went and if you found any of the info interesting,

What's in your Shampoo? Part 3 - SLS

Dear readers,

Let's resume our journey through our new mini-Series "What's in your Shampoo" with this 3rd instalment focusing on Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and a note on Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS).

You can catch up on the first two parts:

Part 1 - Shampoo Recipe Making

Part 2 - Parabens

Throughout my research, I have found countless "serious" websites that tell a very convincing story but most are completely confused between SLS and SLES! Sometimes coming from "sciency" websites, it is absolutely shocking, no wonder non scientists can't make head from tail of SLS business!!! I hope this article will clear any confusion. Personnally, I don't suffer from dermatitis or allergies, so my skin agrees with detergents very well, I don't worry about them anymore!

SLS, SLES, ALS

Structures

* Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, SLS, is an organic compound with the formula CH3(CH2)11OSO3Na, it is a.k.a. Stepanol wac, Stepanol waq, Natriumlaurylsulfat,Richonol af, Duponol qx, Perlandrol L, Perlankrol L.

* Sodium Laureth Sulfate, a.k.a. SLES, Sodium LaurylEther, Tergentol, Sodiumlaurylglycolether sulfate, HSDB 6143,Sodium lauryloxyethoxyethyl sulfate, Sodium lauryl di(oxyethyl) sulfate, EINECS221-416-0, Sodium polyoxyethylene lauryl sulfate, Sodium dioxyethylenedodecylether sulfate, 2-(2-Dodecyloxyethoxy)ethyl sodium sulfate, Lauristyl diglycolether sulfate sodium salt, Sodium 2-(2-dodecyloxyethoxy)ethyl sulphate, Sodiumlauryl alcohol diglycol ether sulfate, Sodium diethylene glycol dodecyl ethersulfate, Lauryl diethylene glycol ether sulfonate sodium, PEG-(1-4) Laurylether sulfate, sodium salt, LS-195344, Diethylene glycol monododecyl ethersodium sulfate, sodium 2-[2-(dodecyloxy)ethoxy]ethyl sulphate

* Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, a.k.a. ALS, sinopon, presulin, neoponlam, siponla30, siprol422, siproll22, Texapon A, maprofixnh, richonolam, sterlingam

What's in your shampoo? Part 2 - Parabens

Dear Readers,

Let's resume our journey through Shampoo making by looking at one ingredient that has lead manufacturers to misery and consumers to awareness: Parabens.
Note that this ingredient is present in most cosmetics, not only shampoos.
Scientific literature is R.I.C.H. with articles about Parabens and throughout my reading, I probably had doubts a few times as to their safe use. In the end, I compiled a lot of information here below and if you are concerned about them and want to really know what is it about, then - although I know it's long! - it is really worth to read it all!!! I am not your doctor nor your GP, and will not tell you if it's good or bad, if you should ban Parabens from your life or not, I think it is important that you should formulate your personal opinion. I laid out all the latest research for you to do so. I hope you find this informative. Personally, after reading it all, I know I don't need to worry anymore!

You can catch up with the first instalment of this mini-series here: Shampoo making recipe

Parabens

Structure

Parabens are a group of esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid only differing from one another in the ester part of the molecule (fig.1: here represented by R).

Figure 1. Paraben structure. From Soni et al, 2005

What's in your Shampoo? Part 1 - Recipe

Hello and Welcome back on Science Is So Sexy. For you, my faithful readers, I have changed the layout to a more sexy one, and you might have noticed I purchased the domain name www.sciencesosexy.com, so it's easier to share the address with your friends!!! Exciting times, indeed!!

For our next post, I will concentrate on a request from Caffeinated OC Mommy.

Here it is:

I'm in the process of looking for healthy alternatives for shampoos, conditioners, body/face moisturizers. I'm learning that the cosmetic industry has no standards and are allowed to package their products with the words, "natural" or good for you type words that are not necessarily true. But because they monitor themselves, they can put what they want. 

Soooooooo Darling, I'm constantly spending money on products hoping to find my match in natural, green, and just all around better for me and my family. I look for products that say stuff like... 

No:Parabens, Phthalates, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Methyl Sulfate. 

I have NO idea how to pronounce these words let alone know what these even mean. 

And I'm also learning about petro in these products as well? 

What's a girl to do? Am I on the right track by avoiding these words I can't pronounce? 

Dear Darling,

Following your request, and similar ones from many of my readers, I decided to concentrate my research on shampoos. Please note that many of the ingredients are similar for body/face moisturizers and conditioners so you can still find lots of information here.

I, myself,went to a Natural Food shop and purchased a natural shampoo (from Avalon Organics). And true to your words, the mention NO parabens, phtalates, SLS, SMS were written on the bottle!!

So of course I wondered, as so many of you do, why are they putting these ingredients in shampoos in the first place if we can avoid them?

Are they replaced by expensive/cheap alternatives, how does it influence the efficiency of a product and ultimately its commercial price?

I had a lot of thought on how to present to you what I found out about it all. It turned out that there is so much information, I might have to do a new mini-series, simply for the sake of keeping post length reasonable - and therefore interest alive!!!

So, the first thing I looked at is the "normal" composition of a shampoo:

Shampoo Making Recipe

From HERE 

Chemicals in our make up - Part 4: Lipstick

Dear Readers,

Here is the 4th instalment of our mini-series Chemicals in our make up focusing on Lipstick!!! 

The request was originally from Bibil, and inspired by an earlier posts about Eczema and cosmetics products: What are the Chemicals in our Make up?

You can catch up the first three instalments here Part 1: Foundation, Part 2: Eye shadow and Part 3: Mascara

Lipstick

Chemicals in our Make up - Part 3: Mascara

Dear SSS readers,

Just a quick word on my growing readers list: Thank you so much for you support, your comments are greatly appreciated!!

I've enjoyed my blogger journey so far and although it takes a while to prepare all the posts, it is worth it when I get loads of views!!! It is so exciting, for example, the Double post, in collaboration with Sugarpuffish, on Eczema has reached almost 400 views so far, so a BIG thank you for your interest!!!

Today, we will resume our saga Chemicals in our Make up with Part 3 focusing on Mascara.
The request was originally from Bibil, and inspired by one of the earlier posts about Eczema and cosmetics products: What are the Chemicals in our Make up?

You can catch up the first two instalments here Part 1: Foundation and Part 2: Eye shadow.

Mascara

From HERE

Chemicals in our Make up - Part 2: Eye shadow

Hi Everyone, 

Today we are going to resume our mini series on Chemicals in our Make up with Part 2 focusing on Eye shadow.
The request was originally from Bibil, and inspired by one of the earlier posts about Eczema and cosmetics products: What are the Chemicals in our Make up?
You can catch up the first instalment here Part 1: Foundation.

 Eye Shadow

In the ancient times, Egyptian women applied dark green color to the lower lid and blackening the upper lid with Kohl. They also used powdered charcoal. Semi-precious stones such as malachite and lapis lazuli were also grounded and used as eye shadow. 

Chemicals in our Make up - Part 1: Foundation

This post was a request from Bibil, and inspired by one of my earlier posts about Eczema and cosmetics products:

What are the chemicals in our make up?

Well, although I found many articles saying that there is no regulation, actually there is a fairly well controlled organisation that bases its research on many reviews published in scientific journals.

Because the subject is endless and for the sake of easy reading, I will concentrate on the essentials such as: Foundation - Eye shadow - Mascara - Lipstick which I will separate into different posts, making it a mini series. Today's post will be:

Foundation

Liquid foundation makeup

Foundation is composed of different phases that are mixed together:

The Powder Phase products includes skin covering and opaque materials such as titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, and fillers such as talc or mica that creates a matte finish on the skin. Also, metallic stearates are added to provide opacity and water repellency.

Titanium dioxide TiO2 is a natural mineral used, amongst many other applications, as a pigment because of it brightness and also its efficient opacifier! It is also used in every sunscreen product for its ability to protect the skin, however titanium dioxide dust, when inhaled, has been classified as a cancer-causing agent. This follows a study on rats developing lung cancer and mice getting mutations in their DNA. 

Talc, also called magnesium silicate, is considered safe at a low concentrations, but many studies have shown a link between talc and lung/ovarian/skin cancer. In general, inhalation of the particles are what's harmful.

Mica is a general name for silicates, they are used in combination with TiO2 to produce shimmering effects. They are also used in paint for cars and plastic containers. 

Metallic stearates such as Magnesium stearate doesn't seem to yield any risk.

The Aqueous Phase includes mostly water followed by wetting or dispersing agents that assist in pigment blending (lecithin, sulfosuccinates, ethoxylated sorbitan esters). Also gums and clays that operates as co-emulsifiers, thickeners and pigment-suspending agents (Magnesium aluminium silicate, bentonite, methylcellulose).

Lecithin is a natural product that we can find in egg yolk, and has even been proven to help lowering cholesterol.  

Sulfosuccinate is commomly used in pharmaceuticals products, rare side effects have been linked to its comsumption. Sulfosuccinate does not cause cancer, but has been shown to be a skin and eyes irritant.  

Ethoxylated Sorbitan ester is a solubilizer, an emulsifier, an antistat and fiber lubricant used in textile industry, a wetting agent, a viscosity modifier, a suspending agent used in food, cosmetics, drugs, textile and metal working industries, a solubilizer for perfumes and flavours, insecticide, herbicides, paints and inks, and pharmaceuticals. It is found naturally in various berries and fruits or it is prepared synthetically by high-pressure preparation of sugar. Studies found it to be safe and non carcinogenic. See this Study for more info   

Bentonite can be used in cement, adhesives, ceramic and cat litter. Studies have not found it to be toxic at the low doses used in cosmetics. An interesting fact from Wikipedia that we can somehow relate to foundation: The same effluvial deposition of bentonite clay onto beaches accounts for the variety of plasticity of sand from place to place for building sand castles. Beach sand consisting of only silica and shell grains does not mold well compared to grains coated with bentonite clay. This is why some beaches are much better for building sand castles than others. 

The Polyol Phase consists of materials that improve makeup spreadability, decrease drying rate, increase product smoothness and creaminess (glycerin, PEG).

Glycerin is the same as Glycerol.It is a colorless, odorless, viscuous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceuticals formulations.It is found in allergen immunotherapies, cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants, toothpaste, mouthwashes, skin care products, shaving cream, hair care products,soaps.Topical pure or nearly pure glycerol is an effective treatment for psoriasis, burns, bites, cuts, rashes, bedsores, and calluses. 

PEGs: These compounds are used in a great variety of cosmetic applications because of their solubility and viscosity properties, and because of their low toxicity. They produce little or no ocular or dermal irritation and have extremely low acute and chronic toxicities. They do not readily penetrate intact skin, and in view of the wide use of preparations containing PEG and PEG derivatives, only few case reports on sensitisation reactions have been published, mainly involving patients with exposure to PEGs in medicines or following exposure to injured or chronically inflamed skin. On healthy skin, the sensitising potential of these compounds appears to be negligible.

The Oil Phase is composed of both liquid and solid materials that assist with product emulsification, spreadibility, pigment dispersion and viscosity control. They include fatty acids (stearic acid, oleic acid), waxes (carnauba, ozokerite, ceresin) and paste like butters. Emulsifying and thickening agents (propylen glycol, sorbitan), along with antioxidants (tocopherols, BHT), preservatives (parabens, urea), and fragrances added within the oil phase, may improve application properties and product quality and purity.

Stearic/oleic acid:  The term "oleic" is related to oil or olive. Oleic acid is a fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable fats. Positive health effects of the substance have been documented. Adverse effects also have been documented, however, because both oleic and monounsaturated fatty acid levels in the membranes of red blood cells have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Stearic acid occurs in many animal and vergetable fats and oils. And some studies suggest that it may be healthier than other saturated fatty acids. 

Carnauba is used to thicken the formulation of foundation. Is also used in candy making or pharmaceutical tablet. 

Ozokerite is a naturally occurring odoriferous mineral wax or paraffin and is used in candle making. I found one scientific article entitled the carcinogenic activity of medicinal ozokerite, but it is in Russian so I don't know if the result is positive or not! 

Ceresin is a wax derived from ozokerite by a purifying process. 

Tocopherols =Vitamin E activity is an antioxidant added to prevent oxidation of sensitive ingredients as well as protect the skin from free-radical damage. It is found in our diet or in supplements; therefore it is safe to assume that it is safe in cosmetics. 

BHT is an antioxidant, some studies haven shown that it reduces the risk of cancer, others studies to increase it. It is also found in supplements. A Scientific review was conducted in '99 ans concluded that BHA (is used as a "safer" replacement for BHT) and BHT pose no cancer hazard and, to the contrary, may be carcinogenic at current levels of food additive use

Parabens are used as preservatives for their antibacterial and antifungal actions, so we can keep our creams without them becoming infected. So far, no other component has been as efficient to replace it. Much contraversy has been raised  after extremely low concentrations have been found in breast cancer tumours however more research need to be conducted to confidently link paraben to cancer. Paraben is found naturally in some plants such as blueberries and most parabens used in products have the exact same formula. However it has been shown with confidence that some people can become allergic to it and should avoid it or else could develop dermatitis!  - Full review is now available 

Urea is a skin irritant for people who suffers from dermatitis and have an allergy to Formaldehyde.

For more info, check this list of scientific reviews HERE

This concludes our first part of Chemicals in our Make up. I hope you found it interesting. 

Stay tuned for:

• Part Two: Eye Shadow
• Part Three: Mascara
• Part Four: Lipstick

What is Eczema?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today, we are looking at a condition that affects millions of us. In fact, about 1 in every 9 people is suffering from Eczema!

---- Eczema Awareness Week 13-21 Sept 2014 ----

For this post, I am lucky to announce this is a double post with the amazing participation of Sugarpuffish who you can find at this address http://sugarpuffish.blogspot.com/. It is a fabulous and interesting blog about beauty products for people affected by Eczema and/or allergies.

When I stumbled upon her blog, I immediately asked her about guest posting on Science is So Sexy. She replied promptly, not like the weeks it took me to write it up... ;) Thank you Sugarpuffish!!

Sugarpuffish input is written in italics

So, What is Eczema?

Eczema is an inflammation of the outer layer of the skin, and is also called dermatitis, although, depending on the translation in different countries, some doctors would say eczema refers to a chronic condition (as in you always have it) whereas dermatitis refers to an acute condition (as in you get it once, or occasionnaly).

Eczema is an inflammation of the outer layer of the skin 

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It is a term broadly applied to a range of skin conditions including dryness, rashes with redness, swelling, itching, crusting, cracking, bleeding among others.

Types of Eczema and associated symptoms

There are different ways to classify all the different types of eczema depending on the cause, the location or the appearance. 

There are different types of Eczema, as a child I suffered from the most common form Atopic Eczema now as an adult I probably also fall into the category of Contact Eczema.  It is often said that you will grow out of Atopic eczema but I don’t feel I ever have.  However you class my eczema I have suffered from it since infancy.

Atopic Eczema is one of the most common type, and is an allergic disease with possible genetic factor that might occur more often in families who suffer from asthma

Eczema can flare up and calm down.  It can be in small patches common in body joints (backs of knees or inside elbows) or over the whole body.  Even when not suffering eczema flare up your skin is dry, itchy and sensitive.  I am fortunate that my eczema is not always visible.  Eczema is not pleasant to look at and I have read on forums that sufferers do encounter negativity from people who do not recognise their skin condition.

When asked what eczema feels like the main characteristic which drives you insane is the itch.  As a child I scratched my skin even when asleep.  9 times out of 10 you scratch so hard you break the skin and draw blood which often leads to infections.  My skin always feels too tight for my body so when you flex an arm you feel like your skin is tearing.  Eczema appears red, flaky and extremely dry.

Other types of eczemas include Discoid Eczema that comes and goes, Venous usually affecting people with blood circulation problems, Xerotic where your skin is so dry it turns into eczema or Contact dermatitis which can be either allergic or irritant from direct contact with something.

In the case of Atopic Eczema, technically, if you avoid the products that make you allergic or irritant, you should be able to cure your eczema. Now of course, with some many allergens in our beauty products, it's very hard to do so, and it's for that precise reason that Sugarpuffish started her blog.

Treatments

All treatment available aim to control the symptoms by reducing inflammation and relieving itching. These can be Steroid creams, unfortunately side effects including the skin becoming thin and fragile but also by their immunosuppressing action, can lead to fungal or bacterial skin infection. These can not be used continually and need to be alternated with other treatments such as moisturizers (emollients). Sugarpuffish give us other possible treatments:

Traditional treatments for eczema are emollients and steroid creams, immunosuppressant, wet wraps and ultraviolet light treatment.  As a child I was smoothed in thick heavy creams morning and evening.  I could not use conventional soaps and shampoos so had prescribed alternatives.  I wore cotton gloves to bed to try and stop me scratching in my sleep.  When I got infections I would be bandaged up like an Egyptian Mummy.

Cause(s) of Eczema

At 10 years old my eczema was dramatically affecting my daily life.  I was in a great deal of pain, because my skin was broken and infected, I developed asthmatic symptoms and was no longer participating in sports at school.  My GP referred me for a Skin Prick Test  which I passed my test with flying colours I was officially allergic to pretty much the entire world – Cats, Dogs, Feathers, Dust Mites, Pollen, Fungus, Milk, Eggs, Citrus Fruits, Yeast, Perfumes and many more.  We left the hospital with a long list and dietary information.  By cutting out what I was allergic to I was virtually free from eczema. 

The cause of Eczema is unfortunately unknown but some research suggest that the answer could be in your genetic profile and/or your environment. Indeed, studies on populations have found that Asthma sufferers, as well as Eczema and other allergic diseases, grew up in a very clean environment such that, combined with a failing immune system, had an increased risk of developing their condition compared to other non sufferers.

Beauty products

About five years ago my eczema broke out severally and I couldn’t understand what had triggered it.  I did research via the internet and started to find articles about chemicals used in beauty products that were possible skin irritants.  It started to make sense all my life I had to avoid certain brands of washing powder, fabric conditioner, soap and shampoo.  I overhauled my beauty cabinet and changed to products made without ingredients that are believed to be skin irritants e.g. SLS, parabens, artificial fragrance, petrochemicals, PEG’s, silicones, DEA, lanolin.  Almost immediately I noticed a change in my eczema and dry skin.  I will never go back to regular beauty products and I urge people with sensitive skin to try natural products and see the difference for themselves.

* SLS = Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, is known in all research labs as SDS.A complete review on SLS and its variants has now been written on Science is So Sexy and is available HERE

* Parabens are used as preservatives for their antibacterial and antifungal actions, so we can keep our creams without them becoming infected. So far, no other component has been as efficient to replace it. Much contraversy has been raised  after extremely low concentrations have been found in breast cancer tumours however more research need to be conducted to confidently link paraben to cancer. Paraben is found naturally in some plants such as blueberries and most parabens used in products have the exact same formula. A complete review has now been written on Science is So Sexy and is now available HERE

While searching for this post, I came across this article with more information about allergies and dermatitis, it also lists terms you might wanna look for when choosing a product, but also about misleading terms listed on products. Of course, checking out Sugarpuffish blog will definitely be an immense and regular source of information for beauty products targeted at people who have a sensitive skin prone to allergies.

I hope you found this post interesting, no doubt we all learnt something, me by preparing it, you by reading it!! Thank you again Sugarpuffish for opening up to us :)

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,