Dr Barbara Olioso's Blog

Petrochemicals, what are they these days?

I was speaking to a client of mine who was telling me about her intention of avoiding petrochemicals in cosmetic products. I know that there are ingredients from petrochemical sources that are also natural in their molecular structure, so what is a petrochemical these days?

If the molecular structure is found in nature but it is man made and petroleum sources are used, can you still call it natural or you are going to call it petrochemical or both? This is very confusing and I have to say I do not have an answer for this modern hybrid. Perhaps pseudonatural could do.. Any suggestions?

An example of these type of compounds is Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (approved in organic standards)

And you also have cosmetic ingredients that are partially natural and partially synthetic. How to call them? Seminatural or semipetrochemical?

If you feel creative drop us a line...

Radiation can affect the antioxidant content of pollen

Just come across an article of some research done by Knight Scientific, specialists in the measurement of antioxidant activity and oxidative stress. The article in question was published on Manufacturing Chemist in July/August 2006 and what attracted my attention the most is the graph of antioxidant activity of bee pollen before and after radiation. The graph shows clearly that pollen does loose significantly its antioxidant activity when radiated. The article does not mention the dose applied to the bee pollen, however it makes a point in showing that radiation (a technique used to reduce the microbial load of food and some natural ingredients used in the cosmetic industry such as clay, spices etc.) can affect the activity of the product radiated. This a very tricky topic because radiation is very common these days and is used to sterilise medical equipment, cosmetic and food ingredients as well as finished cosmetic products. I believe that if radiation is used, the activity/quality of the ingredient should be checked.

Orangutan friendly glycerin now available

Palm oil derivatives such as glycerin are a hot topic these days because of the destruction of the orangutans wild habitat caused in the South East of Asia. There is an alternative glycerin now available in the UK from Alfa Chemicals. This glycerine is produced from the Karanja tree. Not cheap at over £10/kg, but worth considering if committed to a green ethos.. Visit Alfa Chemicals website here

Where to find the most ethical and the best essential oils in the UK

Today after having a nice chat with Scott from Kobashi I decided it was time to share with you all this secret gem hiding in the South West of England. Scott and Linda run Kobashi, a company based in Devon selling top quality essential oils. What does that mean? Well, Scott has his on GCMS (gas chromatogram with a mass detector) and therefore he can probe the quality of essential oils to minute quantities spotting pesticides residues, solvent residues and so on. This means that you do not need to buy organic oils when you deal with Kobashi as you have the peace of mind that purity is a fact and not only a myth (there are many essential oils suppliers that do not do this kind of testing) . When you smell their Jasmin absolute, all the other jasmins you will smell will not be as good anymore, and this I am afraid is a downside of dealing with top quality essential oils.
The other side to Kobashi is their total committment to being cruelty free as they have a cut off date that goes back to 1985! Not only they stick to it, restricting their choices, but also they have a collection of signatures to stop the booming of animal testing that the REACH legislation (REACH: registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals) entails
To have a look and purchase their fantastic essential oils visit their website

The wonders of Rosehip oil

I am collating literature about rosehip oil as I am going to use it in my products and the more I look for scientific literature the more I realize that it is a fantastic ingredient. In a  2 year study done in 1988 rosehip oil was applied to 180 people with surgical, traumatic and burn scars, with remarkable results. According to another research done on 20 women between 25 and 35 presenting signs of UV damage, it is also effective in repairing UV damage. Rosehip oil was applied for 4 months while wrinkles and age spots were monitored and at the end of the test, skin was smoother and age spots were almost disappeared. The actives contributing to these repairing properties are unsaturated fatty acids (up to 80% linoleic and linolenic acids) and trans retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, Tretinoin. I looked for the content of Tretinoin in Rosehip oil and found no information. If any of you knows more about it and would like to contribute to the post, please come forward!