Dr Barbara Olioso's Blog

Find out how the recession has affected the premium beauty market

I used to be on top of the brands on the market, at least in the natural and organic sector, but now I have to say I lost track, there are so many! Plus with the recession I see the market changing very quickly, with a polarisation between cheap brands and high end ones. So when I found out about  Imogen Matthews 's report for the premium beauty market I thought it would be very interesting and useful for people within the industry to know about it, because as you know good information can save you lots of time, energy and money. The report goes beyond the usual numbers and figures and it is implemented with consumer research to understand consumers' drivers and attitude to cosmetics. The report has just been launched. To know more about it visit Imogen's website

Preservative free cosmetics: are we talking about the daisy flower or my dear friend Daisy?

I have recently attended a lecture by Professor Michael Cork entitled "Killer Cosmetics - from bacterial contamination to skin barrier breakdown", kindly organized by the Society of Cosmetic Scientists in the UK.

Professor Cork is head of the academic unit of dermatology research at the Sheffield university and has worked on severe cases of infants skin rashes caused by microbiologically contaminated skin products. He also explained in a visual and clear way the key mechanism behind the skin barrier.

However I feel I ought to comment on one of the major messages of his lecture: preservative free cosmetics are dangerous whereas products preserved with parabens are very safe.

I approached Michael after his talk to inform him that there are several products on the market which are microbiologically safe and yet preservative free, and his answer was very much based on the chemical function of preservative (the daisy flower) rather than the marketing definition of preservative free (Daisy my friend). They are called the same thing but actually they are different. Let me explain to you.

The chemical function of a preservative is essentially to kill bugs, so if you mean that (daisy the flower) and you say preservative free cosmetics you actually mean a product with no antimicrobial protection whatsoever.  There are 2 types of products that fall into this category: oil based ones (no water) and water based ones with really no antimicrobial agent (it is very rare to come across this worst case scenario. Professor Michael was mentioning contaminated products from Libia and Iran).

Then there is my dear friend Daisy: the legal definition of a cosmetic preservative which comes from what is listed on Annex VI. If a cosmetic ingredient is listed on this annex it is called officially a preservative. This means that you can have a cosmetic ingredient which is not listed on this Annex and still act as a preservative (daisy the flower). And if you use this ingredient to protect your cosmetic from the bugs attack you can claim it to be preservative free and still provide to the public a safe product (providing it has passed the relevant tests required by law).

This is a great example of the gap between some scientific definitions and legal definitions, where you can use the same label or name meaning two different things depending on the point of view. And this gap can be used in a misleading way to reinforce a message or it can cause confusion in people not aware of it. Professor Michael was also stressing the need for education, on which I agree totally, however how it can be done is still a mystery to me (if you have suggestions please tell me).

In my opinion the essence is to ensure that the preservative free cosmetics you buy have been manufactured by a reputable company that complies with the law and makes sure that it is microbiologically safe.

Just had the lab results on the Japanese Honeysuckle and it is totally free of all parabens (methyl, butyl, propyl, butyl, benzyl).

Nano going Visible in cosmetics

A new rule for the European Cosmetic Legislation will enforce the declaration of ingredients made using nano technology. This means that all ingredients made from solids using nano technology will be followed by "(nano)" on the ingredients list. We will all be able to spot it and decide if we want it or not. Big progress in transparency...

Nano technology is very much a grey area and as a green consumer and a chemist I have mixed feelings about it because the physical/chemical behaviour changes when a particle is reduced to such a small size (1-100 nano meters or 10 to minus nine meters, we are talking cells size here). For example nano titanium is inert in normal conditions, but when finely grinded to nano size it can promote the formation of free radicals (pro-aging devils). Some manufacturers are aware of that and take precautions by combining it with antioxidants to quench the free radicals, however this finding has come out recently and it takes time to know the dark side and to find solutions. Because this is still virgin land I do hope that the companies exploring these territories will take the best precautions they can, not only investigating how far they penetrate into the skin but also their chemical behaviour going beyond the required tests by the law.

I do see the potential of nano ingredients allowing products innovation (the market is always thirsty of it), I do not want to condemn it at all, I will assume a case by case position, looking at each individual ingredient, after all the devil is in the detail...

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...

Parabens: new evidence you can see

I would like to share with you the results of an in vitro test performed recently by Dr Philippa Darbre at Reading University. The test is very simple: breast cancer cells incubated for 4 days with and without 0.00019% isobutylparaben. See below the breast cancer cells before the incubation (1) and after the incubation without (2) and with isobutylparaben (3)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

I am aware that this is an vitro test, so all the complexity of the human body is taken out of the equation, however I believe they are still valid in showing there is reason to be concerned about this compound. You can clearly see that after 4 days the breast cancer cells do grow more than the ones without. I believe that the major cancer trigger is emotional stress, however environmental factors like this can promote the cancer cells growth making it bigger.

If you add the fact that parabens do get absorbed through the skin and that they are found in urine, we need to think about their journey through the body as well as their interaction on their journey with other parts of the body. Once they are in the blood stream they are in...

Parabens are not only used in cosmetics but also in many drugs such as cough mixtures (usually they are not declared on the label), however when they get ingested they get exposed to the stomach juices and get transformed into something considered to be safe. This indicates that the parabens found in urine do come form the skin absorption rather than ingestion.

What to do as a consumer? Well my suggestion is to read the ingredients list before you buy your cosmetics in order to avoid them.

At a regulatory level isopropylparaben and butylparaben are under review and the European scientific committee has asked for more data to fill the data gaps. The industry might reply that there is no money to invest in the new research, so what might happen is the ban of these substances based on the lack of the evidence requested.

I shall keep you posted..

References:

"In vitro skin permeation and retention of parabens in cosmetic skin formulations", Pedersen, Marra, Nicoli and Santi, International Journal of Cosmetic Science 2007, 29, 361-367; "Assessment of principal parabens used in cosmetics after their passage through human epidermis-dermis layers (ex-vivo study", El Hussein S, Muret P, Berard M, Makki S, Humbert P, Exp Dermatol. 2007 Oct;16(10):830-6;
“Parabens as urinary biomarkers of exposure in humans”, Xiaoyun Ye, Amber Bishop..., Environ. Health Perspect, 114, 1843-1846

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

Something extraordinary to share

I know this is the place where I share my knowledge on naturals and the like, however I like to share with you something extraordinary  I have been using myself. What I am going to tell you is something that goes out of the conventional rational realm, but it works! You do not need to know how the body works to use it and the same is applicable to the Return to Love Frequencies developed by Thrity Engineer using the Bioluminetics system. I have been using them since March this year and what I observe in myself is an inner peace and trust, getting less entangled in emotional dramas. I know how sticky emotional pain can be and how it can hang around for a life time with no way to get rid of it, but with this system it dissolves gradually and gently to leave space to a sweeter and more objective perception of reality. New pain does not stick as much and life is much more fun. Challenges still come along but I can face them feeling stronger knowing whatever happens I can handle it.

To know more about it please click here

Parabens and breast cancer cells, evidence you can see

On the 15th of September, Channel 5 Live Studio featured the work of the most recent work of Dr Philippa Darbre. Philippa is the scientist behind the controversial 2004 article where parabens were found in breast cancer tissue. Well the article found a lot of opposition from the scientific community because the parabens were found in the controls indicating possible cross contamination. Philippa's explanation is that parabens are everywhere and also usually controls are not published in scientitic articles, meaning they are probably found in all controls unless you use high purity solvents. Because Philippa wants to prove her point and she is really concerned about the potential health issues behind the exposure to parabens, she has spent the last 5 years doing her own research at Reading university, with no sponsoring.. The first result is the pictures shown on Channel 5, where breast cancer cells were cultivated with and without parabens. The pictures speak by themselves (more cells with parabens) and they certainly point out to me we certainly need more research done on the safety of these ingredients. What do you think?