Have you seen colour-changing lipsticks and blushes online? A lot of these claim to “adjust” to your skin’s pH to give a personalised shade… but is it just a gimmick? Here’s the chemistry behind these products. Colour-changing ingredients Red 27 Most colour-changing products – whether lipsticks or blushes – contain an ingredient called Red 27, also listed as CI 45410 …
Drug retinoids – tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene and trifarotene – are some of the most powerful ingredients in skincare. They can help with issues like acne, uneven texture and hyperpigmentation. But what are the differences between them? Here’s the guide for you! My PhD is in medicinal chemistry, so I’m going to be diving into the differences at a drug structure …
Retinoids are the gold standard skincare ingredients. They’re the next essential product after sunscreen, because they can help with so many skin issues, and there’s scientific evidence to back them up. But there are a lot of options, so it’s tricky to work out which one you should use – and it doesn’t help that there’s so much incorrect info …
The Science Vs podcast episode on Skin Care: Is Anti-Aging a Scam? in part inspired my recent post on whether retinol in cosmetic skincare products worked. I’ve had some questions about some of the other parts of the podcast, especially about vitamin C and whether it actually penetrates skin. As I’ve discussed before, vitamin C in L-ascorbic acid form is …
If there’s one skincare ingredient that works, it’s retinol. Pretty much everyone agrees – whatever skin concern you have, it’s one of your best bets. But is it all a scam? Let’s dive into the science behind retinol, and the bigger question of why skincare science looks so different from what academic scientists are used to. The video is here, …
Haruharu is a Korean brand who have recently released a couple of sunscreens with a lot of hype around them: Moisture Airyfit and Pure Mineral Relief. I recently reviewed these in a sponsored video. Note: Neither of these are approved as sunscreens in Australia. Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Sunscreen SPF 50+, PA++++ Filters: TDSA (Mexoryl SX), octyl triazone, …
I recently tried Blue Lizard and Australian Gold, two US sunscreens with mineral (inorganic) active ingredients. Both of these have been popular on skincare forums and Reddit for years, but aren’t actually available in Australia (despite being marketed as “Australian sunscreen”). I’ve been really curious to try them out, so I picked them up as souvenirs when I was in …
Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen is a popular US sunscreen, but it’s a bit pricey at $38 USD for 50 mL. A few dupes have come out lately, including Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen, which is only $9 for the same sized tube! I recently went to the US and picked them both up to try – here’s a comparison review. There’s …