Sodium hydroxide is in a ton of beauty products. But as one of my favourite unreliable sources says (the “favourite” is sarcastic by the way, just to clarify): Sodium Hydroxide is, however, a known irritant… The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health … recommends that consumers prevent skin and eye contact The CDC reports that “Skin contact with sodium …
A lot of our lives now involves staring at phone and computer screens. I recently posted an article about how visible light can damage your skin, and how to prevent it from happening. The key takeaways: Visible light can theoretically damage your skin Higher energy blue wavelengths is the harmful portion of the spectrum It causes pigmentation in dark skinned …
There’s been increasing talk about how blue light from phones and computer screens could be a potential cause of skin damage. Is it worth worrying about, or is it just marketing? This topic is going to be a two-parter. In this installment we’re going to talk about visible light damage, and how you can protect your skin; in part 2, …
If you’ve ever used fake tan, you’ll know that after a few days it can start to flake off, and if you’ve applied it unevenly you’ll want to buff out the stain ASAP. I was pretty excited when I saw Bondi Sands Self Tan Eraser ($19.99 AUD for 200 mL). It’s a product that claims to remove fake tan – …
Here’s a new video that covers what SPF means, and debunks a couple of SPF myths: Why SPF doesn’t mean how many times longer you can stay in the sun Why higher SPF is more effective (and not just 1% more effective) I’ve talked about the first myth before in this post on SPF and UV index, but I haven’t …
I’ve made a new video about antioxidants in skincare – it’s based on this post from a while ago: Antioxidants in Skincare: What Do They Do? In the video, I talk about: What free radicals are How they’re linked to skin damage Where free radicals come from How antioxidants work Which antioxidant ingredients have been studied in clinical trials Tips on …
One of the common reader requests I get is for “toxic” ingredient breakdowns, so today I’m looking at two ingredients that are commonly on “avoid” lists: propylene and butylene glycol. What are propylene and butylene glycol? Glycols in chemistry are ingredients that contain two OH (alcohol) groups. Propylene glycol contains 3 carbon atoms, while butylene glycol is a little larger …
Here’s a pet peeve of mine: SPF drops and boosters. Fellow skincare fanatic Hannah (@ms_hannah_e on Instagram) reminded me about them recently, right when I was in a ranty mood, so it fit right in. What Are SPF Sunscreen Drops? SPF Sunscreen Drops are products that you’re supposed to mix into other products to “turn them into sunscreens”. Some examples …