The Cost of Misinformation in the Beauty Space (Ventech Talk)

Ventech Beauty Misinformation

This was a talk I gave on 15 September 2021 for Ventech’s panel on Scientific Literacy and the Price of Misinformation. I talked about my insights on debunking myths over the last 10 years of Lab Muffin (yeah I’m old), how there’s financial incentive for many brands to bust beauty myths and communicate science, and the larger public health implications …

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Do Hats and Umbrellas Protect Well From the Sun?

sun-protection-swiss-cheese

Instead of talking about sunscreen like I usually do, we’re going to dive into some of the things you can use to protect your skin apart from sunscreen (I can feel my sunscreen propaganda shillbucks slipping away right now). As much as we all love sunscreens, they are a bit of a pain in the butt. You have to apply them right, …

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What to Expect After You Bleach Your Asian Hair

Purple asian hair after bleaching

I had my hair bleached to white and dyed it purple a little while back. Even though I read a ton of articles about how what to expect and how to look after bleached Asian hair, I was still really surprised by the change in haircare required! Here’s my tips and advice on what to expect when you get extreme …

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Fixing My Boyfriend’s Horrifying Skincare Routine (video)

horrifying skincare

I am pretty non-judgmental when it comes to skincare routines, but some things just aren’t OK – and I’m sure you have someone in your life  (a parent, a sibling, a partner) whose routine fits into this category. So for this video I thought I’d talk about products that helped ease my Horrifying Routine Person into skincare habits that don’t …

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I’m a cosmetic chemist now

It’s been a few weeks but I realised I forgot to announce this on my blog: I’m now a qualified cosmetic chemist!  A lot of people assumed I was a cosmetic chemist and called me that in comments and interviews (understandable, since I’m a chemist and talk a lot about cosmetic chemistry), so instead of continuing my standard practice of feeling …

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Dealing with Misinformation + Error Reporting Form

donuts

Social media has been a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, experts (scientists, doctors etc.) can become far more prominent – on the other hand, misinformation endorsed by an expert carries more weight and causes more harm than if there’s no authority behind it.  Unfortunately, social media algorithms also reward churning out content quickly, regardless of accuracy. Hot …

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Wash your face with no sink + cleansing myths

I really hate washing my face over the sink – how it gets everything wet (sink, benchtop, sleeves, hair, front of my shirt), and how it takes a ton of effort to dump enough water on my face that I feel like I’ve thoroughly cleansed and rinsed away my cleanser. I generally end up washing my face in the shower, …

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