Alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, SD alcohol or alcohol denat) is one of the most controversial ingredients in skincare. You might’ve heard that it speeds up aging, kills skin cells, and creates inflammation. But what do the studies actually tell us? Stephen (@kindofstephen) and I have been working on this topic for a long time, and we hadn’t decided on the …
If you’re wondering what the difference is between all of the different acne patches around, and whether they even work, you’re not alone – I get asked this a lot, so I made a video about them! I was also itching for an excuse to use my microscope again, so there are some fun(?) closeups of microneedle patches. I was …
You might remember a similar post that I published in May 2019, after the previous flurry of “The FDA Admits Sunscreens Are Poison” headlines. Now that the second study has been published, it’s time for Round 2. Gratifyingly, this time the coverage seems a little less hysterical (maybe they learned from last time?), with the exception of the Daily Mail, …
Australian sunscreens are a bit unusual. A few people have recently asked me why Australian sunscreens often don’t show a full ingredients list, and why some sunscreens get downgraded from high SPFs to SPF 15 once they hit the Australian market. There’s also the fact that some Australian sunscreens have questionably low SPF ratings, and why some companies just can’t be bothered …
As a dedicated skincare addict, I own quite a few never-ending bottles of exfoliating acid toners that I can’t really use up fast enough. They’ve been sitting around going dusty, and I was prepared to gift them to my grandchildren one day. Enter Tracy Robey, of fanserviced-b. Tracy, a longstanding member of the online skincare community, has kindly performed some …
I’ve seen many people online say things like “moisturisers just seal in moisture, you need actives to have real anti-aging effects”. I strongly disagree, and to back up my case I’m going to present a recent study that I think really illustrates the difference a basic product (cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen) can make. The “actives or nothing” approach really underestimates how …
I’ve had some people ask me how the Panasonic Nanoe Hairdryer prevents frizz while adding water to the hair. I tried to explain it in an Instagram post, but then I realised that I needed more diagrams and space to explain it properly, so here it is! (Note: This post isn’t sponsored, although I have been sponsored by Panasonic for …
Botulinum toxin (commonly called Botox, although that’s actually a specific brand) injections have been rising as a minimally invasive treatment for wrinkles. They’re quick, relatively painless and have almost no recovery time, and if you have an experienced injector the results look very natural. Since they stop muscle movement, botox injections can also be used to prevent future wrinkles. I’ve …