Fact-check: What is micellar water and how does it work? An Update

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Over the past two years, my post on the chemistry of micellar water with dodgy photographed scrawlings has become one of the most popular, so I thought it was high time to update it with nicer drawings and finetune the explanation of the science. This also comes in video form – check it out here! There are tons of micellar …

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Why Vitamin C Can Stain Your Skin (and How to Avoid It!)

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Vitamin C is one of the few skincare ingredients with a decent amount of independent research to back up its properties, like its brightening and anti-wrinkle benefits. Related Post: Vitamin C – what does it do for your skin? But those of you who are vitamin C enthusiasts may have noticed that with some vitamin C serums that contain ascorbic acid, …

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Do I Need a Special Cleanser to Remove Sunscreen?

Do I Need a Special Cleanser to Remove Sunscreen?

Here’s a myth I’ve been seeing around skincare communities: that you have to use a special cleanser to remove water-resistant sunscreen. For example: “Keep in mind that most of these sunscreen actives are also oil-soluble (only dissolves in oil, not water), which gives sunscreens their water-proof and sweat-proof properties. Therefore, in order to completely remove sunscreen, you have to use …

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All About Cleansing & How to Choose a Gentle Cleanser

What Makes a Gentle Cleanser? All About Gentle Cleansing

Gone are the days of harsh cleansers that dried out your skin – everyone’s getting into gentle cleansers! What’s the science behind gentle cleansing, and how do you pick a gentle cleanser? Here’s the scientific background behind this skin-loving trend! Want more about the science behind choosing and using the right cleansers, moisturiser and sunscreen for your skin? Check out …

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How Do Bath Bombs Work? The Science

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Bath bombs are awesome balls of fizzy goodness, with some interesting science behind them! They were invented in 1989 by Mo Constantine, one of Lush’s founders. Bath bombs contain the chemical sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, as their key ingredient. This is the text version – scroll down for the video! Some of you might remember that baking …

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How Do Bubbling Oxygen Masks Work?

How Do Bubbling Oxygen Masks Work?

Oxygen masks are products which come out of the bottle as a gel, but start bubbling with oxygen gas after a few seconds on the skin. Brands like Bliss, Peter Thomas Roth, Dr Brandt, Oseque and Sephora have oxygen bubble masks. What do they do, and how did they get the gas into the bottle? Here’s the video, scroll down …

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Powered By Chemicals Coffee and Tea Molecule Mugs

Earlier this year I really wanted a molecule mug, but I could only really find ones with caffeine on them. But the chemistry of tea and coffee is so interesting – there’s EGCG in green tea for example, an awesome antioxidant that you’ll also find in skincare products, and there’s a bunch of scent molecules in coffee that smell nasty …

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How Does Olaplex Hair Treatment Work?

Olaplex 2 & 3: How Does Olaplex Hair Treatment Work?

What is Olaplex? Olaplex is a line of hair repair, “bond building” treatments that’s getting heaps of buzz in the hair community, especially with people who have damaged hair from excessive bleach. It’s available in a couple of forms – Olaplex can be mixed in with bleaching products to minimise damage, or it can be used as a separate treatment. Here’s …

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