There are some professions that will always provide you with a companion even at a fun party. Typically doctors, auto mechanics or lawyers should be ready for unexpected questions at the most interesting of gatherings from: "What is that knocking sound that my car makes during a right turn?" Or "Do you think it’s normal for one to have dry mouth in the morning? "And if you try to answer that you are not here for that, you will be found a callous, insensitive cad.
I happen to be a chemist and recently I found myself in the same strange situation when friends and acquaintances started asking me questions such as: "Can I drink the tap water?" or "What do these tiny little letters on the back of this box mean? These are not just idle questions so I always try to answer them. What are we to do, now that various chemicals have become part of our lives: they are found in our homes, gardens, bathrooms, and even our refrigerators are filled with these strange synthetic chemicals with scary names? Unfortunately today it is difficult, if not impossible to do without chemicals. Therefore, I would like to answer the most common of these questions and talk more about what we use to "feed" our skin. What is in these pretty jars and bottles that we use to take care of our face and body?
First, I would like to start with a little history. Up until the second half of the 19th century all cosmetics and medicinal ointments were based on various mixtures of plant and animal fats. In some European countries you can still encounter some products manufactured using the old recipes, but it is more of an exception than the general rule.
In 1859, while working with by-products of the oil industry (Rod Wax), an American chemical engineer, by means of physical and chemical operations was able to isolate a bright, slightly transparent and aesthetically pleasing-looking substance, which he advertised as a remedy for any and all undesirable skin conditions. And, although subsequent studies have not confirmed the health benefits of this “oil mayonnaise” as it was later dubbed, advertising has done its job. Soon, in 1870 he opened his first factory with a now historic name "Vaseline". Since then, the fate of cosmetic creams and medicinal ointments was forever linked with that name. The low cost of oil industry by-products and the abundance of this waste material greatly reduced the cost of manufacturing and allowed cosmetic companies to receive fabulous profits. For over a century now customers have been offered products that look nice and feel great on the skin, creating an illusion of moisture at an affordable price. Everything seems to be going great! What are we really offered?
To explain how the oil mayonnaise (Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, and multi-hydrocarbon) interacts with our skin, we first have to understand how it is produced. Oil industry by-products are broken up, and as a result, long hydrocarbon molecules are broken up into smaller ones. These original molecules are like long ropes, and then we cut them into many short pieces using blunt scissors. Straggling ends of these short ropes are similar to oxygen bonds of the created short molecules, and they grab on to our skin using these weak oxygen bonds. These weak bonds between molecules of the product and our skin are called oxygen bridges. Primarily because of these bridges moisture can flow in both directions.
Nature does not like a vacuum, so the moisture flows from the environment where it is abundant to the environment where it is sparse. Adult human beings are about 70 percent water. Therefore the humidity inside our bodies is usually about 65 - 70 percent. So for the outside moisture to flow into our skin using the oxygen bridges, humidity around our skin should be above these levels. Therefore, women who live in areas where it rains a lot, such as London or Seattle, are famous for their soft and youthful skin. Not a bad payoff for always getting a cold. And so, moisturizers that contain these oxygen bridges increase the rate with which our skin exchanges moisture with the outside environment. If you are on the beach or walking in the rain, then the moisture from the air will be supplied to your skin via the oxygen bridges. And, on the contrary, if you happen to be in a dry environment, your skin loses moisture with the speed of light. This feeling of dry skin, fragile like a sheet of tissue paper is familiar to many women, especially in a well heated room in the middle of winter. This is the result of using a "moisturizer” that robs your skin of its natural moisture, makes you use the product more and more, as your skin feels dryer and dryer.
There are many types of oil mayonnaise and they are priced differently. Their price depends on how finely the large molecules are chopped into smaller molecules and what amount of pollutants has been removed from them. Products that have undergone the least amount of cleaning usually have a strong perfume smell, as large amounts of fragrance are added to mask the smell of badly polluted by-product waste of the oil industry. So in general, the cheaper the lotion, the more it smells like perfume.
In the last 30 years the cosmetic market began to widely use glycerin base in lieu of oil mayonnaise. Synthetic glycerin (Glycerin) is now increasingly used by cosmetic companies as a substitute for oil mayonnaise. At first glance, glycerin has a much better, safer reputation. Unlike oil mayonnaise, glycerin is hygroscopic. Each molecule of glycerin can attach several water molecules. It is extremely profitable for manufacturers since water is still the cheapest ingredient. And when consumers see water as the first ingredient in a long list begins to believe that they are looking at an effective moisturizer. Since glycerin is a liquid, an industrial wax substance similar in composition to paraffin is added to it in order to give it more substance and make it easier to use in cosmetic products. In emulsions, propylene glycol is added as a stabilizer but we will discuss this ingredient later.
In glycerin, as in mayonnaise, there is a number of those same oxygen bridges – only there are many more of them there, so skin loses that much more moisture that much faster. In addition, glycerin is a polyol, and therefore not only dehydrates but degreases skin. Water facilitates and eases this process.
Now let’s go back and talk about propylene glycol (Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, and E1520 Propanediol). It is often used as an emulsion stabilizer in the paint industry, and cosmetics industry utilizes it for the same purpose. If you want your moisturizer to have an indefinite shelf life and the ingredients to not separate, you will add propylene glycol to it. It is considered a somewhat safe (“Generally recognized as safe” by FDA) product and also very useful for the manufacturers. Not only helps the glue to "glue" components of the cream to each other, but also to "stick" to the skin cream. Propylene glycol inhibits the growth of bacteria, oxidizing/burning of the cell membranes. Human cell membranes are very similar to those in bacteria; therefore they are easily oxidized/burned by propylene glycol. As a result various irritations and allergies caused by products containing large amounts of propylene glycol are quite common. In addition, propylene glycol molecules, penetrating the capillaries of the skin and entering into the bloodstream may produce negative effects to the nervous system and may cause long lasting damage to the liver and kidneys. The danger of propylene glycols has become more apparent as the number of glycerin based products became more abundant in the marketplace. It is in these particular products that propylene glycol is added in large quantities. More expensive products contain up to 20% of propylene glycol, and the cheaper ones contain between 35% to 50%.
There is another problem associated with synthetic-based products and it can be summarized in just one word—aromatics. Aromatic hydrocarbons and their compounds are always dangerous for humans. Even in minute quantities they are able to penetrate into our cells as their structure closely mimics that of the molecules our own bodies produce.
Our skin cells are unable to utilize them or destroy them and therefore these poisonous compounds are stored and inherited by the new cells our bodies produce. But that is just half the problem. Some of these compounds are able to participate in cell synthesis (cell creation), altering the DNA of the new cell nucleus and reprogramming them into cancerous cells. These aromatic compounds are also present in the crude oil mayonnaise in small amounts. They naturally occur in the raw materials from which it is produced. However, they are artificially introduced into glycerin-based products. They are used as preservatives. Glycerin base is a mixture of water, fats and sugars that bacteria and fungus thrive upon. In order to extend the shelf life of these products, and to prevent them from growing mold, parabens and their derivatives (esters of benzoic acid) are often added to the mix. They include various parabens, benzoic acid, and benzyl benzoate and benzyl alcohol. All these preservatives are considered conditionally safe, meaning that they are poisonous to bacteria but supposedly safe to humans in small amounts. The danger of parabens came to light in 2004 when a British study of breast cancer biopsy samples revealed a presence of parabens. Out of every 20 samples studied 18 contained parabens. It is a well-known fact that all compounds containing benzoyl and phenol break down to basic benzyls and phenols when introduced into human cells and these substances are dangerous carcinogens.
Now let’s talk about the substances that are advertised as particularly effective and necessary for our skin health--most notably, all the vitamins. But as a general rule, most vitamins are very easily oxidized. In addition, vitamins A and E are super easily oxidized, which is the reason they are usually sold in capsules filled with an oil substance that protects the vitamins. But, as previously discussed, crude oil mayonnaise and especially glycerin, are full of molecules with easily oxidized bonds at the ends of the molecules. What then prevents them from reacting with the vitamins while still in the cosmetics jar? And if the manufacturer stated that these vitamins were included into the formula at the time of production, it does not at all mean that the said vitamins are still “alive” at the time when the product is finally purchased by the consumer. No one checks the presence of these vitamins at the point of sale. It is inconvenient for the manufacturer if the consumer becomes aware of these facts, isn’t it? This also applies to the 100% chemically synthesized Q-coenzyme and hyaluronic acid.
The second group of additives that the cosmetic companies try to entice us with are herbs and their extracts. Herbal additives can be prepared for addition to cosmetics in three different ways: oil tincture, alcohol tincture and extraction. The oil tincture is the most expensive and time consuming way but it is also most effective in absorbing and storing nutrients from the herbs. The last one, extraction, is the cheapest and the fastest. Unfortunately, it often calls for use of organic solvents and their traces “enrich” or rather, pollute, cosmetic products with totally unwanted substances. A good example of how radically an extraction changes the features and benefits of a plant material is the sad account of grapefruit seed extract. Grapefruit in its original form is famous for improving the human immune system, but the extraction suppresses it by reducing the ability of the thyroid gland to perform its function. Glycerin-based creams and lotions often contain propylene-glycol herbal extractions. Propylene-glycol dissolves the plant matter but whether or not any nutrients remain “alive” or are they missing in action like the vitamins is still being debated.
I will refrain from discussing such compounds as lauryl sulfate, borax as well as aluminum oxides as it threatens to turn this article into a book of horror stories. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with some suggestions on how to select cosmetic products that pose the least amount of risk to the health of your skin.
- Do not fall for beautiful promises that you read on the top and front of product labels. It is much more beneficial to take a look at the back panel of the label where the ingredient list is located. It always pays to find out what it is we use several times a day. Read the back label and if you think that half the ingredients in this lengthy list sound weird, keep looking for something else to buy.
- Some manufacturers only list active ingredients, but those sometimes account for only up to 2% of total weight. Should we even trust those manufacturers that do not disclose those ingredients that may have negative effects on the human body? If you only see 2-3 ingredients on the list you can be sure that the manufacturer was too “ashamed” to list everything that was used in creating this product.
- Cheap cosmetics in large containers—are they really dangerous? Let’s mentally add up the costs of the container, shipping, profit margins for both the manufacturer and retailer and a terrible question begins to arise—what could they afford to put in this container for these few leftover pennies?
- If the first ingredient on the list is water, we can be absolutely sure that: a) we are paying money for something we could have had for free out of any public faucet; b) in combination with glycerin it will further dehydrate our skin and c) at the end of the list we are sure to find all those parabens and their next of kind.
- A word about pseudo-natural cosmetics. Words like “natural” and “parabens-free” mean absolutely nothing. Glycerin made from vegetable oils is still glycerin. Our skin that feels drier than the sands of the Gobi desert could not care less if no animals were harmed in the production of this glycerin.
- There is only one type of natural wax and it should so be labeled in cosmetics—beeswax. All other waxes are either by-products of petroleum refining process or a mixture of animal fats. There are also emulsified waxes that are produced as a by-product of fats being processed into fatty alcohols. It is a horrid mixture added to pseudo-natural cosmetics instead of propylene-glycol.
- A word about silicones. There is a large quantity of them in deodorants and almost all hair care products. That in itself is really sad. But they should never ever be included into cosmetic creams and lotions or into lip balms and chap stick-like products. And yet silicones are widely found in eye-creams and anti-wrinkle creams. By covering the skin with a thin but strong polymer film, silicones prevent the air from reaching our skin as well as excess moisture from evaporating. Skin swells up from excessive moisture trapped under that film and a short-lived effect of “rejuvenation” is achieved. There are lots of different types of silicones used in cosmetics, but almost all of them end with –thicone or –oxane. Continuous use of such products leads to the destruction of upper levels of epidermis and further accelerates the skin aging process.
- Remember that all natural substances tend to have some color. Aloe Vera juice is green while beeswax tends to be yellow. So you should be concerned if someone tells you that this snow-white product is “natural”. Most likely the only natural thing about it is the minute amounts of additives.
Right now cosmetics manufacturing is barely, if at all, regulated by any laws. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that sells illusions and promises rather than reality and results. In order to truly keep your skin young and healthy, quite a long time needs to be spent in order to be able to navigate comfortably in the ocean of pseudo-useful products and choose something that will actually deliver results or at least not harm your skin. But the result is worth the effort! I hope this article will help you in your quest. Best of luck!