Does Beauty Jargon Baffle You Too
Submitted by Beauty Brains Blog
The Left Brain laments…
One loyal UK Beauty Brains tipped us off to this interesting article in the UK’s Newspaper the Daily Mail. In it, the reporter attempts to define and clarify some common “sciencey” terms often found in skin care 
products. While she does a good job defining terms, she does not give a good evaluation of what works and what does not. We’ll attempt to clear up the science.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids:
AHAs are functional ingredients and there is science to demonstrate that they help improve your skin. But you don’t have to spend >$100 for a product that works. Try something like this Alpha Hydox AHA Souffle or another store brand and see if it works for you.
Antioxidants:
The reporter is correct that antioxidants stop damaging free radical reactions in skin, but she fails to mention UV exposure which is one of the key causes. Plus, there is no proof that antioxidants delivered from commercially available skin products actually have any additional benefit. Since antioxidants are expensive and consumers can’t tell whether they do anything or not, companies can simply put tiny amounts in their formulas and claim they are in there. The consumers just assume the antioxidants make the formulas work instead of the true functional ingredients like petrolatum, mineral oil, and other compounds. Don’t waste over $200 on antioxidant containing creams when the Bliss Body Butter with antioxidants will work just as well for much less.
Beta Hydroxy Acids:
BHAs like salicylic acid do work to stop acne. They are part of the FDA monograph and have been proven in double blinded studies. But the amount of Salicylic acid in the formula is the important thing. You can get some great products at your local grocery store. Or try out the Revlon Eterna moisturizing cream.
Ferulic Acid:
The Daily Mail article is short on details but you can learn more here about ferulic acid (it’s found in plants and derived from the metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine). Ferulic acid has lots of potential as indicated in this peer reviewed report from 1992, but it hasn’t been proven to be effective from a skin cream so I’m skeptical. You would think in 16 years someone would’ve created a formula that was significantly better than the creams you can get now. And the claims in the article that it will protect you from DNA mutations is just silly. Anything that helps block UV will do that and it won’t be nearly as expensive as these formulas. But if you want to give ferulic acid a try, check out this DS Laboratories product.
Peptides:
While the reporter got the definition of peptides right, she completely misses on what they do in skin care. She parrots back a load of marketing BS. Peptides have have no function in skin care products. They do not increase collagen or prevent DNA damage. They are story ingredients that make people feel better about the products they are using. There’s nothing bad about them in your skin product. They just don’t provide much benefit. But if you want to try something with peptides in it don’t waste your money on pricey products, try the Olay Regenerist product instead.
Hyaluronic Acid:
While hyaluronic acid is a good moisturizer (it binds moisture to the surface of skin when applied topically) it is not superior to things like petrolatum and glycerin. It is a reved-up version of a humectant. It makes a good story but not much else. However, if you’re inclined to buy into it, try the Aqua Glycolic face cream which is reasonably priced.
Omega 3 and 6:
While these essential fatty acids might be good for your diet, they haven’t been shown to have any significant effect over traditional skin ingredients when topically applied. It’s certainly not worth spending >$60 for a omega-infused skin cream. If you want to dabble, try the more reasonably priced Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Serum.
Humectants:
You don’t need seaweed or honey to get humectants. Look for any product that contains glycerin or 
propylene glycol. These are all the humectants you need. Also, these ingredients are not highly functional and are only secondary moisturizing ingredients. They actually are more important for keeping your product from drying out than for keeping your skin moisturized.
Niacinamide:
Oh my. Niacinamide might help microcirculation in your body but it’s not going to do it when delivered from a skin cream. This reporter must’ve taken her information right from the P&G marketing website. But you can be certain that Olay products are some of the best formulas for skin care. They were developed by some of the smartest, best paid cosmetic chemists in the industry. You can order some Olay products here if you want.
Polyphenols:
I think the reporter made a mistake here. She is talking about polyphenols not polyphebols. But this ingredient follows the basic theme of the others. It has proven important in your biochemistry and has shown benefit when ingested. It just hasn’t shown added benefit when slathered on your skin. Unfortunately (or fortunately) your skin does not absorb most ingredients into your body!! But if you’re inclined to try out some of these polyphenols try this Avalon Organics Moisturizer.
Zinc Oxide:
Zinc oxide is a good, proven effective UV blocker. It’s the basis of many sunscreens.
Retinol:
This ingredient has been shown to be effective, but the stuff that really works can only be prescribed by a doctor. Anything that works this good would be classified as a drug and has to be suitably tested and obtained from a doctor. Products that don’t require this probably don’t have enough retinol to be effective. Go get a prescription from a derm if you want an effective retinol product.
Vitamin C:
The reporter is right that vitamin C is not stable in cosmetic products. So, don’t bother getting products that use vitamin C. But if you enjoy the story of Vitamin C, consider trying this Vitamin C Serum
Beauty Brains Bottom Line
While there are some great skin care products out there, most of the ingredients you hear about are not the things that make them good. They are there to build a marketing story usually based on a preliminary finding from some peer reviewed research. But moving some discovery from the university lab to the store shelves is much more complicated than skin care marketers let on.
Did we miss your favorite ingredient? Leave a comment below and we’ll take a look at it in an upcoming post.
