Understanding skin care labels can be quite intimidating,
thus most people do not bother to read them.
They take for granted that what is advertised on the front of the
bottle to be true. For instance, a product is
labeled “natural” and we assume that it is made from “natural”
ingredients, whether it is botanicals, herbs, or marine substances
such as seaweed.
However the U.S. Food and Drug Administration do not
define the term natural or organic. In fact the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration department (FDA) does not approve
cosmetics before going to the market. The
responsibility of the safety of the cosmetic lies with the
manufacturer. Except for color additives and
those ingredients which are prohibited or restricted by regulation,
the manufacturer may use any ingredient in a cosmetic provided that
they are safe and properly labeled and can coin numerous terms when
marketing the cosmetic that may or may not be true. You can read
more about the FDA’s regulation of cosmetics at
www.fda.gov.
Below are some common terms used in skin care product
labeling:
Alcohol Free: when we
read this term we assume that the product contains no alcohol, and
to the layman we assume a grain alcohol. However
cosmetic products may contain other alcohols such as cetyl,
stearyl, ceteryl or lanolin. Did you know the
above ingredients were alcohol? These are known as fatty
alcohols.
Hypoallergenic:
suggests that this cosmetic will not cause an allergic
reaction. However, there are no clinical or
scientific studies required substantiating this
claim. Furthermore, the terms
dermatologist-tested, sensitivity tested, allergy tested or
nonirritating will not guarantee that you skin will not have an
allergic reaction.
Fragrance Free:
most cosmetics have some fragrance added to them to cover any
offensive odor from the raw materials used.
However they are used in small quantities so that there is no
noticeable scent.
Natural: as stated above, natural implies
that there are ingredients extracted from plants, animal products,
and herbs. There is no basis or scientific fact
that products containing natural ingredients are good for the skin,
given the amount of “natural” ingredients in the product.
Noncomodogenic: means the cosmetic does
not contain common pore-clogging ingredients that could lead to
acne.
Shelf Life (Expiration Date): the amount of time
for which a cosmetic product is good under normal conditions of
storage and use, depending on the product's composition,
packaging, preservation, etc. Expiration dates are, for practical
purposes, a rule of thumb, and a product may expire long before
that date if it has not been stored and properly handled.
Cruelty Free: makes us feel better
because we are not purchasing products that are tested on
animals. However, most ingredients used in
cosmetics have at some point been tested on animals so consumers
may want to look for "no new animal testing," to get a
more accurate indication.
Next time you are shopping for “natural” cosmetics, read the
label. Question the
product. Is there scientific proof or clinical
testing that can substantiate the product
claims? Are you paying more because the product
is labeled “natural”? Again, read the label and
what “natural” ingredients do you see? The skin
care product labels list the ingredients in the order of volume,
therefore the ingredients at the top are the primary ingredients
and the ones listed at the bottom are the least.
Are the natural ingredients you are looking for like aloe Vera,
essential oils, herbs, etc., listed at the top?
Additionally, sensitive skin should avoid fragrances, alcohol,
FD&C colors, mineral oil and formaldehyde,
however, mineral oil is in almost all skin care products and
the more you use it the more drier your skin
becomes. Unfortunately many women continue
to have irritated, dry, scaly, itchy or blotchy skin and jump from
one chemical cosmetic to another trying to find the cure.
There are alternatives to better skin care: the
first is to consider making your own skin care products, you can
find toner recipes, facial cleansing, masks, peels and serum
recipes at Complete
Skin Care Therapy the second alternative is to read
the labels on your skin care product and know what you are applying
to your skin. Is there scientific or clinical
research that the product really works? Can you
call the manufacturer and ask them for scientific data that proves
the product claims what it says. If not consider
products that will provide you with scientific data to support
their claims, such as Shaklee.
For example, here is the data collected for the Enfuselle Advanced
Skin Care Treatment which have been clinically tested at
independent laboratories.
Procedure:
Groups of men and women between the ages of 30 and 70
(Normal-to-Dry = 42 females; Normal-to-Oily = 35 females/7 males)
used Enfuselle Anti-Aging Systems according to regimen directions
for a period of 84 days. The products were applied in a controlled
and supervised manner to the entire face.
Results:
Normal-to-Dry
65% increase in skin
resilience and firmness in 28 days.
14% increase in retained skin moisture in 56 days.
A definitive evening of skin tone in 84 days.
Normal-to-Oily
270% increase in skin resilience and
firmness in 28 days.
17% increase in retained skin moisture in 56 days.
A definitive evening of skin tone in 84 days.
Conclusions:
The Enfuselle Normal-to-Dry Regimen significantly improves the
resilience and other critical properties of dry skin and
significantly reduces the visible signs of aging. The Enfuselle
Normal-to-Oily Regimen significantly improves the resilience and
other critical properties of oily skin and significantly reduces
the visible signs of aging. In half-face studies, bioinstruments
were used to objectively measure the depth of fine lines and
wrinkles on one side of the face where Enfuselle was being applied
and compare these results to the control side where no skin care
products or makeup were used. The results of the tests, due in part
to rapidly changing climate conditions, were extraordinary: where
no skin care or cosmetic products were used, the visible signs of
aging became measurably deeper, while the skin treated with
Enfuselle products steadily improved.
Stop by and visit Complete Skin Care Therapy for
recipes or my site on squidoo about the signs of aging and
for Shaklee products at Complete Skin Care Therapy Part 2
View my other posts on Shine below are just to name a few:
Exceptional Skin Care with Essential Oils - Properties and
Uses
Amazing Epsom Salts
What Goes First the Moisturizer or the Serum, the Sunscreen or the
Primer
