Category Archives: Ingredients

A Problem With Skin Reactions To Esters

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Colin

My long term Twitter chum Musical Houses raised a problem she has with some cosmetic ingredients with me over Twitter, using no less than 8 tweets to do it.  Such patience clearly deserves an answer.

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Bisabolol

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Colin

 It is a common observation amongst pharmaceutical scientists that many of the top selling drugs of all time are derived from plants.  The one that is usually quoted is aspirin that was first developed by modifying an ingredient found in … Continue reading →

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What Are The Risks of Combining Dihydroxyacetone and Dimethyl Isosorbide in Self Tans?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Colin

Hi Colin, I’ve been a loyal reader of your blog for quite some time and enjoy the reliable advice you give as a professional. Therefore I would like your opinion on something that has been bothering me for a while. … Continue reading →

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Ascorbic Acid/Vitamin C

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Colin

It is a sad fact of life that not many of the fancy sounding ingredients that cosmetic companies add to their formulations add much to the benefits those products have for your skin.  A good moisturiser is a pretty handy … Continue reading →

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Anti-ageing Effect of Carnosine

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Colin

Carnosine has been around a long time, but is currently a fashionable anti-ageing ingredient because of its supposed role in inhibiting glycation which I have previously blogged about.  I came to the conclusion that it was a nice theory, but while it is … Continue reading →

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Correcting Acne Scars

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Colin

If acne wasn’t bad enough already it can often leave scars on the face which can, in some cases, last a lifetime.  Fortunately severe disfigurement as a result of acne is rare, but unfortunately there isn’t a huge amount that … Continue reading →

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Which Ingredients Block Pores?

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Colin

I have written before about how I don’t think that there is very much value in the comedogenic scale that attempts to rate cosmetic ingredient for their potential to cause blackheads.  But this rather begs the question, posed to me … Continue reading →

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Do Anti-Ageing Creams Cause Autism?

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Colin

Another day, another scare story. This one suggests that ingredients in anti-ageing creams can affect the development of unborn children so they are more likely to be born autistic. Well, nothing is totally impossible but this one seems a bit … Continue reading →

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MI in Paint

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Colin

One of the most surprising things about blogging is how much you learn.  A good example arrived in my inbox yesterday.  I have just started a newsletter for people with sensitive skin, largely because I get a lot of people … Continue reading →

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Glycation and Skin Ageing

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Colin

Nobody knows exactly why we age.  One popular theory is that staying alive is simply too hard to keep it up for long.  We have large and complicated bodies full of intricate chemicals, all of which are under constant attack … Continue reading →

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