Here’s an ingredient with a mixed pedigree. Lanolin is a pure and rather lovely natural ingredient derived from wool. PEG-75 Lanolin is lanolin that has been ethoxylated. This means that the lanolin is treated with ethylene oxide to make it more water soluble. This enables it to be used in ways that you can’t use lanolin […]
One of the good things about the job I do is that I come across interesting stuff all the time. For example Hinoki Oil, which is the oil obtained from the leaves and roots of Chamaecyparis obtuse, Cupressaceae. The shrub from which it is derived is commonly known as either Hinoki or Hinoki Cyprus and is
Hinoki Oil – A Natural Cosmeceutical Read More »
This was a question posed to me by a journalist on the Daily Telegraph. The answer is of course no, but I’ll get onto that later. First this is quite an interesting example of how stories like this originate. Here is the full text of the e-mail I was sent.
Are Personal Care Products Making Men Bald? Read More »
I don’t think that animal testing works the way some people commentating on the internet appear to think it works. This was brought home to me when I was asked a question about a new preservative material called silver citrate. It is one that might appeal to the lovers of natural because both silver
I have just seen a post on Facebook where someone is wondering about how much beer they need to put in a beer shampoo. They aren’t very sure – in fact they are considering anything between 5 and 50%. That’s a lot of beer! The only thing they are sure of is that they
I have just got off the phone from discussing a citrus fruit extract I have commissioned. I have been disparaging in the past about what are called tip ins – but there are times when you want a particular extract and it is rather splendid that companies exist that have the expertise and capabilities to
Citrus Fruit Extract Read More »
Some things I write about seem quite important to me but somehow don’t really resonate with the people who read my blog. For example I wrote a post on palm oil which explained how the palm oil business works. Nobody read it. But I still think it matters so here we go again. Basically palm
The Palm Tree – The Cosmetic Industry’s Base Read More »
A question about an ingredient from Sara. Hi, just wondering if you could give some information on the preservative Polyaminopropyl Biguanide? Apparently it was banned by the EU in January 2015 however appears to be still used in many beauty products including up to very recently Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish. Many thanks.Hello Sara,
Polyaminopropyl Biguanide Banned. Sort of. Read More »
I am not a big fan of Facebook. I find the interface a bit busy and confusing, and I haven’t really worked out who can actually see stuff when I post it. But it is a big platform so I feel obliged to got on it every now and again. I was on it recently
Methylisothiazolinone Isn’t Banned, But It Looks Like I Am Read More »
A Twitter friend asks what an astringent is. And the answer is basically quite straight forward on one level. It is something that stings the skin and stimulates it to react. The easiest way to think about it is to consider the material that is most often used as an astringent, or at least most
