Should you use natural products if you have sensitive skin? There is an argument that you shouldn’t. The problem is that an allergic reaction is caused by your immune system reacting to something that it encounters and identifies as a threat. Natural products contain a wider diversity of ingredients so you have a bigger chance […]
Reactions to Plant Extracts in Cosmetics Read More »
I suppose I should start with how they are pronounced. The first four syllables are pronounced in the same way as the first two of thought. So not too hard to say. It is phthalates in the plural because phthalates are a family of chemicals that all share a common structure. You can find the
Phthalates – Are They Safe? Read More »
This is an odd one. Alexi writes Hi, Colin I have question about milk of magnesia. A lot of ladies are saying that it’s effective at controlling oil on their skin, but is it safe? I’ve heard that milk of magnesia has a pH of 10.5. Wouldn’t it disrupt the skins acid mantle over a
Milk of Magnesia for the Skin Read More »
What is the best oil for baby massage? This ought to be a simple question. But first of all, should we be massaging babies at all in the first place? It doesn’t sound like it should be a problem. People like cuddling babies and babies seem to like being cuddled. Massaging is just an extension
In March 2011 an accident at the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan led to a release of radioactive elements into the atmosphere. A few days later, these unique elements were detected in Oxford in the UK. Given that Japan and the UK are on opposite sides of the earth, that accident must have filled the
Should Pregnant Women Worry About Shower Gel? Read More »
There was a story in the papers this weekend that someone is suing Rihanna because she caught herpes from a sample of her lipstick given away at a concert. Before I get onto the main point, I find it interesting that this kind of promotion goes on in the first place. It does make sense.
Can you get herpes from shared lipstick? Read More »
Is Phenoxyethanol Banned in Japan? My recent post on phenoxyethanol prompted this question on Twitter. The answer is no it isn’t. Phenoxyethanol is limited to 1% in Japan exactly as it is in the European Union. But why did my twitter chum think it might be. I did a quick google and found that there
Is Phenoxyethanol Banned in Japan? Read More »
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that hasn’t gathered a huge amount of attention until recently. This is largely because of what it isn’t. It isn’t a formaldehyde donor. It isn’t particularly sensitising. It has never been linked with cancer. Basically it has kept its head down and nobody has taken a lot of notice of it.
I was born right just when the drug thalidomide was being prescribed for morning sickness. This has always made me feel particular empathy towards those people who were born with defects caused by that drug. I have run into a few of them over the years, and of course they are always about my age
What You Should Know About Licensed Products Read More »
The previous programmes looked at how we have ended up so fat. In the third part the subject was so called healthy foods. Health foods have been around a long time, but they really took off in the nineties when a series of health scares over food eroded people’s confidence in the mainstream food industry.
Men Who Made Us Fat Part 3- BBC2 12.7.12 Read More »
