I don’t suppose many people stop to think about how much shampoo or body lotion they are using. I know I don’t. But it is something that some people need to worry about. When cosmetic products are assessed for their safety the amount that is used is a relevant parameter. Obviously you use a lot […]
How Much Of A Cosmetic Product Do You Use? Read More »
The most recent version of the cosmetic regulations, which came into force in the summer of 2013, made it illegal to test on animals for the purposes of developing cosmetics. This is something that has pleased most people, who tend to think of cosmetics as not really being worth being cruel to animals for. It
REACH and Animal Testing Read More »
Since the nineties the European Union’s cosmetic legislation has required that all cosmetic and personal care products placed on the market should be assessed for safety by a suitably qualified person. I am not sure what the exact thinking behind this was. As cosmetics had not been particularly unsafe before that, the intention must have
Cosmetic Safety Assessments Read More »
I was glad I made the time last summer to visit the National Gallery’s exhibition of the pigments artists have used over the years. It was a fascinating business, and it is a bit sobering to remember just how much work the great masters of painting had to do before they even got to the
Pigments In Paintings And Cosmetics Read More »
Bath bombs have come a long way. The chemistry behind them is simple enough. Citric acid and sodium bicarbonate react together to release carbon dioxide which makes it fizz when you add them to a bath. A simple if unsophisticated pleasure. I don’t know who first thought of the idea but I first became aware
Bomb Cosmetics Chocolate Ballotin Assortment Read More »
As a keen environmentalist I often find myself face palming when a cosmetic company picks up on a green issue. They often home in on things that aren’t particularly relevant and propose solutions that are questionable. But I think the recent interest in the risks posed by microbeads is one where there is a real
Microbeads In Cosmetics Read More »
Lavender farmers are worried that under new legislation products containing lavender oil will have to bear a black and red warning symbol. They will also have to bear the warning ‘fatal if swallowed’. You can see why this might put people off.
Lavender Oil – Scary Stuff? Read More »
Have you ever wondered what exactly a cosmetic is? Most people don’t give it a second thought. And why should they? But the people who drafted the EU’s Cosmetic Regulations had to be a bit more systematic and before they started coming up with the regulations they drew up a list of the thirty categories
The EU’s Categories of Cosmetic Products Read More »
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 getting in touch looking for information about it, and in particular sensitivity to methylisothiazolinone or
I get a lot of traffic to this blog from people interested in methylisothiazolinone, or as it is now known MI. For people who haven’t been following the story, here’s a quick recap. MI has been used for about 40 years in combination with a closely related chemical called methylchloroisothiazolinone. I’ll call that MCI.
