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UnderstandingCosmetics

by Kimberly Westwood

Before paint was ever splashed on to canvas or cave wall, it was splashed on to faces and bodies, where it was used not only for symbolic purposes but also for purely decorative ones.

The ladies of ancient Rome used the pulverized paste of crocodile intestine and dung to remove freckles and promote 'fairness' to the complexion, red fucus derived from moss to color the cheeks and lips, saffron and charcoal for the eyes and, more painfully, a soot-filled needle to make the eyebrows more luxuriant by puncturing small holes into the skin. "She who is blushing with no real blood is blushing with the aid of art," wrote Ovid in his "Ars Amatoria" and counseled his female readers to do likewise, adding, "Tis no harm, too, to mark the eyes slightly with ashes or with saffron. But it had to look real: Let not your lover discover the boxes exposed upon the table; art by its concealment only gives aid to beauty." It would be hard to find a better prescription for the 1990s.

What had been a fashionable diversion for the ladies of imperial Rome, became a positive rage in Elizabethan England. The range of ingredients incorporated into the cosmetics of the day reads more like a modern-day list of poisons than something which could be bought over the counter from the local druggist: lead oxide, antimony and mercury compounds were all used to contribute to the unearthly pallor which was the prized possession of every Elizabethan lady. Although some women were fatally poisoned by the cosmetics they wore, the fashion persisted right through to the Victorian era, when makeup was firmly relegated to the stage and lower castes of society. No self-respecting Victorian woman would have allowed her appearance to suggest that it owed anything, even remotely, to artifice.

When cosmetics made their cautious come-back at the end of the last century, they were marketed as medical rather than beauty aids. One cold cream was even described as being good for constipation. By the 1920s cosmetics were firmly back in favor, but this time with a different emphasis—that of giving, not of robbing, expressiveness. A Cupid's bow hinted at sensuality, a touch of color at coyness, a dark shadow at decadence. Expressiveness was pre-packed, promises abounded and the aim was always to achieve the look. Nothing else qualified.

Only in the last 20 years or so have attitudes towards cosmetics finally relaxed. There are no longer any rules. Instead, there are suggestions that will enable you to create your look—a look that is as individual as the clothes you wear or the attitudes you adopt. And one which, like your clothes and your attitudes, will change with your mood. So, use Nu-Woman's information as guidelines to help you, not as rules. Experiment with your makeup, define and enhance your features, add and subtract color as you like.

GETTING THE BEST FROM YOUR COSMETICS

Nu-Woman cosmetic and skin care formulations as chosen not only for aesthetic reasons, but to assure safe and consistent results. Used sensibly and with reasonable regularity, most high-quality cosmetics will last just as long as you want them to. If carelessly or applied only infrequently, you run the risk of irritation and/or infection from bacteria which will eventually form in even the most stable of products. The shelf-life of high-quality products is much longer and far beyond most people's 'usage' time once opened. Products most susceptible to contamination by the air, house dust or dirty fingers are those using cream formula, such as moisturizers, eye colors and lipsticks. Mascara should be replaced as often as every second month. Powder and alcohol-based cosmetics, on the other hand, will last infinitely longer. But remember to balance medical and aesthetic considerations. When your product starts to separate or discolor, lose its fragrance, flake, cake or harden, it has probably outlived its usefulness and the time has come to replace it. Use the following guidelines to get the best from your cosmetics:

Replace brushes every year or 18 months and cream eye shadow applicators every six months, and reusable sponges should be replaced regularly. Be particularly careful with mascara wands, or applicators, because these pick up germs very readily and can infect the eye if carelessly applied. Return the wand to the tube immediately after application and throw the thing away after a couple of months.

ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES

When you consider that there are over 100,000 differently formulated cosmetics, using several thousand ingredients, it is surprising not that some people develop allergies or sensitivities to one or more of them, but that so few of us do. The processes by which cosmetics are made are so carefully controlled and the ingredients so scrupulously screened, that most of us can put anything we choose on to our skins with absolute confidence and in perfect safety. Even so, there is always a chance of reacting adversely to a product at some time in our lives and it may quite possibly be one which we have been using happily for months or even years. The odds of this happening were put as high as one in two in one study, as low as one in 12 in another. The reaction itself may either be a 'true', demonstrable allergy or—more commonly a sensitivity which may be slight or severe, temporary or prolonged, may arrive for no clear reason at all and may even disappear on reusing the product that produced it.

True allergic reactions to cosmetics are very rare and probably afflict no more than one per cent of users. They are the result of a highly complex immunological response to a substance to which you have already been exposed. They can often be successfully isolated and are extremely specific.. A similar, but not identical, substance will often produce no effect whatsoever. With very few exceptions, once you have an allergy you will always have it. The only way of avoiding a reaction is to take appropriate evasive action, either by avoiding the type or types of cosmetics likely to contain the allergen or by going for a cosmetic range that you know excludes the offending ingredient.

Sensitivities to cosmetics are much more common and often more puzzling than allergies, as they tend to be produced in response to a group of substances rather than to one particular component. You may, for example, develop a sensitivity to perfumes in general rather than to geranium in particular. Because of this, sensitivities tend to be much harder to isolate and you may, therefore, find it more useful to adopt the general strategy detailed below than to try to detect the precise culprit.

If you frequently have dry, red, itchy patches on your face, neck and body, you are likely to be what is known as generally sensitivity-prone. This category tends to include those who are pale-skinned, red- or fair-haired, suffer from asthma, hay fever or eczema, burn easily in moderate sunlight and have naturally dry skins. These are all indications that you should use the gentlest skin care and cleansing routines. Choose simple, unscented products and stick with the ones that seem to suit your skin.

Finally, remember that it is not only possible to grow out of but into a sensitivity and that all skin tends to become more sensitive as it gets older.

Paraphenylenediamine. This ingredient, used in the formulation of permanent hair dyes, is now well recognized as a common sensitizer. Always ask for a patch test, if having your hair colored and, if coloring your own hair, carry it out yourself. An allergy or sensitivity to this chemical can be extremely unpleasant and may not necessarily be restricted to the scalp and the hands, appearing as scaling on the face or inflammation around the eyes.

Parabens. This group of preservatives has extremely effective antibacterial properties and is used in most cosmetic and medical preparations. Because of their effectiveness, the concentration is so low that it is often well tolerated, but reactions are not unknown. Other allergenic preservatives: quaternium 15 and imidazolidinyl urea.

Formaldehyde. This anti-bacterial agent, used as a preservative in some cosmetics and in much higher concentration in nail 'hardeners', can produce sensitivity reactions on the skin and discoloration or separation on the nails.

Perfumes. These are the most common sensitizers in cosmetics and, even though they are incorporated into cosmetics at a fraction of the concentration used in pure perfumes, may produce irritant reactions. Almost all cosmetic products contain perfume unless labels specifically state otherwise. (Virtually all Nu-Woman products are fragrance free.)

Aluminum salts. These highly acidic salts are used in the formulation of all antiperspirants. While allergic reactions are rare, sensitivities and irritations are common, particularly if the skin is already sore, sunburned or newly shaved.

If you develop a rash or a patch of sore, scaly skin and suspect that it is product linked, check the following:

Have you started using a new product or a new version of an old product lately? Check bath oils, body lotions, shampoos, soaps, nail polishes, moisturizers, cleansers and deodorants, as well as makeup and products that may have been used on your skin or your hair in a beauty salon or by a hairdresser. Check new formulas of old favorites, too, as they may contain new chemical compounds.

If you have a naturally sensitive skin, use one new product at a time to see how your skin reacts to it and patch test it first. Put a coin-sized amount of the product on to the skin every day for a week and discard it if there is any untoward reaction. Remember, too, that reactions may occur after years of contact with the 'offending' substance.

Is the rash confined to one specific area of the skin or is it more generalized? The response may not be caused by the cosmetics you are using. Allergies to metal, such as nickel, may manifest themselves on the face where rings, bracelets or long drop earrings have come into contact with the skin. A body rash may be caused by a detergent used for washing clothes or bed linen. Confusingly, too, sensitivities to products do not always appear on the area to which they have been applied. An allergy caused by nail polish, for example, is rarely seen on the hands and appears more commonly on the cheeks or chin where they have rested on the fingers.

Is the reaction worse at some times and better at others? Does it coincide with times when you wear a different or heavier makeup—the more you put on, the greater the chance of irritation—or a different type of perfume? Or does it become noticeable after washing your hair or painting your nails? If there does seem to be a link with a specific product, stop using it. If the picture is less clear, start a gradual process of elimination, leaving one product aside at a time, until you manage to identify the culprit.

Is the reaction severe enough to require medical attention? While amateur detection is fine if the response is mild, any severe reaction, such as pronounced inflammation, should be taken to your doctor and, if necessary, referred to a dermatological clinic for diagnostic patch testing. This should determine the ingredient responsible and the products to avoid using in the future.

Is your skin damaged, sunburned or excessively dry? If so, do not be surprised if it reacts unfavorably to products previously tolerated quite well. This sensitivity is temporary and there is no reason why you should not return to these products, once your skin has regained its natural resilience.

THE LANGUAGE ON THE LABEL
What it's really saying

Hypoallergenic. The 'hypo' in hypoallergenic means 'less' not 'non'. Everyone is sensitive to something and some people will even react to distilled water sprayed on to the face. If you do have a sensitive skin, however, a hypoallergenic range can be very helpful. Products are usually unscented, exclude known sensitizers, such as lanolin, and keep to formulae that are as simple as possible.

pH balanced is used to indicate the relative acidity or alkalinity of a product—relative, that is, to the acidity of your skin and hair 15.5and 6.8 respectively. The acidity/alkalinity scale is measured in numbers from 1 to 14. Seven is neutral; numbers below this are acid end above it are alkaline. PH 'balanced' soaps and shampoos are of questionable value for normal skins and hair, which have an in-built ability to adjust their pHs back to normal within about 20 minutes of washing. The process can be speeded up by the use of a toner or hair conditioner, both of which are slightly acidic in nature. While pH shampoos can be helpful for processed or damaged hair, because they avoid the swelling caused by the alkalinity of detergents, people with sensitive skins that feel dry and taut after washing should forget their pHs and use a cream cleanser instead.

Organic (as in organic soaps, shampoos, etc.) is pseudo scientific for owing its origins to the garden and not the laboratory. As the real meaning of organic is 'belonging to or having the characteristics of a living thing', no product can be organic per se. That is the province of plants, animals and humans. The fact that all cosmetics contain organic derivatives in varying degrees and concentrations probably accounts for the confusion. Although organic (i.e. 'natural and good') is usually considered preferable to synthetic (i.e. 'man-made and bad'), synthetic substances can make valuable and extremely effective cosmetic ingredients.

Natural, anyway, is not always good. There are more known plant or plant-derivative allergens than chemical ones—chamomile is one example. In addition, the possibility of developing a sensitivity or untoward reaction is compounded if preservatives are left out of the preparation. Be wary, therefore, of homemade recipes for creams and cosmetics. They may sound delicious, but it is difficult to ensure that the utensils and containers you use are scrupulously clean and sterile. The lack of preservative makes home preparations an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Herbal enthusiasm is fine and can make for marvelous looking and smelling products, as long as it is tempered with a little scientific resource. The products to go for are those combining natural ingredients with synthetic preservatives.

Medicated soaps, lotions, deodorants and shampoos are those which have a specific action on the skin or hair beyond their normal cleansing, toning or deodorizing properties. Additives like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid have grease stripping properties and are added to some soaps and certain types of makeup for excessively oily, acne prone skin. Zinc pyrithione and selenium sulphide are used in antidandruff shampoos, aluminum salts are added to antiperspirant roll-on and sprays, and bactericides, such as triclocarbon, to antibacterial 'deodorant' soaps. These additives tend to make the products harsher and increase the chances of sensitivity or allergic-type reactions. Use them sparingly on sensitive skin and very dry or damaged hair.

Soapless shampoos and cleansing products have not been saponified (made into soap by mixing natural animal or vegetable oils with an alkali, such as potassium). Instead they use a combination of lanolin, oils, coloring, perfume and protein. Soapless preparations are particularly good for washing the face or hair in hard water, as ordinary soap tends to combine with traces of magnesium and calcium salts in the water, leaving tiny deposits on the skin and hair which may contribute to dryness and can even produce a dandruff-like scaling on the scalp.

Superfatted soaps are made by leaving unsaponified fat in the soap during the processing or by adding lanolin, glycerine, beeswax or mineral oils to the soap base. They are particularly good for dry skins.

Emulslons are products containing ingredients that would normally separate rather than combine. Creams and body lotions are emulsions of oil and water mixed freely together during processing but sometimes liable to separate, particularly if they have been kept for some time. Stirring the cream or shaking the bottle should remedy this.

Unscented products have no perfume added during preparation. Unless a label states that the product is unscented, it will probably contain a scent or group of scents—whether it is an innocuously bland looking foundation or a richly colored eyeshadow. Scents are usually present in cosmetics at a concentration of around 0.5 per cent (pure perfume 'concentrate' may contain up to 20 percent). Although the concentration used in cosmetics is relatively low, perfumes are common sensitizers and people whose skins are easily irritated would probably do well to seek out unscented products.

Preservatives are essential to any product not destined for immediate use because they prevent oils and creams from going rancid. Preservatives used may include anti-oxidants to preserve the product from contamination from the air; anti-bacterial compounds (such as phenols and formalin releasers) to prevent or, at least, discourage the growth of bacteria and molds; and stabilizers with antibacterial properties (parabens) which combine the qualities of the first two and tend to make the best preservatives. They are widely used in cosmetic formulas. Alcohol and alcohol compounds also work as stabilizers and inhibit, but do not entirely prevent, the growth of bacteria. Toners, astringents and perfumes, which are often predominantly alcohol, may not require the addition of further preservatives.