As mentioned above in the quote from the Aveda chemist, green chemistry is typically described as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry applies across the life cycle, including the design, manufacture, and use of a chemical product” (Source: www. epa. gov/ […]

Since October 2002, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), national regulations have been on the books that specify exact standards for determining what precisely is meant when food (not cosmetics) is labeled “organic,” whether it is grown in the United States or imported from other countries. As is stated on the USDA […]

Organic Cosmetics If you were thinking all-natural was the answer to your skin care woes, “organic” has now taken over and has become the new cosmetics buzzword. Consumers are inundated with organic claims on all manner of products, and with frequent media stories surrounding the potential health risks and unknowns of anything remotely synthetic, it’s […]

Most likely many of you have seen ads or spoken to women who are drinking or selling beverages laced with collagen. The sales pitch for these drinks is that drinking collagen will rebuild and enhance the collagen in your skin and that Japanese women have been doing it for years (so of course it must […]

Is it worthwhile to look for natural ingredients in skin-care products? Leaving aside the fact that the process of removing a plant from the ground, cleaning off the dirt and insects, getting the key parts of the plant extracted, and then stabilizing and preserving it in a cos­metic renders it fairly unnatural, the answer is […]

You may have seen advertisements for skin-care products claiming that they use stem cell research or can somehow stimulate stem cells to fight wrinkles. What is absurd about this claim is that while stem cell research for any human benefit is only in its infancy, in the area of wrinkles or skin care it is […]

Are sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) serious problems in cosmetics? I have received more e-mails and letters than I care to count about this concern. I believe that this entire mania was generated by several Neways members’ web sites, and has been carried over as if it were fact into other […]

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was at one time a very common ingredient in many nail polishes. It is used as a plasticizer and is a key component in some fragrances because of its unique properties. But phthalates have become one of the demon ingredients in cosmetics since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, www. […]

Propylene glycol (along with other glycols and glycerol) is a humectant or humidifying and delivery ingredient used in cosmetics, meaning it helps other ingredients absorb better into the skin. Despite research to the contrary, you can find Web sites and spam e-mails stating that propylene glycol is really industrial antifreeze and the major ingredient in […]