False Skincare Myths

Pores are not doors: they do not open with hot water or steam, nor do they close with cold water. When cleansing the face, steam is used to thin sebum, making it easier to extract impurities. With specially formulated cosmetic products, you can simply attempt to refine pore size: it is recommended to use astringent functional substances (for example, Fomes Officinalis or burdock extract), clay masks, and salicylic acid. Pores are not doors: they do not open with hot water or steam, nor do they close with cold water. When cleansing the face, steam is used to thin sebum, making it easier to extract impurities.

The ingredients at the bottom of the ingredients list (also known as "INCI") of a skin care product are generally present in smaller quantities than the ingredients at the top of the list. Remember that substances present in concentrations below 1% can be listed randomly, after those with concentrations equal to or above 1%.

However, this does not necessarily mean these ingredients are ineffective. Some ingredients at the bottom of the list can have very beneficial properties for the skin, but exert their effects at low concentrations. In fact, at higher concentrations, they may have the opposite effect and cause irritation: a typical example is retinol, which exhibits its miraculous properties at just 0.3% concentration.

Also be careful of those who list very high percentages of an active ingredient you’re interested in: it’s always good to check the form of the active and keep in mind that this concentration may not be real, and the active could be “diluted”.

In medicine, respiration has a single meaning and implies that lungs or other respiratory organs are involved. So no, Skin cannot breathe.

Skin is a very important organ for body thermoregulation and maintaining water balance, and is rich in sweat glands that produce sweat, which helps cool the body through evaporation. It receives oxygen not from air, but from the vessels that supply the dermis, with which it exchanges O2 and nutrients.

The word "respire" is often used figuratively to indicate that, when Skin does not respire, it is because it is occluded by cosmetic products: occlusion does not mean "choking Skin" but rather that many times occlusion helps prevent it from dehydrating, reducing the so-called TEWL (transepidermal water loss).

The cosmeceutical industry is a vast consumer-driven market that has seen strong sales growth since the early 2000s.

The term "cosmeceutical", which combines the words cosmetic and pharmaceutical, was popularized by Dr. Albert Kligman in the 1980s: it identifies a range of topical agents that offer both cosmetic properties, which improve the appearance of the Skin, and pharmaceutical properties, which therapeutically alter the physiology of the Skin and/or reverse a pathological process. An example of cosmeceuticals is anti-dandruff shampoo, which is both cosmetic (a cleanser) and a verified drug for treating dandruff.

By definition, cosmeceuticals result in fewer clinical changes than the more regulated and prescribed drugs; however, the term "cosmeceutical" has no legal meaning in the eyes of the law.

Let’s start with an assumption: the cost of a product is influenced by many factors, such as production costs, marketing, and the manufacturer’s marginal profit. Therefore, the price of a product does not always correspond to its quality or its effectiveness.

There are products that cost a lot, but what you will take home is likely to be mainly beautiful packaging that cost the company a great deal (and so also costs you). The quality of a product depends on many factors, such as its formulation, its ingredients, and how it is used. Of course, there are more expensive products that contain high-quality ingredients and are formulated very effectively, but that is not the rule.

Silicones and parabens are commonly used ingredients in Skin care and hair care products. Despite public apprehension and fear that these are harmful or non "natural" substances, they have been declared safe by both the FDA and the European Commission.

But what is the difference between parabens and silicones, and most importantly, what are they used for?

Silicones
Silicones, and especially polydimethylsiloxanes, represent a class of excipients for the manufacture of topical dermatological products. Thanks to their exceptional physico-chemical properties, they offer numerous application possibilities for pharmaceutical formulations for skin use. In addition toimproving the aesthetic and sensory properties,they can enhance essential properties of formulations such as theirstability. The remarkable thing is that most silicones used for topical use have a very low toxic potential for humans.

Parabens

I parabens are instead used as preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds: the best part is that they are some of the least allergenic preservatives available, with contact sensitization rates between 0.5% and 1.4% (rates that have remained stable since the 1990s).

However, the reputation of these compounds is rather negative, even though product preservation is an absolute necessity to prevent particularly problematic microbes, like gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli, from contaminating cosmetics. The most commonly used parabens are: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben, generally at concentrations of 0.4% or lower.

Parabens and silicones have been classified as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as by the European Commission. The Commission, through the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), expresses an opinion on individual substances, just like regulatory bodies that ensure the safety of all substances on the market, based on scientific literature.

Products for Skin care and hair care defined as "clean" are products that, according to their manufacturers, are free from harmful or potentially toxic chemicals. These products often contain natural or organic ingredients and are formulated without the use of substances such as parabens, sulfates, or silicones. Many consumers choose to use clean products for Skin care and hair care because they believe these products are safer and less irritating to the Skin compared to products formulated with chemicals. 

Tuttavia, dobbiamo chiederci se la scelta di ingredienti considerati più naturali sia davvero migliore, e se la scelta di ingredienti considerati più chimici sia davvero peggiore. Molti “natural products” contain high concentrations of botanical extracts, which are one of the main causes of irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, photosensitization, and even poisoning. In a study conducted by the University of Ferrara, 6.22% of users of topical herbal products reported one or more adverse skin reactions.

In aggiunta a questo, all cosmetics available on the market are safe by law and no ingredient can be included in a cosmetic product if it is certified as harmful.

Parabens, for example, are some of the least allergenic preservatives available, with contact sensitization rates between 0.5% and 1.4% (rates that have remained stable since the 1990s).

We’ve all tried using easy-to-find, inexpensive products, hoping they would have some effect on our Skin: toothpaste on pimples, lemon for spots, avocados, pumpkins, honey, olive oil. The harsh truth is that, if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be science behind cosmetic products  and there wouldn’t be controls and tests designed to ensure that everything we put on our face isn’t harmful.

The problem is that many products we have at home, or that we easily find at the supermarket, are absolutely not useful for our Skin and, above all, they have not been tested for it. Home remedies most often cause disasters like irritations, allergic reactions, and dermatitis. The so-called “natural products” also contain high concentrations of botanical extracts, which are one of the main causes of irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, and photosensitization. In a study conducted by the University of Ferrara, 6.22% of users of topical herbal products reported one or more adverse skin reactions.

To conclude, before you spray any citrus fruit you find in the fridge on your face, really think about whether it can be useful for you and if it can truly be the best solution for your Skin, better than the chemical active ingredients that have been extensively studied in dermatological scientific literature.

You've surely read that after a while, your Skin becomes accustomed to the products you're using, so it's necessary to change them often. This has no scientific basis, and now we'll explain why. 

Skin can't get used to this for a simple reason: the physiological cell turnover is 20-28 days. That means within a month, all the cells of your Skin have changed. 

If your cream doesn't work as well as before, it could depend on various factors: the change of seasons, stress, or your lifestyle can interfere, and your Skin may have different needs.