Episode 375 - Is exfoliation just as important as using SPF?

Summary

The Beauty Brains: Episode 375 - Is Exfoliation Just as Important as Using SPF?

Release Date: September 28, 2024
Hosts: Perry Romanowski & Valerie George
Description: Real scientists answer your beauty questions, providing insights into cosmetic products and industry trends.

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1. Introduction to Key Topics

In Episode 375 of The Beauty Brains, hosts Perry Romanowski and Valerie George delve into several pressing beauty questions. The primary focus revolves around the significance of exfoliation compared to the use of SPF in maintaining youthful skin. Additionally, they address environmental concerns surrounding silicones, the efficacy of using both rinse-off and leave-in conditioners, evaluations of dermatologist-recommended brands, and the safety of spraying fragrances on hair.

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2. Shiseido's Emphasis on Fragrances in Skincare

Timestamp: [03:38]

Perry introduces a segment on Beauty News, highlighting an article from Cosmetics Design about Shiseido's strategic pivot towards enhancing fragrances in their skincare line.

Perry Romanowski: "The Japanese brand Shiseido is showing growing significance of scent in skincare in enhancing emotional well-being." ([03:38])

Key Insights:

• Emotional Well-Being: Shiseido leverages fragrances to provide psychological benefits, such as stress relief and confidence boosting.

• Consumer Trends: The rise of wellness and self-care trends has positioned fragrances as integral to daily beauty rituals.

• Industry Perspectives: Valerie echoes the sentiment by referencing the concept of "neuro cosmetics," where fragrances influence emotional states.

Valerie George: "There's scientific data about how phytocompounds soothe the brain and create a calming effect." ([05:15])

Conflict with Existing Advice:

The hosts discuss the apparent contradiction between Shiseido's approach and prevalent recommendations to avoid fragrances in skincare, especially for sensitive skin.

Perry Romanowski: "This does seem to conflict with the advice about avoiding fragrance in skincare." ([07:26])

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3. Listener Question 1: Environmental and Health Impact of Silicones

Question from Lori:
"Are silicones like amodimethicone and dimethicone environmentally sound? Is there any merit to the concern that silicones are bad for your health or hair follicle?" ([08:19])

Discussion:

• Environmental Concerns:

  • Persistence: Silicones have been detected in remote environments like Antarctica, raising concerns about their environmental footprint.
  • Degradability vs. Biodegradability: While silicones can degrade through non-biological means (e.g., sunlight), they are not readily biodegradable by microorganisms.

• Health and Hair Follicle Safety:

  • Hair Health: Silicones like dimethicone and amodimethicone are deemed safe for hair, providing benefits such as shine, smoothness, and frizz reduction without harming hair follicles.
  • Accumulation: These silicones do not build up excessively on hair when used correctly and are effectively removed through regular shampooing.

Valerie George: "There is no issue when it comes to the health of the hair or the hair follicle because most silicones tend to get rinsed off of the hair or naturally fall off throughout the day." ([12:20])

Conclusion:

The hosts conclude that silicones are generally safe for both the environment and hair health when used responsibly. They emphasize the lack of alarming data concerning their adverse effects.

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4. Listener Question 2: Using Both Rinse-Off and Leave-In Conditioners

Question from Kat (Patreon Patron):
"Does using both regular conditioner in the shower and a leave-in conditioner work to control flyaways, or am I expecting too much from conditioners?" ([08:52])

Discussion:

• Simultaneous Use: Valerie explains that using both types of conditioners can be effective if the products are designed for their respective applications.

Valerie George: "If you are still doing both of these products and you're still having flyaways, I would maybe say pull back on the conditioning agents." ([15:36])

• Product Formulation: It's crucial to ensure that the rinse-off conditioner is intended to be rinsed and the leave-in conditioner is formulated to remain on the hair without causing buildup.

• Benefits of Leave-In Conditioners:

  • Humectants: Leave-ins contain humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which provide additional moisture not achievable with rinse-offs alone.
  • Additional Attributes: Products may offer heat protection, UV protection, or color protection tailored to specific hair needs.

Perry Romanowski: "You can get some of the moisturizing benefits from those humectants that you're not going to get in a rinse off." ([17:28])

Conclusion:

Using both conditioners can enhance hair manageability and appearance, provided the products are compatible and used appropriately. The combination allows for comprehensive conditioning and targeted benefits.

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5. Listener Question 3: Evaluating the Dermatologist-Recommended Brand Deafenage

Question from Louisa:
"Does the brand Deafenage seem worth the money, or is it just another brand that providers are pushing on patients to make extra money?" ([20:25])

Discussion:

• Brand Evaluation: Perry and Valerie scrutinize Deafenage's product offerings, noting the lack of unique or superior ingredients compared to mainstream brands.

Valerie George: "I just don't think that there's anything special here that exists in other type products." ([21:26])

• Pricing Concerns: The hosts express skepticism over the high pricing of Deafenage products, suggesting that similar or better-quality products are available from established brands at lower prices.

Perry Romanowski: "I mean, this is a pretty standard cream. And for that amount of money, you could buy a lot of Neutrogena or something for those prices." ([22:55])

Conclusion:

Deafenage appears to offer products comparable to other brands without distinctive advantages, leading the hosts to question the value proposition given its premium pricing.

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6. Listener Question 4: Spraying Perfume on Unscented Hair

Question from Mitsuko:
"Can I spray perfume on my unscented hair to keep it smelling fresh?" ([23:06])

Discussion:

• Safety and Efficacy:
  • Regulatory Compliance: Perfumes are formulated with high volatile organic compounds (VOCs) intended to evaporate, ensuring they don't leave heavy residues on surfaces like hair.
  • Application Differences: While perfumes are designed for skin application with appropriate solvent ratios, using them directly as hair products can lead to residue and potential styling issues.

Perry Romanowski: "Perfumes have what is called a high volatile organic content. They have a lot of solvents in them that when you spray the perfume on whatever surface you're going to spray it on, the carrier in, the perfume evaporates into the air." ([24:24])

• Product Formulation: Perfumes regulate their VOC content to optimize scent without overwhelming residues, unlike hair products that may require different formulations.

• Recommendations:

  • Use Designed Products: It's advisable to use fragrances specifically formulated for hair to avoid unwanted buildup or negative interactions with hair products.
  • Application Tips: Light spritzing of perfume on hair can impart fragrance without significant residue, but caution is advised to maintain hair health and appearance.

Perry Romanowski: "I think it's perfectly acceptable for you to take your perfume, especially if you love the smell and your hair and scalp are stinky, which it's normal." ([26:45])

Conclusion:

Spraying perfume on hair is generally safe if done sparingly, but using products specifically designed for hair fragrance is preferable to ensure optimal results without compromising hair health or aesthetics.

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7. Listener Question 5: The Importance of Exfoliation vs. SPF

Question from Jennifer:
"Is exfoliation just as important as using SPF for maintaining youthful skin?" ([28:25])

Discussion:

• SPF Significance:
  • Skin Protection: SPF is critical in shielding the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause premature aging, hyperpigmentation, and increase the risk of skin cancer.

Valerie George: "SPF is very important, and it is key to maintaining a youthful, soft, supple appearance in skin." ([30:07])

• Exfoliation Benefits:
  • Skin Appearance: Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, leading to immediate improvements in skin texture and appearance.
  • Long-Term Effects: Regular exfoliation can prevent clogged pores, reduce breakouts, and enhance the effectiveness of moisturizers by removing the barrier of dead cells.

Unknown Speaker: "Every person needs to be exfoliating if they care about a youthful look." ([33:53])

• Potential Downsides of Exfoliation:
  • Increased UV Sensitivity: Removing the top layer of skin cells can make the skin more susceptible to UV damage, emphasizing the need for diligent SPF use post-exfoliation.
  • Skin Irritation: Over-exfoliation or using harsh exfoliants can damage the skin barrier, leading to irritation and accelerated aging.

Valerie George: "You have to be wearing SPF wherever you exfoliate if you are using acids." ([36:03])

Conclusion:

While SPF is indispensable for long-term skin protection and cancer prevention, exfoliation plays a crucial role in maintaining skin health and appearance. Both practices are complementary, and their combined use, along with consistent SPF application, is essential for youthful and resilient skin.

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8. Final Thoughts and Recommendations

The episode underscores the balanced approach required in skincare routines, emphasizing that neither exfoliation nor SPF should be neglected. The hosts advocate for informed product choices, understanding ingredient functionalities, and being mindful of environmental impacts.

Listeners are encouraged to evaluate personal skincare needs, product formulations, and usage habits to optimize their beauty regimes effectively.

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Notable Quotes:

• Perry Romanowski: "This does seem to conflict with the advice about avoiding fragrance in skincare." ([07:26])

• Valerie George: "There's a lot of similarities in those products, especially that particular one did not have any cationic surfactants that would be irritating." ([14:49])

• Unknown Speaker: "SPF is going to protect you in the long run. And yes, it protects you from cancer." ([34:38])

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Be brainy about your beauty with The Beauty Brains.

Transcript

[Perry Romanowski]

Hi, I'm Perry, and you're listening to the Beauty Brains. Welcome to the Beauty Brains, a show where real cosmetic chemists answer your beauty product questions and give you an insider's look at the cosmetic industry. This is episode 375. I'm your host, Perry Romanowski, and with me today is Valerie George. Hello, Valerie.

[Valerie George]

Hi, Perry.

[Perry Romanowski]

Valerie, we've got a lot of great stuff on today's show, and we're covering questions like, are silicones like ammo, dimethicone and dimethicone environmentally sound? Is it okay to use both rinse off and leave on conditioners at the same time? What do you think of the dermatologist's recommended brand defenage? Are there any problems with spraying fragrance on your hair? And is exfoliation just as important as SPF for maintaining youthful skin? But first, some chit chat. Valerie, what do you have for me today?

[Valerie George]

Well, the kittens are warming up to me. Specifically one of them, the one that looks just like stache in the face, except he has a little bit of orange behind the ear. It might be a female.

[Perry Romanowski]

Yeah.

[Valerie George]

Oh, so adorable. And he just stares at me and stares at me. The other kittens are like, I'm scared all the time. Pretty kitty is hissing at me. But now it's more of a formality. So pretty kitty knows I hold the hold the cat food in my hand and she's not going to really hiss at me because she knows I won't put up with that and I will walk away with the food. So the hissing is more. Okay, I did it. Now give me my food.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, are you able to pick up the little kittens yet?

[Valerie George]

Not yet, but I have a feeling like in a week they are going to freaking love me until I abduct them.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, you know, it's probably better for them, you know, it's better for them to be wary of all humans. I would think if you're an outdoor cat.

[Valerie George]

However, there are animals around here that do kill the cats. There are cats that are just missing. Stache is only one of them. And the mailman told me that there's a fox, there's a hedgehog, there's a couple nasty dogs down the street, and one time they found cats dead in the road that had been maimed by an animal. So I think in this case, it could be better if they were with me.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, yeah. Well, even if they don't know it, you know, it would be better. You know what I did yesterday?

[Valerie George]

What'd you do?

[Perry Romanowski]

I caught little stripers and took him to the vet to get fixed. So now he's all fixed.

[Valerie George]

Is he happy?

[Perry Romanowski]

You know what? He wasn't so happy when he got in the cage at first. But when I let him out, he was still friendly with me, so he didn't bolt out. So it was good. So I think we're still cool. I'm not sure how me and Dreamsicle are doing, however, because I was gonna capture them both. But when I was setting up the traps, Dreamsicle walks up and he's rubbing my legs. So I just pick him up and I'm petting him and he's purring and then I start putting him in the cage. And then he freaked out. He starts this clawing and hissing and squirming and I had to just let him go. I felt terrible. Then he ran under a car, a parked car, and now he's just hiding there for a while.

[Valerie George]

You have permanently damaged your relationship with him.

[Perry Romanowski]

I thought that. But then a half hour later, he was back on the porch purring and looking for food. So fortunately, they have pretty short memories. All right, speaking of short memories, why don't we head out to Beauty News? This article in Cosmetics Design about Shiseido and how they're emphasizing the increased importance of fragrance in skincare. Now, having worked in hair care for a long time, I do know how important it is for fragrance. In fact, I would put the same formula into consumer use tests, and if it had one fragrance that they like better than the other, the formula would always score better, even for things that weren't related to fragrance. In fact, on some level, with hair care, you could just make a nice fragrance and you could have a mediocre product and people will generally like the product. But I'm not sure if that's always the case with skincare. But according to this article, the Japanese brand Shiseido is showing growing significant of sense in skincare in enhancing emotional well being. So that's the idea there. The idea is that fragrances have 10 taken a priority with consumers and the rise of wellness and self care have positioned fragrances as part of the daily ritual offerings of emotional and psychological benefits as well as stress relief and confidence boosting. Now, I thought this was a little weird because isn't it the advice mostly out there that you should avoid fragrances in your skincare stuff?

[Valerie George]

I personally am not a big fan of fragrance in skincare only because certain notes give me headaches. They tend to inflame skin. Fragrances can be complex, whether they're natural or synthetic, and if you have a skin sensitivity, you know, probably best to avoid it. Just one less thing to provide an interaction on your skin. But what Shiseido is doing is latching on to this trend that we've been hearing about on our side of the industry. Back on the raw material and development level. Do you remember when I hosted that IFSCC webinar for you, that there was a gentleman who looked at the importance of fragrance in what he called neuro cosmetics? It's how does the actual application of a fragrance to skin impact your emotional well being? And it's not about the scent, it's about the actual interaction with skin. There also is a fragrance house that patented some products. I actually had the opportunity to get early access to it. And through Paul Mitchell, we launched a hair care collection that the fragrance molecules were known to change the way the brain perceived emotion. And so the scent was very calming, very relaxing. They used phytocompounds from plants, so it was a similar concept to walking through a forest. There's a lot of, I guess, scientific data about how these phytocompounds soothe the brain and create this calming effect. It's why people feel so relaxed and well rested when they're out in nature. So that was kind of neat and that was actually like five years ago. But we're hearing more and more about scent impacting mood. And on one hand it's kind of like, duh, because everyone knows like, lavender is calming and you wouldn't have like a really energizing fragrance in a nighttime product. But I think it's just another thing that brands get to talk about now. Whereas before it used to be like, oh, this is just a really nice scent. And now they're looking to the fragrance to carry some of that marketing story.

[Perry Romanowski]

This does seem to conflict, though, with that advice about avoiding fragrance in skincare. And I know, was it Paula's Choice or Paula Bagan? They were big advocates of keeping fragrance out of there. I even think Drunk Elephant, when they were coming up, it was one of the sinister six was, I don't know, fragrance, maybe. Maybe it was essential oils, but fragrant. But anyway, it seems in conflict here, but maybe there's two trends at the same time or this is just a new one that is showing some growth out there. Certainly Shiseido thinks so and we're going.

[Valerie George]

To see more and more of it over time.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, I'm for it. I always like fragrances. If you like the fragrance. Okay, you know what? I know you're pressed for time, so why don't we move on right into the questions?

[Valerie George]

Our first question comes to us from Lori.

[Perry Romanowski]

Hi.

[Valerie George]

I know you've touched on silicones in various episodes as well as my previous question about D5 silicones. Are silicones like amodimethicone and dimethicone environmentally sound? Also, is there any merit to the concern that silicones are bad for your health or hair follicle? I'm a hairdresser and work with a lot of blondes. I find that they perform a lot better than clean non silicone products. I want to give my clients best results but would feel bad if I've been misdirecting them. Thanks for taking these questions. This show has been invaluable.

[Perry Romanowski]

Lori well, thanks for the question, Laurie. I know these are both concerns that people have about silicones mostly. Are they bad for hair? Are they building up? You know, is that putting plastic on your hair? The environmental concern is kind of a new one. And I remember first seeing a concern about it when they found cyclical silicones in Antarctica. And it wasn't because there are researchers out there doing hair care stuff. They were just found in the environment. So somehow cyclical silicones, at least which are volatile, they are plating out of the atmosphere and raining down on the earth. And one of those places it goes is Antarctica. So humans are everywhere on this planet. So certainly there is some environmental impact. Now, is it a big concern? I'm not sure. Based on the amounts that are used.

[Valerie George]

A lot of people think it's cosmetics that are the reason that this may have happened. But the reality is many industries use silicones. And I'm not saying shouldn't matter that they're used in cosmetics, but just the reality is it is a small fraction of it. I know that people get concerned because silicones aren't necessarily readily biodegradable, but I think it's important to mention that there is data that they're doing degradable and it shouldn't be a difference or it shouldn't matter that they're not being degraded by bio means.

[Perry Romanowski]

Now, a lot of times the difference there between degradable and biodegradable is biodegradable is there's some sort of bacteria or fungi out there that'll eat the molecules and they'll break the carbon, carbon or carbon silicone bonds. But that doesn't exist out there. However, if sunlight breaks, sunlight can break bonds. Different temperatures can break bonds. So all sorts of things that are not biological can do it. So it can degrade. As you say, there's just no bacteria that necessarily degrade it.

[Valerie George]

So we don't have the exact answer about silicones like amodimethicone or dimethicone being environmentally sound. But I could bet that if they were not environmentally sound or we had like really alarming data, which I feel like we would have by now, it would be done so for them.

[Perry Romanowski]

I've looked into this a bit and certainly these silicones are in water treatment plants. These silicones are taken out of the system, they're able to isolate them and I think ultimately they end up in landfills probably.

[Valerie George]

What about there being any merit to silicones being bad for your health or your hair follicle? I think there is no issue when it comes to the health of the hair or the hair follicle because most silicones like dimethicone, they tend to get rinsed off of the hair or naturally fall off the hair somewhere throughout the day. They aren't going to stick to the hair and build up. A silicone like amodimethicone is designed to stick to the hair. It's positively charged and it provides color protection to the hair fiber. So if your guests, even though they're blonde, if you are doing any toners on them, you will want to make sure they have a good product that protects that toner in the hair. And so amodigmethicone is probably like the gold standard for doing that.

[Unknown]

And if it didn't stick to the.

[Valerie George]

Hair, it wouldn't work. It doesn't last forever, though. It does wash off the next time you shampoo. Some of it lasts a couple shampoos according to one article that's out there, but that's okay. Eventually it will wash off the hair and you would use a clarifying shampoo or a non conditioning shampoo if you really wanted to remove them. So I don't think they're bad for hair or the health of the hair follicle. If you're properly shampooing your hair, you should be fine.

[Perry Romanowski]

And just the way that they stick to the hair through an electrostatic reaction, if you put more on top of that, you're not going to. It's not going to stick to the silicone which builds up like that. And so that's why it doesn't build up. There's only so many spots on your hair that it's going to be able to stick to. And eventually if there's no spots to stick to, that gets rinsed down the drain and as we saw before, it gets taken out in the water treatment. Plant as far as we know.

[Valerie George]

As far as we know.

[Perry Romanowski]

I do know that it is. That's where it is taken out. However, as to this question about impacting the hair follicle, I've never seen any evidence that that is a concern or that is the case. And so feel free to recommend silicones. They are excellent for hair care as far as combing, shine, smooth, feel, slip, all of that stuff.

[Valerie George]

Frizz reduction, reduced breakage, etc.

[Perry Romanowski]

All right, thanks, Lori. Our next question comes from one of our patrons, Kat from Patreon. Incidentally, if you appreciate our show and you want to help support the show and keep it ad free, go to patreon.com thebeautybrains and subscribe at any level and we prioritize your questions. Here it is from Kat. She says, hey, beauty brains, a couple of more hair questions for you. I have straight hair, not dyed with fine strands, but lots of them. I'm trying to control flyaway frizz and regular conditioning isn't cutting it. One solution I've come across is to use both regular conditioner in the shower and leave in when I get out. I didn't realize you could do this. So does leave in after regular cause any problems? And would this work to control flyaways or am I expecting too much from conditioners? Assuming it works, I'd like to save on regular conditioner and invest more in the leave ins. Anything to look for in a leave in product. So I'm reaping all the benefits possible. Wheat, protein, quaternions, that sort of thing. Thank you for all your great content, Katie. Well, thank you, Katie. You know, this always reminds me of a story that my sister was living with me for one summer and I had. I was working on a rinse off conditioner but we only had leave in conditioner bottles in the lab, so it was the same plastic. So I was making this prototype and I brought one home and it said leave in conditioner but it was really a rinse off. And my sister used it for like a week as a leave on. She said she liked it. It's very interesting. So there's a lot of similarities in these products, especially that particular one did not have any cationic surfactants that would be irritating. It was silicone and cerametyl propyl dimethylamine, which is not irritating, but. So there's a lot of similarities in those products. But what do you think? Are you getting too much conditioning here?

[Valerie George]

There is such a thing as too much conditioning actually when you are conditioning your hair in the shower, you are saturating the hair strands with a positively charged conditioning agent. You're rinsing a lot of it off. You know, maybe, you know, not every negative site on your hair is still covered, but a lot of it goes away. And the cationic, positively charged aspect of a conditioner is just one method of conditioning. If you were to have too much cationic material on the hair, you actually would cause flyaways and cause static electricity because you have an over saturation of positively charged materials. We always knew we had too many conditioning agents when I worked at a big brand because the hair would be really staticky when it was done. And so we knew to dial back the conditioning agents at that point in time. Now, it depends on the conditioner that's rinsed off. It depends on the conditioner that's left in the. But if you are still doing both of these products and you're still having flyaways, I would maybe say pull back on the conditioning agents. Now let's pretend everything is perfectly fine and your hair looks great. I think that's what you said happened and you want to keep up this method. I think it's perfectly fine as long as the regular conditioner you're using is meant to be rinsed off and the conditioner you're leaving in is meant to be left in. In Perry's case with his sister, it was designed to or it was safe to be left on because of the types of ingredients he was using. But ordinarily a conditioner might not be safe to be left on because it's designed and reviewed for safety as a rinse out. So just make sure you're using your rinse off that's designed to be rinsed off and your leave in as a leave in.

[Perry Romanowski]

One of the things that you get in a leave in that I think you don't get in a rinse off because many of the conditioning ingredients are the same. You can get silicones in a rinse off. You can get cationic polymers, you can get cationic surfactants, and you can put those all in the leave ons. Although you kind of want to stay away from the cationic surfactants because of irritation issues. But the one thing that you can't get from a rinse off that you can't get from a leave on are humectants. You know, in my opinion, humectants in a rinse off conditioner, they just are. They're water soluble and they just rinse down the drain. So you know your hyaluronic acid in your conditioner that's, that's really just going down your drain. So is your glycerin and your propylene glycols and things. But in a leave on of course it's not going anywhere. So you can get some of the moisturizing benefits from those humectants that you're not going to get in a rinse off. And so maybe that's what you're seeing. The benefit here is you got your main conditioning from that rinse off and then the leave in is giving you just that extra moisture boost with the humectants.

[Valerie George]

Exactly. It's also going to leave emollients on the hair and coat the hair cuticle and make it look really good. So if it's working for you, keep doing it. I also like that in a leave on product you could choose additional attributes based on what you're looking for. You don't need this because you don't dye your hair. But if you artificially color your hair, you want to put a color protectant on the hair so that when you do go to wash the hair out the next time you the hair color, the artificial hair color is locked into the hair because it's protected. In this leave on product, if you blow dry your hair or if you thermally style your hair, you could get a leave in conditioner with heat protection in it. You could also get UV protection in a leave in conditioner. Whether or not you dye your hair. Everyone could benefit from UV protection because the sun can not only damage natural hair color and artificial hair color, it damages the health of the keratin protein. And so you could get that, you could get frizz reduction, you could get shine smoothness. These are all great things that you could get. Yeah. So I would look more towards attribute and less towards ingredient because ingredients can be used for many different purposes. Or just because something is a quat doesn't mean it's going to condition hair in the way that you think it is. Some quats offer color protection, et cetera. So I would focus on overall attributes.

[Perry Romanowski]

You know, it'd be nice if you could get like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that you could spray in your hair and eat it later. But sorry, I haven't had lunch yet.

[Valerie George]

Well, speaking of things to eat, let's talk about this brand. The next question comes to us from Louisa. Hi. My dermatologist just recommended this brand. Deafenage or Deafen age. Does it seem worth the money? Or is it just another brand that providers are pushing on patients to make extra money? Appreciate your thoughts, Louisa.

[Perry Romanowski]

They're pushing this on patients to make extra money. Let's get that out of the way.

[Valerie George]

Yeah, you know, I'm sure the products are nice.

[Perry Romanowski]

I mean, you could just send somebody to the grocery store and you could buy something from Unilever or P and G or L'Oreal and you get perfectly good products that work for everybody for something. Right. So that's why, that's why they are pushing this. Not, you know, that's because these are the best. But let's look at them, the products. I mean, this is a nice website, right? They got, they're mentioned a lot of place. So they have a lot of, you know, a lot of press. So, you know, the. You like the purple? They got the purple things. Age on your own terms. Unlock the power of defenses. Regenerating your skin's youthful vitality. But is there anything here that you think is super special?

[Valerie George]

They're using all the same ingredients we are, even though theirs are based on the natural rejuvenation power of our body. And according to the website and from, from looking at what I see, I just don't think that there's anything special here that exists in other type products. I also noticed that they're offering 50% off a few of their products, which is great because a three pack of their hair follicle serum, for example, is 148 bucks. That's about $50 a bottle. It would be better to be $25 a bottle. Right. But if they can discount like that, it just all feels a little cheesy to me.

[Perry Romanowski]

I mean, we've got, here's a hand and body cream. Okay. 4 ounces for $138. Okay. So I'm like, okay, what is in here? Let's look at our ingredients. So we got water, aloe, Aloe barbanensis, leaf juice. Okay. It's got shea butter, capricoprylic triglycerides. I'm seeing nothing in here that is anything different. I mean, there's all these claims ingredients, but this is a pretty standard cream. And for that amount of money. Whoa. I mean, you could buy a lot of Neutrogena or something for those prices.

[Valerie George]

You definitely could. So, I mean, if you like the products, great, keep buying them. You know, maybe look for sales. But otherwise I think it's just another average dermatologist brand.

[Perry Romanowski]

Yeah. Yeah. Doesn't look like anything terribly special. Well, thanks, Luisa. Hope that answered your question. Our next question comes to us from Mitsuko, says, dear the beauty brains, my shampoo is unscented, so my hair smells after a few hours. So I'm trying to spray perfume on my hair. Can I hear the answer to what experts like you think about this, please? I wear Chanel perfume. So I gather she's wondering, is it okay to spray hair? Is it okay to spray perfume in your hair?

[Unknown]

Well, I say yes for a few reasons. One, always comes down to regulations. Two, it also comes down to user experience. So perfumes have what is called a high volatile organic content. They have a lot of solvents in them that when you spray the perfume on whatever surface you're going to spray it on, the carrier in, the perfume evaporates into the air. And in perfume, this is allowed to be a high content because you can't spray a wet perfume all over your skin. That.

[Perry Romanowski]

Because it's just not that. It's not that pleasant.

[Unknown]

No, you need the carrier to go away and you need to dilute the fragrance. Right. So it's really essential. However, if you were to say, you know what, I'm going to turn this into a hair product, I'm going to put lots of other stuff in it. It's no longer a perfume, it's actually a hair product. And that is only allowed to have a tiny percent of volatile organic compounds. And so the resulting product is like very wet. It's going to leave a lot of residue behind. If your hair is dry and you're just trying to make your hair smell fresh, it's going to get wet again and maybe not be styled very well. So the reality is, out of anything, you want to be putting a perfume or something that is designed to perfume the hair, you want that because it's going to have a lot of volatile things. It actually might even help clean, clear up some of the. Any oil or whatever if you want to hit your scalp with it. I'm not really sure, but I definitely recommend perfume is the way to go. Now, perfumes, meaning fragrance, are also regulated by an organization called ifra, and they have very specific guidelines on how you can use a fragrance. And depending how you use it with the maximum level is, in this case, you don't have to worry about that because perfumes are designed to be left on skin. You're just leaving this on your hair or scalp. Ipso facto, same thing. It's not necessarily like a hair preparation which would have similar use levels. Maybe even you're allowed to have more because they rinse off.

[Perry Romanowski]

Yeah. I think about how much of the fragrance oil is in a perfume. It's a pretty small percentage of the whole thing. It's probably 90%, I would say maybe even higher of solvent. And usually that solvent is ethanol, alcohol. Sometimes it's a blend of ethanol and water. But the amount of fragrance oil that you're getting is going to be pretty low and it's going to be comparable to the amount you would get from a scented shampoo, I think.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Perry Romanowski]

I mean, at most maybe it's double, but double of a tiny amount is still a tiny amount.

[Unknown]

This is very true. So that being said, Mitsuko, I think it's perfectly acceptable for you to take your perfume, especially if you love the smell and your hair and scalp are stinky, which it's normal. Don't feel bad about it. And you want to freshen up and smell it. You can certainly do that. I actually take my cologne and I always do a spritz on top of my head just in case. So I think it's great.

[Perry Romanowski]

I just take my underarm deodorant and run it through my hair.

[Unknown]

Oh my gosh, that is so disgusting. What does it also work as? Hair gel. Keeps it slicked back.

[Perry Romanowski]

You know, it's got that sodium stearate in it. It's going to hold it down. It's going to provide a little hold.

[Unknown]

Oh, my goodness.

[Perry Romanowski]

It gets rid of the. Get rid of the bed head, you know.

[Unknown]

You know, by the way, side note, what type of deodorant do you use, may I ask?

[Perry Romanowski]

I use speed stick.

[Unknown]

Okay. Mr. Cosmetic Chemist uses degree. He did use Old Spice, but it gave him like a burn under his arms.

[Perry Romanowski]

Which, by the way, I had that same thing happen.

[Unknown]

I think there's actually a class action lawsuit going around about that.

[Perry Romanowski]

Oh, yeah, well, it happened to me. You put that stuff under and I just got this big red welt under my.

[Unknown]

Well, it has a ton of solvent in it and a ton of fragrance in it. It's a very sensitive area. I'm not surprised.

[Perry Romanowski]

Someone who works at P and G told me it's one of the molecules that begins with the letter D. I have to look at it, but I forget what they said. But some organic molecule that is common people are commonly have reactions to it, so that's a challenge for them.

[Unknown]

Anyway, please don't put deodorant in your hair, but put perfume in your hair.

[Perry Romanowski]

We have time for one more.

[Unknown]

One more last question comes to us from Jennifer. Hi. I know using SPF is a necessity, which it is if you're talking to Valerie, the beauty brain.

[Perry Romanowski]

Hey, I agree. I agree. It's a necessity.

[Unknown]

If you would like to delay the aging process. Would you say the same is true for exfoliation, such as an Aha. Exfoliant. Thank you, Jennifer.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, I won't. See, I agree. When it comes to SPF and preventing cancer or making your skin look the best it can look, you should use sunscreen.

[Unknown]

But now I feel. Yeah, I knew this was coming.

[Perry Romanowski]

No, no. I mean, I do not use sunscreen every day. I wear hats and I do more cover up. But, you know, of course, my skin could probably look more youthful than it does. I just don't care that much. And as far as the skin cancer go, that is a concern. So if I'm going to be out for an extended amount of time, I certainly will do that.

[Unknown]

Tell us more about your angle about my. What do you think about exfoliation? So you've already said. Okay. Spf, yes, is very important because it shields skin from ultraviolet light, which causes premature aging. It interacts with the collagen. It causes hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is one. Age spots is one hallmark of aging on skin.

[Perry Romanowski]

Actually, I noticed my first one, like, on my little cheek here. It's like a little spot. I'm like, you know, Perry, you should have been using sunscreen.

[Unknown]

You should be using tranexamic acid to reduce that because it does penetrate the skin.

[Perry Romanowski]

I hear that's a very controversial ingredient. Is it even tranexamic acid?

[Unknown]

Oh, goodness. We won't go there. So, yes, SPF is very important, and it is key to maintaining a youthful, soft, supple appearance in skin. I have an opinion on exfoliation. I would like to hear your opinion on exfoliation.

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, okay. Exfoliation, you know, on the other hand, it's certainly beneficial, and you're. It's. But it's more about enhancing the skin's appearance, like, right away. Right. I think over the long term. If you never exfoliated, would anybody even notice? I think it's, like, it's a useful tool, but it's not on the same level as spf. So if you were a person, maybe you had your own beauty podcast and you never exfoliate. I don't think there's a downside to that.

[Unknown]

Is there somebody I know?

[Perry Romanowski]

Who could that be? I've exfoliated on occasion. I just. It doesn't do anything for me. But again, I wash my face with shampoo.

[Unknown]

So does your wife exfoliate I would like to think she does.

[Perry Romanowski]

I think she does. Yeah. For sure.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I know she does. I don't even have to go in your bathroom to know she does.

[Perry Romanowski]

That's right. Well, I will say that I suspect that exfoliation is very gendered.

[Unknown]

Mr. Cosmetic Chemist likes to exfoliate, but he uses these worthless exfoliating exfoliants that have, like, he likes the physical scrubbies.

[Perry Romanowski]

Oh, yeah. Like, I don't know.

[Unknown]

St. Ives. Yeah, I at least got him off of that, but he just insists in buying these, like, big old bottles off Amazon. And I'm like, this is not exfoliating your skin. But he thinks it is, so I guess that's all that matters.

[Perry Romanowski]

I mean, isn't. Isn't just washing your face exfoliating to some extent?

[Unknown]

This is true. Let me give you my take. You know, we get lots of questions on here. You know, should I spend all this money on a serum? Should I spend all this money on this and that and doing these things? And the reality is just having a simple routine, regardless of what products you buy, is going to make the hugest difference in how well your skin ages. The things that you have to do are actually cleansing your face, exfoliating, and wearing spf. And if you do those three things day in and day out, maybe not exfoliating every day, but exfoliating a couple times a week, you're going to see a huge improvement in the look of your skin. The SPF is going to protect you in the long run. And yes, it protects you from cancer. Not exfoliating is not going to give you cancer, but it's going to make a huge difference, meaning exfoliating in how your skin looks. I had a friend, and she kept saying, no matter what moisturizer I use, my skin is always so dry. And when I put my makeup on, I always have these huge dry patches all over my face. And I said, when's the last time you've exfoliated your skin? And she was like, never. And do me a favor. I'm gonna. We were actually in Vegas for this. So I said, I'm going to give you this exfoliant. Exfoliant. And I want you to use it, moisturize over top of it, and boom, a world of difference. Because you might not think even in aging, yes, it does something immediately, but it actually does something in the long run as well. Because if you are not exfoliating, you have all this dead skin all over your face, and you're effectively hydrating with your moisturizer. Really, really, really, really, really dead skin cells. And yes, your stratum corneum. These are dead cells as well.

[Perry Romanowski]

Of course.

[Unknown]

At least hydrate them. If you have an extra thick layer of dead skin buildup, you're doing nothing for that skin underneath, even though it's also technically dead and flat, so.

[Perry Romanowski]

Right.

[Unknown]

I just feel like.

[Perry Romanowski]

But you certainly can make it feel and look better.

[Unknown]

Yes. And that's what exfoliating is going to do. It's going to get you to the real deal, the stuff that you have left, and it's going to make you feel good. And if you have hydrated skin. Skin and a restored barrier, hopefully over the long run, that helps. Now, is it, like as essential as spf when you think about it, from a brass tax, like, long term health, SPF is the best thing. But I still think every person needs to be exfoliating if they care about a youthful look.

[Perry Romanowski]

Yeah. I kind of think of it like this, though. If, say you don't exfoliate for like six months and then you exfoliate, you pretty much are gonna get all the benefits of exfoliation as you would have got if you did it once a week for those six months it's built up and you can all wipe off in one shot. Right.

[Unknown]

I see what you're saying.

[Perry Romanowski]

If you're gonna go out, maybe you got a wedding coming up. Okay, let me exfoliate before the wedding or like a special occasion, but like day to day.

[Unknown]

I think with pore. I see what you're saying, but I feel like exfoliation also helps with pore reduction. It helps prevent breakouts. Because what happens with breakouts is you have dead skin. Dead skin gets in the pores and.

[Perry Romanowski]

You'Re based on some of the brands that you buy. It could be poor creation because they're really expensive.

[Unknown]

Oh, gosh. The dead skin blocks all this oil. The bacteria on your skin are like oil. I love eating oil. And then the oil can't expunge and then you get all this inflammation. So I feel like it does help.

[Valerie George]

For a lot of reasons.

[Unknown]

Perry, I would like to challenge you this.

[Perry Romanowski]

Okay, what's the challenge?

[Unknown]

Can you please, please, please exfoliate your entire face tonight?

[Perry Romanowski]

Do I have to shave?

[Unknown]

No. Let me restart. Exfoliate only half of your face tonight.

[Perry Romanowski]

Half. Okay.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Perry Romanowski]

I will try that.

[Unknown]

In one month, we are going to exfoliate the half again.

[Perry Romanowski]

Okay.

[Unknown]

And you tell me what you think after six months of this.

[Perry Romanowski]

All right, this sounds like an interesting experiment.

[Unknown]

I'm going to put it on the calendar. Half face exfoliation tonight. All right. Make sure if you exfoliate, though, you put on split because here's the other downside to exfoliation, guys. It actually could make you older. I totally forgot about this. Especially if you are using alpha hydroxy acids. Perry, why could it make someone look older and it actually increase their risk of sun damage and sun cancer?

[Perry Romanowski]

Well, I think if you remove that top layer, which is what exfoliation does, that just means more UV damage could get down to lowering the skin. And. And so that could be dangerous. And you know, that's going to increase the look of aging. Now, as far as immediate aging, I mean, it gives you sort of a glowing effect, but that's generally looked at as more youthful.

[Unknown]

So I guess exfoliating could make you look older if we think about it that way.

[Perry Romanowski]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So you have to be wearing SPF wherever you exfoliate if you are using acids. And actually that's a required warning by the fda. Everyone should have that. If there's acids in your product, they're required to put a sunburn alert on the packaging.

[Perry Romanowski]

Now, say you exfoliate before you go to bed and then you go to sleep for eight hours and then you wake up. Is that. I mean, some dead skin cells has built up over those eight hours.

[Unknown]

I think you gotta be cautious and put the SPF on.

[Perry Romanowski]

Of course. I mean, you've gotta use SPF every day for sure. Unless you want a catcher's mitt looking face like my own.

[Unknown]

You can only age leather so much. So that's the great news.

[Perry Romanowski]

That is the great thing. Speaking of the great thing, you hear that music?

[Valerie George]

Meow, meow, meow. Those are my lab kittens. If you get a chance, head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review that's going to help other people find the show and ensure we have a full docket of beauty questions to answer.

[Perry Romanowski]

Speaking of questions, if you have one, just record it on your smartphone and email it to thebeautybrainsmail.com and we can put your voice on the show. The beauty brains are also on Patreon. Head over to patreon.com thebeautybrains and support the show. That helps keep the show ad free and also lets us give our honest opinions. And you get your transcript of the show and you get special events and you also get your questions a higher priority.

[Valerie George]

Also, don't forget to follow us on our various social media accounts. On Instagram, we're @TheBeautyBrains 2018 on X. We're at the Beautybrains. We have a Facebook page and a TikTok.

[Perry Romanowski]

TikTok. TikTok.

[Valerie George]

Thanks again for listening, everyone. And remember, be brainy about your beauty.

[Perry Romanowski]

Thanks, everyone.

[Unknown]

Kittens.