Ozempic skin care, serums and more - episode 405

Summary

The Beauty Brains – Episode 405

Ozempic Skin Care, Serums, and More

Date: August 29, 2025
Hosts: Perry Romanoski & Valerie George

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Beauty Brains, cosmetic chemists Perry and Valerie answer listener questions about sun protection, the “Ozempic face” skincare trend, mechanical exfoliation, baby care products, and whether serums really work. They also discuss recent privacy concerns involving beauty apps and highlight the ongoing trend of medical-inspired skincare branding. Their trademark honest, approachable, and science-driven perspectives shine as they separate marketing from fact.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ozempic Face and Skincare Industry Response

[07:36–10:18]

• Background: Media have noticed celebrities developing what’s now termed “Ozempic face”—a hollow, narrow facial look due to rapid fat loss from GLP-1 drugs (e.g., Ozempic).
• Valerie explains the phenomenon:

  “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it… their face becomes very narrow—almost like the skeletal structure has changed.” (Valerie, [08:03])

• Skincare brands are cashing in by launching “Ozempic face” or GLP-1-themed products.
• Truth about these products: They use standard actives (e.g., plumping agents), not new physiological solutions.

  “What do these products have that ordinary skincare products don’t? … Nothing.” (Valerie, [09:18])

• Some brands are boldly using GLP-1 in their product names, despite limited understanding of the physiological changes involved.

Beauty App Data Privacy Scandal

[10:18–15:27]

• News: J&J’s Neutrogena app was sued for collecting biometric data (facial scans) without informed consent, violating Illinois law. Settled with a fine; required to halt the practice.
• Valerie’s personal experience: Privacy and anonymization are crucial—even hair or skin analysis data should not be linked to identities.

  “That information had to be all desegregated and be non personally identifiable.” (Valerie, [11:47])

• Wider trend: Consumers rarely read fine print and unwittingly share a lot with apps.

  “If you read the privacy policy of any app on your phone, you’d be shocked…” (Valerie, [12:54])

• Perry notes that often the only real choice is to accept terms or not use the app.

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Listener Questions & In-Depth Answers

Do Non-UV Wavelengths of Light Damage Skin? (Siv from India)

[15:40–22:53]

• Genetics play a significant role in tanning/burning tendencies; SPF ratings are averages across many subjects.
• Visible light can also cause skin hyperpigmentation (not just UV). Best protection: tinted sunscreen or foundation with iron oxides.

  “…visible light… can cause hyperpigmentation in skin, which is why tinted SPF or even foundations are really great…” (Valerie, [18:54])

• Blue/red light devices: Small, specific benefits—not all visible light is harmful.
• Clothing as alternative protection: All clothing offers some protection; “UPF” ratings denote fabrics' UV shielding capacity, but these numbers are influenced by weave, fabric type, stretch, and washing.
• Valerie’s tip for evaluating clothing:

  “If you hold it up to your eyes and you can see through it, then it’s probably not as protective…” (Perry, [22:40])

• Conclusion: Hat, long sleeves, and common sense are practical, cost-effective solutions.

Are Dr. Imi Arpa Products Truly Innovative? (Mara, Germany)

[23:13–27:20]

• Dr. Imi Arpa’s products sport “clean, medical” branding, but ingredient lists are familiar and not truly novel.

  “There’s not really been anything new in skincare… new peptides and stuff. But for a lot of products, there’s not much new that they can do.” (Perry, [24:31])

• Key ingredients: hexanediol, azelaic acid, ceramides — all widely used elsewhere.
• Products are expensive (€196/100ml), but efficacy may be due to consistent routine, not innovation.
• If a product works for you, keep using it—but similar formulations are likely available for less.

  “I think you can get similar technologies in other products for less… You just won’t get the free summer hat.” (Valerie, [26:22])

Does Mechanical Exfoliation from Makeup Cloths Work? (Hilary)

[28:24–32:23]

• For time-pressed users, gently rubbing with a cloth does exfoliate—just not as thoroughly as chemical exfoliants.

  “…washing your face every day and then using that towel to rub the skin is going to get a lot of dead skin off.” (Valerie, [31:07])

• Recommended over harsh scrubs (e.g., St. Ives) or abrasive brushes.
• Suitable for minimal routines, especially for new moms or those who prefer simplicity.

Baby Care Products: What to Use and Avoid? (Sheila)

[32:23–38:22]

• Valerie planned to formulate for her own newborn, but finds it more practical to buy from established brands (e.g., Aveeno, Dove) due to their rigorous safety testing.

  “…I’m just gonna buy from the big brands like Aveeno, which is a Johnson & Johnson brand, because they’ve done all the safety testing.” (Valerie, [35:38])

• For diaper rash: USP petrolatum is a safe, standard solution.
• Avoid products with unsubstantiated essential oils or fragrances, especially from small/indie brands that may lack robust safety oversight.
• General advice: Minimize overall product use; don’t apply more than needed; fragrance-free and fewer chemicals are better for newborns.

Do Facial Serums Work? What Should Sensitive Skin Avoid? (Linda)

[38:58–42:23]

• Effectiveness depends on ingredients and claims. Most serums contain moisturizers (humectants, emollients).
• If you expect hydration, look for hydrating actives (e.g., glycerin, hyaluronic acid).
• For sensitive skin: use minimal, simple formulations; avoid potential irritants like fragrance, essential oils, strong acids, and complex botanical extracts.

  “The more ingredients in a formula, the more opportunity there is for interactions… try to look for formulations that… have fewer ingredients.” (Valerie, [40:26])

• Sensitive skin triggers vary: experiment cautiously, avoid known aggravators.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “Ozempic Face” beauty trend:

  “Of course it wouldn’t be the beauty industry if they didn’t capitalize on something.” (Valerie, [09:19])

• On privacy in beauty apps:

  “I think it’s up to the consumer to be smart, read those things. And a lawyer could argue, well, people don’t read those things. And that’s kind of fact. So it’s not the role of the user who signed up to do that. But honestly, it is.” (Valerie, [12:54])

• On the effectiveness of branded UPF clothing:

  “This whole notion of rating a shirt or clothes for a certain level of effectiveness… I find it a little dubious.” (Perry, [20:27])

• On ‘hot girl’ skincare branding:

  “If the product is working for you… keep using it. That doesn’t mean it is the product that is doing it. But until you have evidence otherwise, it’s fine to stick with it.” (Perry, [27:00])

• On evaluating minimal baby care:

  “You just don’t want to use something if you don’t have to… at the end of the day, I’ll tell you what. Yes, I could make some really beautiful formulas for him, but you don’t want to really put a lot of occlusives on baby’s skin outside of the… nappy area.” (Valerie, [35:37])

• On sensitive skin and less-is-more:

  “A less is more strategy would really benefit you… as a sensitive skin type person myself, I think you’re going to find that does a world of wonders…” (Valerie, [40:26])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Friendly chit chat, conference plans, Valerie’s new-mom life
• 07:36 – Ozempic face, GLP-1 skincare trend ([Notable: 08:03–09:19])
• 10:18 – J&J privacy lawsuit and AI beauty apps ([Notable: 11:47–12:54])
• 15:40 – Sunscreen and non-UV skin damage ([Notable: 18:54])
• 23:13 – Dr. Imi Arpa product innovation analysis ([Notable: 24:31, 26:22])
• 28:24 – Mechanical exfoliation with cloths ([Notable: 31:07])
• 32:23 – Baby skincare tips—what to use and avoid ([Notable: 35:38])
• 38:58 – Do serums work, and advice for sensitive skin ([Notable: 40:26])

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Tone & Style

• Friendly, slightly cheeky, supportive, and highly informative.
• Hosts balance casual rapport with in-depth science explanations.
• Marketing skepticism, pro-consumer advice, and practical product guidance throughout.

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In Summary

Episode 405 delivers sharp, evidence-based answers for beauty consumers wanting the truth behind trends, marketing, and everyday skincare choices. Valerie and Perry pull back the curtain on industry hype, emphasize practical safety and efficacy, and remind listeners that the simplest solutions—even a towel or basic petrolatum—often work best. Their empowering advice: read the fine print, question trendy buzzwords, and don’t overcomplicate your routine—whether for yourself or your baby.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Perry and you're listening to the Beauty Brains. Hello and 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 405. I'm your host, Perry Romanoski, and with me today is Valerie George. Hello, Valerie.

[B]

Hi, Perry.

[A]

Good to see you, Valerie. Thanks for making time today because on today's show we got lots to cover. We got questions including do non UV wavelengths of light also damage the skin? Are Dr. Imi Arpa products truly innovative or is this just a trendy marketing? Does using an ultra plush water only makeup remover cloth cause significant mechanical exfoliation? Are there baby products that people should use and avoid? And do facial serums work? Look at that. Valerie. Not. Not nary a hair care question in there. So. But first, before we get to answering those, we've got chit chat, we've got beauty news and chit chat. How's it going, Valerie?

[B]

You know, I'm pretty tired. Underneath this shirt you see, which I have Oreos on it. I'm very sorry about that. I'm wearing my pajamas. And yes, it is the afternoon, but.

[A]

It is the afternoon.

[B]

Newborn life is hard and I just didn't get dressed today.

[A]

Well, there you go. Well, you know, it is an effort, I imagine. I can only imagine because I have no kids of my own. But I've heard the stories of newborn life. And that lasts what, six months or something?

[B]

I don't know. Hopefully not, you know, because that feels like a long time because we're only six, six weeks in.

[A]

Or you could say that's a month and a half.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. Well, you know, I did something. I went and took a look at our reviews.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And of course I don't look at anything nice that people have to say. I'm like, what are the nasty things people are saying?

[A]

I mean, but overall the reviews are positive. We're like, oh, four and a half or 4.6 out of five. That's like a lot of stars.

[B]

Well, on Spotify we're 4.8 stars out of five.

[A]

Well, there you go.

[B]

Even better.

[A]

That's better than my Uber rating.

[B]

That's true. Well, it just got me upset. You know, we tell people to leave reviews. I never read the positive ones.

[A]

And it's funny how, like you can get hundreds of positive statements about you, but then we always focus on those negative ones. I tend to be more Pollyanna ish. And the negative ones I find Kind of funny, but I focus mostly on the positive stuff.

[B]

Well, a couple people, this is what bothered me because some of the comments, they're just off base. Right. They don't know us. They haven't listened to enough episodes to really understand where we're coming from. I feel sure on a couple of the comments, but a couple people don't like our name Chit chat. They said they didn't come here for that. They came here for beauty stuff.

[A]

Sure, sure.

[B]

And I actually think this is a nice part because our listeners get to know us. They get to know what we're up to and kind of what makes us us.

[A]

Right. And it helps you and I connect better. You know, we get to catch up on each other's. Yep, I know. This is our little warm up. And you know what? I've heard this before and it's just like, well, I like doing it, so there you go. But one of the things that I have added to the podcast are timestamps. And so if you find the inane Chit Chat too inane. And to Chit Chetty, you can go to your, your podcast player right now. And typically on those, you just click on the next timestamp. It'll jump you right there.

[B]

Oh, good. So people don't have to listen to our name chitchat if they don't want to.

[A]

I know, but mostly they want to. Right?

[B]

I know. They want to know what we're up to. Speaking of up to, I am so jealous you're going to con France in a couple weeks. I was supposed to be there, but Baby C kind of ruined it. Now, Mr. Cosmetic Chemist did say I could go because this is a scientific conference. It's called ifscc Congress or Congress.

[A]

Yeah, it is a congress. Yeah. In France, it's. It's three days of scientific talks and poster presentation and hobnobbing with industry cosmetic chemists from around the world.

[B]

And there's always such great hair and scalp presentations there that. And I won't get to go because of baby seed. A Mr. Cosmetic Chemist did say he would put me on a plane and I could go by myself and deserve some R and R and be with my industry colleagues.

[A]

Well, that is a long way to go.

[B]

What do I do? I can't leave Baby C here.

[A]

Right, right. That would be kind of soon. And, you know, what's Baby C going to eat?

[B]

You know, exactly. Well, what are you looking forward to about the show?

[A]

Well, I'm looking forward to just meeting up with all my international friends and fans I have been doing a webinar for the IFSCC for years, and there are a lot of people who know me just from seeing me every two weeks on the webinar. And so when I go to these things, people are always very nice and they say hello. So that's always fun. Looking forward to all of the scientific talks and quite frankly, going to South France. I've, I've never been to southern France and I've heard so much nice about it. So I, I'm looking forward to that.

[B]

I've never been to the southern part of France either. And I, I've been to France several times, even as a kid. I think I've told you guys on the show, I grew up in West Germany, and so we would head to France quite often, but not con and not as an adult either, so. Well, have fun.

[A]

Well, it should be a good trip. I'm looking forward to it. And speaking of trips, do you, do you, Are you doing anything? You got anything coming up?

[B]

Well, I do have two talks coming up in September. First, I'm speaking at the Science of Skincare Summit in Austin, Texas.

[A]

Oh, fun.

[B]

There's a dermatologist track and there's a esthetician track. And I'm actually speaking twice at the esthetician track on skin lightening technologies. You know, not necessarily like demelanizing skin melaninizing. I don't really know the word for that. But you know, people have hyperpigmentation or they overall want like a brighter, more luminous look because pigmentation is a sign of skin aging. So I'm doing a talk on active ingredients for that. And I'm also speaking about just like trending ingredients in general. So that's very exciting.

[A]

Well, that's very interesting. And is there a big presence of cosmetic science in Austin?

[B]

Not really. I actually don't know why the conference is there in Austin. I just know it's like a hip place. It's like south by Southwest. Is there. So maybe that's it, but I'll try to find out. And then I'm actually speaking at a brands summit. The brand is Cirella. It's a spa brand. And they have invited me to come speak at their summit. I've done some, some work for them, so that'll be really exciting as well. I actually was getting a facial in Dallas and the esthetician knew I was going to be there, so. Wow, that was pretty cool.

[A]

There you go. Yeah, well, you, you are everywhere. And speaking of everywhere, let's get to beauty science news. To find out else where you were.

[B]

Well, where do you see me?

[A]

Well, Valerie, I was just perusing the feeds and I saw this news story from Slate about the Ozempic face aging and products that are targeted, I guess, specifically to people's faces who look like they've been on Ozempic too long. And lo and behold, Valerie George is quoted in there in this article in Slate. So what was this all about? It. What's this Ozempic face that people are talking about?

[B]

Well, once you see it, you can't unsee it. So for a while on my Instagram, I've been seeing pictures of celebrities on Ozempic and you could always tell, as you said, when people have been on it too long because their face becomes very narrow, almost like their skeletal structure has changed, but it hasn't. It's just the way the, the skin and fat deposits are laying on their skull. And you'll notice that all the faces tend to have this like really hollow look in the center and their face becomes very narrow and longer looking. And it's OIC face.

[A]

So wait, it's like when you're losing fat, you start to look like your skull. So your head looks like what, a skeleton head or something?

[B]

Yeah, but it's. Yeah, basically, yes. Like you're part of the Addams family almost. So anyway, of course it wouldn't be the beauty industry if they didn't capitalize on something. And so there are a couple skincare brands that have launched saying their products specifically target OIC female face and Ozempic skin. And so I spoke with a reporter who said, well, what do these products have that ordinary skincare products don't? What do you think the answer is?

[A]

Nothing.

[B]

Nothing. Because when you have a lot of fat loss, your skin gets looser, it tends to look more wrinkled and crepier. And so the skincare actives, or the way these formulas for in air quotes Ozempic face are designed, are designed to fill in those crepes and fine lines and wrinkles and make skin look plumper and more hydrated. So there's not really anything going on at a physiological level.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But it's, you know, kind of neat that the beauty industry is starting to capitalize on this. Now, there were a couple brands that they were just in their marketing claims, so they did claims testings on GLP1 patients. But then a couple brands actually have GLP1 in the brand name of the product, which is pretty bold. Yeah, I think.

[A]

Yeah. Well, do people really know what GLP1 is?

[B]

In general, no. And I don't think we really understand everything that's going on at a physiological level either. So.

[A]

Yeah, glp. Good looking, Good looking person. Yeah, good looking and plump. I guess that's right. Well, I saw a company that is involved in a lot of lawsuits, just settled a lawsuit. J and J settled this privacy lawsuit. Apparently they made this biomimetric AI to analyze people's skin for their Neutrogena brand and somebody sued them. It was a class action lawsuit that said that they were secretly storing facial scans from users and they were able to identify people based on the data that they were storing and they stored it without asking people. So in this, in this settlement they ended this two years of litigation. It was filed in Illinois back in 2022. And the lawsuit alleged that the app collected all these biometric identifiers and it was linked to their personal details. And that's in violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Apparently there is that one. So in the, in the, the U.S. it's, you're not allowed to do that. And J and J just essentially instead of fighting it, they said, okay, we'll, we'll pay the fine and stop doing that.

[B]

I worked on an app like this once through Paul Mitchell. It was called Hair AI. We didn't take facial scans, but we actually used the device that the Neutrogena Skin360 app used. And I configured the device for Hair. We changed some settings within the device application and that was a real concern because you don't want anything, even if it's not the face, but someone's hair, someone's skin, you don't want it to be linked back to that person. And so that information had to be all desegregated and be non personally identifiable. And I'm surprised that J and J didn't do that with. Maybe they did and they just didn't want to go through the legal costs of not settling it. But that's, yeah, huge privacy invasion.

[A]

I could imagine though, if you're a brand, you would want that information so you could target market to consumers. And it does seem to me that these days consumers are a lot more willing to just give up their privacy to these companies.

[B]

People don't read the fine print. I actually do read fine print. If you actually read the privacy policy of any app on your phone, you would be shocked at the information you were just willingly handing over to companies. And so it's up to the consumer to be smart, read those things. And a lawyer could argue, well, people don't read those things. And that's kind of fact. So it's not the role of the user who signed up to do that. But honestly, it is.

[A]

I would agree with you that, yeah, probably most people don't read what that. But I would say even if you did read that, what are you gonna do? You either accept these terms or you don't use the app. So, okay, welcome, you can't use Facebook, you can't use Instagram, you can't. You can't use any of these things if you don't sign these things away. So while you can read it and understand it, your choice is really, do I just follow these things and use the app or I do just don't use the app?

[B]

Recently on Instagram, there's been a whole thing going around about how it's like, stop posting immediately and go to your privacy preferences and turn off location. Because I guess it was posting locations on people's posts. And hi, news flash. It's always recorded your location. And by the way, 10 years ago, Instagram used to associate every picture with a location. So this isn't something new that they've been doing. And just like, if you have your phone in front of you, even if the Instagram app is closed, it's listening to your voice and it's going to make targeted ads towards what you're doing. So do yourself a favor, say, oh, gee, I wish I had a new car. You're gonna have ads for new cars on your Instagram because you gave it permission to record you. Now you can turn off that permission and still use the app. You just can't post. But again, you have to read the fine print to figure that out.

[A]

I'm not sure it's been firmly established that your phone does listen to you. I know that's what a lot of people think. I'm not sure.

[B]

Read the fine print, Perry. You'll see.

[A]

Okay, but. But usually with microphones and cameras, the lights, the red light will come on and, you know, you think so, but. But of course, like, Siri is always listening to you because you just say, hey, Siri, and it comes out. So it's got to be listened to you to some extent.

[B]

Exactly. Well, we're not privacy experts, but we are not very interesting. Read the terms and conditions.

[A]

It is interesting how we see privacy differently. And speaking of privacy, I think it's time to hit to our beauty questions.

[B]

Our first one comes to us from Siv. Hi, I'm Siv from India. My query is that I've tried Different sunscreens. What I have felt is that the skin and tanning is purely based on genetics and some skin care. My question is that the UV rays are responsible for damaging to the skin heavily. But what about other spectrums of light? Can you suggest some sunscreens if there are sunscreens for that role? Also, are there any other alternatives for sunscreen, like wearing a hat? I've heard that summer there are some clothes that repel UV rays. Is it worth it to use them?

[A]

Interesting questions and very timely because we are in summertime. So Seb, you make a good point. There is a huge genetic component to, to sunburning and to tanning. And different skin types have different levels of melanin, different levels of thickness, and they're going to react to UV exposure in different ways. Now, I would say that, you know, this is where SPF testing comes in, right? When, when something is sp. The way SPF testing is, you actually will expose untreated skin to uv and then you time how long does it take for them to get the burning effect and then you put on a sunscreen on another spot and then you can time, how much extra time does it take for burning to happen. And from that, that's how they essentially figure out spf. But you know what, not everybody burns at the same rate. And so that is mostly the genetic component.

[B]

And is this why. I mean, I know the answer to the question. I guess it's a bit rhetorical. But is this why you need a panel of individual to be tested on?

[A]

Exactly. That's why in any kind of clinical testing, you're going to have multiple individuals and because then you can take the average of that and get sort of an average prediction of what the SPF will be, what moisturizing levels or whatever. In fact, whenever you see claims by the beauty industry about how, you know if it's going to make your hair 10 times stronger, but not everybody is going to get that 10 times. Some people will get more, some people will get less. The average is what you always see in advertisement. It's the average what you see in SPF testing.

[B]

Also, in addition to UV rays damaging the skin, there are other types of wavelengths that get emitted from the sun that are responsible for damaging skin, and that is visible light. Visible light is the wavelength spectrum that's responsible for how we see colors. So it emits this very tiny wavelength spectrum, I think of 380 to 800 or something like that in terms of wavelengths. And these wavelengths come down and hit objects. Some wavelengths are Absorbed, some are reflected, and that's how we see that something is orange or yellow or red or whatnot. Now, these wavelengths also interact with our skin, and they do cause hyperpigmentation in skin, which is why tinted SPF or even foundations are really great because they help absorb in this visible wavelength spectrum to protect skin.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or at least block visible light from getting to skin, I should say. Now, are there other ways in which it can damage the skin? Sure, but there's also ways that visible light can help with skin. And I always found this really confusing because when we have red light devices, blue light devices, all of these devices emit visible light, but it's in a very specific wavelength where there's benefits that are to be purported from it. So some visible light is helpful, some of it's not helpful. And I just think there's a lot of research to be done on this. But nonetheless, sunscreens don't necessarily protect against visible light unless they have iron oxides in them.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Now, the question of alternatives to sunscreen. Yeah, there are certainly alternatives. Yes. Wearing a hat, wearing clothes, wearing long sleeve. You know, it's interesting to me when I go on vacation to the Caribbean, you know, sunny, beachy, sandy vacation. You know, I look at all of the workers, and all of the workers are wearing long sleeves and long pants and hats, and even some of them wear scarves and such. So the people that actually live there all the time, their sunscreen is wearing a lot of clothes.

[B]

Yeah. Well, there's even clothes that do have sun protection value. I'll say. So all clothes, I think, have some sun protection value. But you can purchase clothing that's rated to have sun protection value.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Are you aware of this?

[A]

I am very aware of it. I'm as predicted. I'm kind of skeptical that you can put some number on it because most schools now, sure, you have a T shirt where you can. It's a cotton shirt and you can see through it. Yeah, you can get sunburn through that. But this whole notion of rating a shirt or clothes for a certain level of, you know, effectiveness and blocking uv, I find it a little dubious. I've never seen somebody wearing a shirt and then they're getting tan where their shirt was, you know.

[B]

Well, I've been burned where my shirt was, so I totally believe that there's some value to it. So what we're talking about is that clothing can have a UPF value, aside from ultraviolet. I don't really know what the U in UPF could stand for, but Nonetheless, it's like the sun protection factor for a lotion, but it comes from fabric. So essentially on a test subject, there's fabric placed over skin, and the control is that there's no fabric over the skin, and they essentially measure the time to burn. And like SPF of a lotion, it gets assigned a numeric value to it and there's a little calculation with it. Now it's a little challenging because, you know, the type of fabric plays a role in the UPF value. The fiber, you know, type, how closely knit it's weaved, right? How you wash it, does it stretch on you? You know, is it a little looser on someone or tighter on another person? Can all affect the value, I guess. No different than like a lotion, like how you apply it. But, you know, the more you wash the clothing, the more it can reduce its UPF value. So it's kind of not a, you know, a permanent number. It's a little bit more dynamic, unfortunately. So, yeah, I think you could probably just use your brains because UPF clothing is pretty expensive. It does have a price premium with it, but, you know, you can look at a shirt and know that, like, a cotton shirt kind of has a looser weave than like wool, let's say. Not that you would wear wool out in the sun, but you know what I mean?

[A]

One kind of test you can do is if you hold it up to your eyes and you can see through it, then it's probably not as protective against UV light as if you hold it up and you can't see through it, you know?

[B]

Exactly. One UPF clothing I do wear all the time are gloves. And in the car, you know, when.

[A]

I'm driving, I also wear gloves, but that's so I don't pick at my fingers because it's a nervous habit that I have.

[B]

You do wear gloves. Let me see your hands. How young do they look? Oh, well, you joggle every day out in the sun.

[A]

I do, right?

[B]

I do, yeah.

[A]

Just when I'm driving. All right, let's move on to the next question. This one comes to us from Mara. Hi, Beauty Brains. I just wanted to say how much I love your podcast. Wish I found you sooner than. I especially love the inane chitchat in the beginning. No, I just added that.

[B]

Oh, my gosh, I thought she really said that.

[A]

No, I just added that. I'm tuning in from Germany and wanted to get your take on a newly derm founded brand that's been getting quite a bit of buzz here called Dr. Emmy Arpa. I've tried their toner, active acid mask and absolute a retinal and my acne prone skin has actually been looking better. Then again, I also recently stopped trying tons of new products at once, so maybe that helped too. I'd love to hear your take on the brand. Do you think their products are truly innovative or is it a lot more of a hot girl marketing strategy that's driving the hype? Thanks again for all the great info that you share, Dr. Imi Arpa.

[B]

It reminds me a little bit of Dr. Barbara Sturm. Like it has this really clean aesthetic aesthetic to it. It's, you know, this whole like medical aspect really, you know, neutral tones, you know, it's very interesting. What do you think?

[A]

The reality is there's not really been anything new in skin care, you know, beyond what new peptides and stuff. So for a lot of products there's not much new that they can do. Now they have what, a five step cleanse, exfoliate, prepare, treat and moisturize. I mean to me there's not really new technology in moisturizing. So if the product is working for you, then, you know, that's good, that's, you know, keep using it. But is there anything new? I mean they have hexanediol in there that's not new. Butanediol, their acetic acid. I'm not seeing any ingredients here that are particularly novel.

[B]

They're using ingredients that we all have access to. So for example azelaic acid, ceramides, etc. Prebiotics, postbiotics, ectoin, which actually is having a little moment right now. So I'm sure they're really nice formulas. You know, the price point's a bit steep. €196 for 100mls, which is, well, it's by the 50mls, but they price everything by 100mls for, for your convenience. So it's very expensive. But guess what, they're running a special right now where you can get a summer hat to protect your skin if you place an order over €125. Well, I'm sorry, €200. I thought I saw 150. Oh my gosh, now it's saying €250. Oh my gosh, the banner, the banner's changing. But nonetheless, yeah, I'm sure the products are fine. They're a little, I mean just for me it's a little expensive, but if you love them, keep using it. I think you can get similar technologies in other products for less. You just won't get the free Summer hat.

[A]

I'm looking at their gel cleanser. They use water and then laurel glucoside is based on that and then xanthan gum. There's, I mean there's, I've seen this in all kinds of cleansers. So there's nothing particularly special about the products as far as I can tell from a formulation standpoint. Marketing is, you know, it's a derm, sort of sponsored one. And so, you know, they're probably going to have decent formulas. But it's like you said, it's kind of pricey.

[B]

You know, I might check them out only because I do like the color yellow and I am interested in this summer hat.

[A]

Well, you get the summer hat, but one other thing that you did say is that you are using it and your skin is looking better. So keep using it. That doesn't mean it is the product that is doing it. But you know, until you have evidence otherwise, it's fine to stick with it.

[B]

Well, I'd also like to point out that Meral has mentioned her skin's acne prone and she switched to their acids mask and their retinal. And those are actually really great just ingredients to use in general for acne prone skin because they help improve cellular turnover. So one cause for acne, which by the way, acne is very complicated, is that dead skin clogs a pore from releasing materials and then microorganisms feed on the dead skin and the trapped oils and all that kind of stuff. And so that could be part of it. So yeah, as Perry said, if it's working for you, keep doing it. But you could also try an acid, a similar acid product and retinal from another skincare brand and see if that's working for you.

[A]

I think you could certainly find products that work as well with similar ingredients at a lower price. Valerie, look at that. We have an audio question from Hillary.

[B]

Yay.

[C]

Hi, Perry and Val. My name is Hilary and I have a question about exfoliation. I skew more towards the Peri style of skincare than the Val style of skincare. And as a new mom, I just don't have that much time. Congratulations, Val. I was wondering if mechanical exfoliation from a makeup remover cloth might be benefiting me in any way. I'm hoping at the end of the.

[B]

Day, all I have energy for is.

[C]

To use a makeup remover cloth to remove the sunscreen from the day and moisturize after that. Is mechanical exfoliation enough? Do I need to be using a chemical exfoliant I appreciate your podcast. Thank you so much.

[A]

So, Valerie, a new mom doesn't have time to do her. Her skin care routine like normal. Do you have any experience in that?

[B]

Well, actually, you know what? Honestly, I've been making more time for my skin care. Not that I really. It's not like I had a lot of time before. I guess I'm kind of doing the same. But I'll tell you, I skipped a lot of days before and just kind of said, oh, I should probably wash my face today, or whatever. This is mostly while I was pregnant because, you know, Baby C was very big and being pregnant was very hard and working full time. I worked up until the day I had the baby, so.

[A]

Right. Yeah.

[B]

I feel like now I'm making more time for myself where I'm like, okay, I'm going to go wash my face even if I don't get dressed for the day or whatever and make sure I use some products. Also, I got sent a lot of products by Sorella for the summit and I'm testing them, so. So it's kind of like I have no choice. But anyway, no, I'm. I'm intentionally making five minutes for myself every day in the morning and then at night to do it. So I totally get where Hillary's coming from, though, because I pretty much have time for nothing else.

[A]

Well, I can't imagine. I see like this new trend to get glass skin where it takes like a ton of products to do that. And K Beauty was a ton of products to do. That just seems like so much work. You know, it. I. I did read feedback that people are concerned that I'm dismisses of products that I've never tried. I will say that I try all, all the products, especially anything I ever worked on. I would always try my prototypes, but it's just I don't use these things regularly, so. But I certainly am familiar with using it. In fact, I used to love to use a washcloth when I was a kid. It'd be nice and warm. It's just, it reminds me of when you're in. When you're on a plane and they give you that hot towel. Towel.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Well, that's only in international flights in business class. But anyway.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

No, I totally agree. And guess what? Using a towel is a great way to exfoliate your skin. Now, it's not the only way I would use, to be honest, because you have to get cells loose and only chemical exfoliants can really loosen a lot of them at any Significant level. But washing your face every day and then using that towel to rub the skin is going to get a lot of dead skin off. And, in fact, BBC had a problem. He had a patch of really dry skin on his eyebrows, and I took his little muslin washcloth and I wiped along his brow line, and it took all the loose, dead skin cells off. So works on people for all ages. I was actually really surprised by that. But I wasn't about to put glycolic acid on them anyway. Nonetheless, Hillary, if that's all the time you have, that's a really great way to do it. And it feels good to have a cloth touch your face. You're right about that.

[A]

Especially. Especially if it's warm.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, it does work better than, say, like, the St. Ives apricot scrub or something, which is just putting particles on your face.

[B]

Oh, 100 times better. And I think it's more gentle than a Clarisonic, let's say, with the silicone papers.

[A]

All right, well, thank you for that question, and here's our next one. Hello, Valerie and Perry. Congratulations to you, Valerie, and Mr. Cosmetic Chemist Scientist on the birth of your son. Will you be formulating baby products for him? If not, do you have recommendations on ingredients that parents should be looking for in baby products, as well as things that you think they should avoid? Sincerely, Sheila. Thanks for that question. Valerie, do you experiment on your own newborn?

[B]

I thought about making products for him, and then Mr. Cosmetic Chemist reminded me, I'm never gonna do it. You know, it's just like when for a while there, I made this hair pomade that Mr. Cosmetic Chemist loved, and he would be like, I need more of it. And then I'd be like, okay, I'll make it for you. And then, like, I would never make it for him. It's kind of like that. So it's just probably never gonna happen.

[A]

You know what happened when I was in the lab working at Alberto Culver, Leonard Lavin, who started the company, every, like, three or four months, he would come down to the lab and somebody would have to stop all the work they were doing and make his special aftershave that somebody in the lab once made him. And it was the only thing he would use. And it took the special ingredients. It was the special Leonard Lebanon formula. And I guess that's just the power that you have when you own a lab, because we would all. We would have to drop everything we're doing to make this product for him. And so what I'm getting to Valerie is maybe you should just drop everything you're doing and make Mr. Cosmetic Chemist his hair pomade for him.

[B]

Yeah, you know, I've been in that position before where the owner of the company, maybe they're a billionaire and they want a haircut color, and you drop everything that you're doing and you do it. But I'll tell you, there's a lot of great baby products already on the market, and so therefore, why would I go make them when I can just buy them?

[A]

I feel that way about cosmetics in general. Making it is fun. It's a fun hobby to do, and you can make some really good stuff that maybe is personalized for you. But if you don't want to learn how to do all that stuff, there are so many good products on the market. You can just buy something, and it's probably can do it for less money.

[B]

Question. Does it count if I took Snow White Petrolatum USP from my lab and I use it on his diaper rash area?

[A]

Well, I think that's you making your own stuff, I guess so.

[B]

It's like. It's like I made dinner, and you just, like, grabbed a can of soup off the shelf and heated it. Well, guess what, guys? You know, the diaper ointment, you can get many different types, but typically, like an aquaphor diaper ointment area is actually just Petrolatum, so. And it's a USP grade, so I had some in the lab, so I grabbed it and I've used it on baby C. But, you know, I just. I'm gonna buy stuff because at the end of the day, I'll tell you what. Yes, I could make some really beautiful formulas for him, but you don't want to really put a lot of occlusives on baby's skin outside of the. The nappy area, it's called. So outside of their diaper area. And then as far as lotion goes, like, yeah, it would. I could do it. It would take me probably four hours to make a little batch of lotion for him.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I might as well just buy it. And honestly, I'm just gonna buy from the big brands like Aveeno, which is a Johnson and Johnson brand, because they've done all the safety testing. They've had toxicologists look at the formulas and make sure they're appropriate for baby skin. And I know some of the rules, but at the end of the day, like, I don't formulate baby products for a living. I'm primarily hair care, hair color, some skin. So I Just would rather go with a really big brand that's done the work. Now, I do have a couple indie products made by smaller companies that I could put on him. I'm going to look at it and kind of use my own judgment on whether it's a good product to apply to him. But I probably am going to avoid essential oils or fragrances that come from places where I don't know that they can be substantiated, because it's very easy to overuse an essential oil or to make your own fragrance and not have, like, the regulatory support of a fragrance house that can chemically analyze all the components of an essential oil and make sure that specific source is within the regulatory thresholds. So not saying avoid those types of products, but I'm saying you would have an easier time buying from a very large brand that is. That specializes within all the safety constraints.

[A]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I would feel. Certainly feel safer that way. And isn't it, though, the case mostly, you don't want to really put any problem products on the baby. You want to kind of minimize chemical exposure, at least in the early phases.

[B]

That's another reason why I'm not using anything. Because he doesn't really need it. Like on the dry skin. Yeah. I could have put something on it, but I just said, it'll work itself out. At another time, he had dry skin all over his legs. We, you know, put a humidifier in his room and. And he was good. You just don't want to use something if you don't have to. And, you know, not yet. We don't have to. Now I am using products in the bath because he's just, like, very oily. He has very oily hair, which is kind of weird. Yeah. So I am using, like, a little.

[A]

Wait, so he. He has a lot of hair.

[B]

He was born with a lot of hair. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

Yeah. And so I am using a little vendor prototype of a basic cleanser because it's okay. You know, I. I got the formula for it, and it's a little bottle, and we just literally put the tiniest drop in our hands and just kind of massage his head with it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

That's it. Yeah. And then a little soap, but it's dove. Unfragranced for kids.

[A]

You know, I think that really the bottom line is, like, the safest thing, safest formulas are going to be coming from these big companies. So.

[B]

Yeah. And fragrance free. You don't need fragrance, guys. Just better not to expose than to expose.

[A]

Right. Even though ingredients are Considered safe and they're safety tested. I think you're going to be exposed to enough chemicals over your lifetime. Minimizing that exposure when you're a baby is probably a good idea. Speaking of good ideas, we got one more question, and this comes to us from Linda.

[B]

Do facial serums work? My facial skin is very sensitive. What should I avoid? Thanks, Linda.

[A]

Well, do they work? I think there's a range of answers there from no to yes. It really depends on the claim. Right.

[B]

And what you want it to do. So if you're using a facial serum, that's for skin brightening and it has no humectants and you were expecting it to provide hydration to your skin, no, it's probably not going to work. But if you are using a hydrating serum or a serum that claims to be hydrating and it has glycerin and hyaluronic acid and all this kind of hydrating stuff in it, yeah, it's probably going to work.

[A]

Yeah, it really depends on what you want to do. I think any facial serum is going typically is going to have some sort of moisturizer in it, a humectant maybe. Depends on how it is. It could be emollients are in there, maybe some occlusive agents, typical moisturizing things. So from that standpoint, at least where you put it, it will. Now, if your face is sensitive to a lot of ingredients, you're just going to have to experiment and find out what you're not sensitive to. Most people can handle something like glycerin or propylene glycol. It doesn't impact a lot of people, but even some people are sensitive to that. It's. There is no magic formula for saying, oh, this is sensitizing. And this is not because everybody is sensitive to different types of things.

[B]

I think a less is more strategy would really benefit you as well. So generally, the more ingredients that are in a formula, the more opportunity there is for interactions to happen. And so if you can look for formulations that are very simple that have few fewer ingredients in them. As a sensitive skin type person myself, I think you're going to find that does a great world of wonders for you. Now, a lot of people say they have sensitive skin, but they don't actually have sensitive skin. I believe you when, when you say you do. But if you. So if you truly have sensitive skin, you want to actually avoid, honestly, most things. You want to avoid exfoliating acids, you want to avoid ingredients that, that create more physiological activity within the skin. So for example, retinoids that increase cellular turnover. If you truly have rosacea, depending on the type of rosacea you have. If you have like pustular rosacea like I do, you could try azelaic acid, which it is an acid, but not in the same way that glycolic acid is. So, yeah, it really depends what your sensitivity is. But if it's just like redness, let's say definitely a less is more strategy. Avoid exfoliating acids, avoid low ph products like ascorbic acid, serums that put your skin in a place where it doesn't.

[A]

Want to be, and certainly a lot of fragrance components. You could find fragrances maybe that you're not sensitive to, but there's a lot of ingredients in fragrances that are. And essential oils. You kind of want to avoid those things.

[B]

And that reminds me, botanical extracts, people think, oh, well, this is a plant extract. It must be great for my skin. Botanical extracts also, like natural fragrance compounds, have thousands of components in them, and so it's really hard to pinpoint what is causing an issue. And they also have allergens in them. So I would also avoid plant extracts.

[A]

Well, Valerie, I'm listening to you talk about plant extracts while I'm hearing the music.

[B]

Thanks for listening, everyone. If you get a chance, head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. Especially a review where you help ease my mind and say inane chitchat is something you're looking for because salary actually.

[A]

Needs 20 positives to offset every one negative.

[B]

I know, I just. I like the inane chitchat. I don't want to upset people, but I guess if you're upset, you could skip it. Anyway, a review is going to help.

[A]

Valerie, I like the I like the AI stuff, but obviously some people find that very polarizing.

[B]

Yeah, me included. And I'm a host on the show, so it's gotta go. But anyway, guys, reviews are gonna help us help other people find the show and ensure we have a full docket of beauty questions to answer.

[A]

Speaking of questions, if you have a question, you can just record it on your smartphone and email it to thebeautybrainsmail.com or you can use the form in the show notes to post it on our question forum. Also, the beauty brains are on Patreon. If you like what we do and the fact that we don't have any commercials, well, the show is not free to produce. So if you could help offset some of the costs, you can go to patreon.com thebeautybrains and subscribe at any level. Your questions get a higher priority to get answered and you get a transcript of the show.

[B]

Beauty Brains are also on various social media accounts on Instagram, we're at The Beauty Brains 2018 on X, we're at the Beauty Brains. On Blue sky, we're at the Beauty Brains. We have a Facebook page, a TikTok and we're newly on YouTube. The Beauty Brains 2018.

[A]

That's right. Well thanks so much for listening.

[B]

And remember, be brainy about your beauty.

[A]

Thanks everyone. Kittens.

[D]

Porch Kitties Rye It's a brand new day Scrounging for food in their own sly way Tiny ducks and stew they're on the prowl chasing cicadas oh listen to em howl PK clones on the deck she's taking a snooze while Benny Too and Blues share some loving meals Heat Miser's under bushes yeah, he's laying low Waiting for the moment to steal Puffer's show Porch kitties living life free and wild each one's got their own style and a clever smile from dawn to dusk they're claiming their space in this Chicago backyard it's their own dang place Porch kitties living life free and wild each one's got their own style and a clever smile from dawn to dusk they're claiming their space in this Chicago backyard it's their own dang place.