Sunscreen, Makeup, and Skin Care Products

If you're one of those ladies who go out a lot but rely mainly on BB creams (or other cosmetics with SPF) as your sole protection against the sun, then think again. I admittedly use my multi-functional BB cream during those days when I only needed to go out for a few minutes, and skip the sunscreen due to the usually greasy effect they give on my face. However, BB creams alone wouldn't be enough for longer sun exposure - even those with a high SPF and broad spectrum protection - because BB creams are only supposed to be applied sparingly on the face. Unless you're willing to slather your face with a full-shot-glass amount of BB cream, a tiny amount of BB cream will never be enough to keep you protected, and so comes in the heavy-duty sunscreen.

Yet, using a sunscreen raises a lot of questions. Sun protection isn't simply achieved by merely applying a sunscreen before going out. Reapplication is a must, especially when you are continuously exposed under the sun. If you don't reapply, then there is no point of applying a sunscreen in the first place. But many women wear makeup, so reapplication can get very tricky. It may be impractical to remove everything just so the sunscreen can be applied once again. And perhaps because of this inconvenience, many women find reapplication of sunscreen nearly impossible.

Aside from that, there are also some questions regarding when to apply sunscreen. If you solely apply sunscreen on your face, then there is no problem about the order of application. But in reality, most women apply toner, serums, and moisturizers along with the sunscreen. If the sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen, the ingredients need to bind with the skin first in order to work. But if there are products that get in the way, then the sunscreen might become ineffective. Even if you apply the sunscreen first before the rest of the skin care products, you do not know for sure whether the ingredients of the other products might counteract the sunscreen ingredients.

I've tried searching for answers for these concerns. And from all the resources I've read, I've come up with the following conclusions:

1. If you are using a chemical sunscreen (Read: Physical and Chemical Sunscreen), always apply it first before any skin care product and makeup.

2. If you are concerned about the interaction of your products with your sunscreen, then use the sunscreen alone as much as you can. Save your moisturizer or serums at night time. If you have very dry skin, then look for sunscreens with emollient properties so you need not apply a separate moisturizer.

3. If you need to wear makeup, then look for cosmetics containing at least SPF 15 (I prefer SPF 30 for my face). Wear sunscreen underneath your makeup, and use an SPF-containing powder to retouch. That way, you are able to reapply a new layer of "sunscreen" without having to remove all the makeup you've applied laboriously in the morning. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends applying SPF powder over a sunscreen, because that creates a double layer of protection.

4. Keep in mind that even if you're using products with different SPF, the resulting SPF protection you'll get will come from the higher SPF product. So if you're using an SPF 50 sunscreen and an SPF 30 BB cream, you'll get an overall protection of SPF 50 (not SPF 80 as some might assume).

5. The effectiveness of a sunscreen product is backed up by science but the studies conducted were only based on using the sunscreen alone. There is no existing study in my knowledge that has considered its effectiveness in accordance to using it with other skin care products. That may be the reason why different dermatologists may advice conflicting ideas regarding sunscreen use.

For more information:
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/sun/sunscreen-and-your-makeup-routine
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9736627.htm

Sunscreen Photostability

Source: graur codrin | Freedigitalphotos.net

As you may have already read in this post, a good sunscreen requires protection for both UVA and UVB. Yet, even if the formulation offers protection against the harmful rays doesn't mean it's 100% reliable. Another step that manufacturers need to look at to ensure sun protection is photostability of their sunscreen ingredients. To be photostable means that the sunscreen UV filters must remain stable under sun exposure. Some sunscreen ingredients break down immediately under sunlight, rendering their protective capabilities as useless. An interaction between different ingredients needs to be carefully analyzed.

Take note that the question of photostability lies only on chemical sunscreens as physical sunscreens are highly photostable. So if you're using a physical sunscreen, there is no need to worry about photostability. On the other hand, not all chemical UV filters can remain stable under the sun. UV filters such as avobenzone and octinoxate are highly unstable UV filters, but if they are combined with other more stable ingredients, then the problem of stability is solved.

For the layperson, studying about the interaction among ingredients can appear very complicated. Several online resources are available to guide consumers about sunscreen photostability. But, to make matters more simple, Skin Cancer Foundation offers a Seal of Recommendation for sunscreens that have met their photostability criterion. Keep in mind though that it doesn't mean that products without the Seal are automatically unstable; perhaps some of these just haven't undergone the foundation's testing yet.

Among the suncreen products that are found to be photostable are Hawaiian Tropic, Alba Botanica, Aveeno, Cetaphil, Obagi, Jergens, Copperstone, Physician's Formula, Serious Skin Care, Avon, Banana Boat, and Shiseido. For a complete list of brands bearing the Seal of Recommendation, see this page.

Meanwhile, if you are highly interested on the mechanisms of sunscreens, here are some recommended readings to help you get started:

Skinacea: Sunscreen Stability

Skin Cancer Foundation: Does Sunscreen Become Ineffective with Age?

Hallstar: Sunscreen Photostability 101

FDA: Photostability

To know more about sun protection, read my article: The Sun and Your Skin

Product Review: Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam (Green Tea)

If you have read the About page as well as my dermatologist experience, you probably already know that the only skin care routine I had adopted in my younger days was cleansing the face. As a teen, I used to just wash with a bar soap - any bar soap that I was using for my body. Pretty economical, yet a major facial skin care flop. Then, I somehow upgraded to a bar soap especially made for the face. It was good enough to deal with my acne, but it became too effective for fighting off my zits that my skin became overly dry. 

A few years more, I upgraded my cleansing product again. This time I switched to a facial cleanser. It was a big improvement because my pimples didn't have to experience getting accidentally squished by a hard bar of soap. Later on, I followed my cleansing with a toner and moisturizer as additional steps to my skin care routine.

Over the years, I never seemed to get contented with a single facial cleanser. I would switch from product to product to see which works best. In the midst of my experimentation with my face, I found this product from Etude House. What I liked about this is the very affordable price tag. It's Php 148.00 price tag is equivalent to a huge tube of facial cleanser. Not bad.

Product Name: Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam (Green Tea)

Price and Availability: Php 148.00 (Etude House), Amazon  / 150ml

Ingredients: water, glycerin, potassium stearate, potassium myristate, peg-30, myristic acid, hydrated silica, potassium laurate, cocamidopropyl betaine, camellia sinensis leaf extract, lauric acid, disodium edta, peg-100 stearate, benzoate phenoxyethanol, ci 42090, ci 19140, fragrance (Note: According to cosdna.com database, myristic acid and lauric acid have comedogenicity scale of 3 and above out of 5.)

Introducing, Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam - Green Tea:

Review:

The consistency of this product is very very thick. During my stay in Singapore, I brought this along with me. I needed to transfer some amount in a smaller bottle for portability. I had used a hard clear plastic bottle with a screw-on cap, and got a very difficult time to dispense a small amount whenever I washed my face. In fact, even if I flipped the container upside down overnight, the cleanser barely got influenced by gravity - that's just how thick the consistency is. 

Yeah I know, the container I used was a wrong choice. Good thing that the original container is a squeezable tube, take note though that as the content becomes less, squeezing becomes more difficult as well. I just hate to see the cute plastic tube become deformed.

Before buying this product, I've already read a few reviews. According to these bloggers, they need only a few amount of the product for each wash. It's very economical that way. For me, for some reasons, I needed more squirts in order to get the desired result - as much as the amount I used in a toothpaste (How many pea-sized amount is that?). Later on however, I used less and less amount. I realized that I just needed to mix in a little water with the cleanser for foaming to occur. I wish I had learned that earlier because my product is already running low.

I had expected a green tea scent, which should have been very soothing. But no, I did not smell anything of that kind, but the fragrance ain't that bad anyway. I like the idea of green tea taking it's action for fighting bacteria and stabilizing the free radicals on my face. Sadly though, the green tea I love is way below the ingredients list, meaning it is only used in small concentration within the formulation. The product did perform a good job in removing grime anyway. I notice my skin brightening up immediately after every wash.

While using this product, I still get breakouts every now and then, and more often around my period. I presume this is hormonal and has little to do with the cleanser itself. Happy Tea Time is not a drying formulation. It did not dry out my existing pimples which other cleansers are good at.

Overall, still, this is a pretty good cleanser for me, only because I don't put heavy makeup on my face. I am using a BB cream, but not daily, and I'm not confident that this product alone is enough to remove any BB cream residue. Whenever I use this to wash off my BB cream, I would still find some brownish stain from the tissue I use to pat my face dry. Without my makeup, I do think though that the cleanser is mild enough to effectively clean my oily face.

So here are the pros and cons to summarize everything about Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam:

Pros:

- mild yet removes grime

- cute packaging

- economical

- doesn't give me breakouts

Cons:

- contains fragrances that sensitive skin might not love

- product is very difficult to dispense

- might not be effective to remove makeup (using additional makeup removers is a must)

Verdict:

The verdict? I will buy this again especially when I'm on a tight budget. I will skip using this though on days that I would wear makeup.

Rating:
3.5/5

Also available, Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam (Aloe):

How about you? Are you using this product? What do you think of it?

What Are Parabens: The Highly Controversial Substance

Parabens are compounds commonly used as preservatives in skin care products. They are important because they prevent bacteria and fungi from contaminating the products. Since the report of EWG about it's possible carcinogenicity, parabens have become widely controversial. Despite this, the scientific community concluded that it is generally safe to use.

Why do the scientists, in the midst of this hype, approve the use of parabens in cosmetics? 

For one, parabens have weak potency and are only used in little concentrations in products. Some studies have found that parabens can mimic estrogen (a sex endocrine hormone), disrupt our body and promote cancer growth. Yet, endocrine disruption has only been found by injecting an extremely high amount of parabens in cell cultures and female mice - an amount far greater than what is actually used in our skin care products (.02-.03%). In addition, scientists found that parabens' potency are 100,000 times weaker than the estrogen produced naturally by the body, thereby suggesting the safety of parabens.

Second, there is no direct link found between parabens and cancer. Studies that suggest parabens to be dangerous came about from analysis of breast tissues with tumors where parabens were found to be present. However, the presence of these compounds is not conclusive. More so, parabens aren't only found in breast tissues but also in other healthy parts of the body. 

Without the use of some form of preservative, microorganisms will grow in our skin care products and can become harmful to use. Yet because of the high demand for paraben-free products, many manufacturers have found some alternatives to parabens. 

Resorting to paraben-free products can sometimes become even more costly (some manufacturers take advantage of this frenzy to promote their expensive paraben-free products). Switching to alternative preservatives does not guarantee safety as well. Take for example, during my product search in a store, I have found a paraben-free moisturizer, yet I've also found that it contains a preservative called DMDM Hydantoin - a substance that may produce formaldehyde (another carcinogen) as a by-product.

What should we do then?

Upon learning the possible dangers of parabens for the first time, like most people, I got paranoid of buying paraben-containing products. Thinking about slathering my skin with paraben-containing sunscreens and applying layers and layers of skin care products made me worry that the parabens in them might accumulate over time and produce the unwanted effect on my health (this was only my baseless assumption, parabens do get flushed out by our body - though to what extent is unknown to me - as seen in urine samples). However, was my fear based on fact? Why was I afraid of parabens? In fact, they are naturally occurring substances found in many foods, including blueberries. To make a substance toxic is a matter of concentration levels.

(Read: Understanding Sunscreen Labels)

After digging further, I learned that parabens aren't as dangerous as they were known to be. Yet, admittedly, the uneasiness is still there, instilled so well into my mind by the media. But personally, I am not into an all-out-anti-paraben campaign. Parabens have already been used in decades and using a newer form of preservative might be risky. Avoiding parabens altogether is impossible. I still find them in my current shampoo and facial cleanser. But as much as I can, I look for moisturizers, sunscreens, body lotions - products that stay on my skin for a long time - that do not contain parabens.

So, to avoid or not to avoid, it is a matter of your preference. If you don't feel safe with parabens, then it is your choice not to use them. For the meantime, keep an open eye on all the rest of the substances in your skin care products. People tend to avoid one or two unwanted ingredients, while neglecting the rest of the ingredient list. Going for the certain-substance-free products does not guarantee that their formula is any safer. Read the labels carefully. Stay updated on further skin care studies. Don't jump to conclusions if a source says something is dangerous without checking the source's credibility. 

For more information, here are some of the interesting materials I've found about parabens (with differing viewpoints):

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics 

Paula's Choice - Parabens: Are They Really a Problem?

Cosmetics Info - Paraben Information 

Breast Cancer Organization - Exposure to Chemicals in Cosmetics 

Smarter Living 

Breast Cancer Fund 

Chicago Tribune - Don't be Fooled by Paraben Hype