Cosmetic Myth Busters!

Written by Marisa Conde on Oct 19, 22

Hello, and welcome back to our blog! Today we thought that we can have some fun together demystifying some of the most common Cosmetic Myths! Busted or not?! Read further to discover the answer! 

Myth #1: 60% or more, of everything you put on your skin ends up in your bloodstream!

Well, some 'sources' even say that everything we put on our skin ends up indubitably in your bloodstream and that it takes exactly 26 seconds for a cosmetic ingredient to reach it!

Not only this is incorrect but also luckily NOT TRUE! Imagine if every time we had a shower we would end up absorbing (and carrying around with us) all the water that just fell on our skin!!

It is more accurate to say that between 0% and 100% of what you apply on your skin can end up in your bloodstream, as all of it, some of it, or none of it can/will end up in your bloodstream, as this is the reason why:

The penetration of a cosmetic product into the skin depends on the specific ingredient, the delivery mechanism, the overall health of your skin and your environment, such as the temperature or humidity.

Carrier oils will penetrate into the very top layer of the epidermis (and generally go no further), whilst essential oils can penetrate into our bloodstream although some of this happens through inhalation.

Some ingredients will penetrate rapidly when they get there, while others will be pulled in your skin and be released after a few days. This also depends on the size of the ingredient's molecules and of the body part it was applied to, as some parts of our body have thinner skin than others.

Myth #2: Mineral oil stops the skin from breathing! 

Mineral oil contains large molecules, which will sit on  top of your skin and create an occlusive layer. This does not mean mineral oil prevents the skin from breathing! The skin doesn't actually breathe so it being covered with a layer is not necessarily problematic. Moreover, all carrier oils, not just mineral oil, behave in this way on the skin.

The main difference is that plant oils are similar in composition to the lipids oils of our skin and are consequently better metabolised by our body, improving the condition of the skin at a deeper level.

Myth #3: All preservatives are dangerous! 

 

We all know 1 or 2 terrible stories about preservatives that irritated the skin of someone we know. They are known to act as hormone disruptors or worse! No wonder that many consumers just try to avoid them at all cost!

The fact is that preservatives are your best friends: they stop bacteria, fungus, and yeast from growing in our cosmetics, especially every time we put our fingers on them!

If any of these microbes came into contact with your skin, an infection can be the best that can happen to you! They were cases of people being blinded or killed by unpreserved cosmetics!

The good news is that there are lots of natural and certified organic preservatives in the market (we use geograd ultra in our lab to make your cosmetics), and these can be used to keep our skin safe, but still meet our natural requirements. Isn't that amazing?!

Myth #4: Natural skincare is Chemical-free and Toxin-free! 

 

Some brands use the term ‘chemical-free’ to describe their natural beauty products. This is inaccurate, as everything is a chemical – water, for example, is a chemical composed of 2 molecules of hydrogen and a molecule of oxygen (H2O). Therefore, chemical-free products do not exist! We believe it’s more accurate to use the term “synthetic” instead of “chemical”.

We can say the same regarding cosmetics that claim to be toxin-free, as even water can be a toxin and natural does not always mean safe. For example, none of us would trust using arsenic in our beauty routine, no matter what the industry would tell us!

Myth #5: Mainstream cosmetics only contain synthetic chemicals!

The sad truth is that the ingredient that is mostly present in commercial skincare products is distilled water! 'Blimey!' you might think, but it is used because it's cheap, easy and safe to formulate with, but it doesn’t do much in your skincare other than providing minor hydration. Meh, busted!!  

Hope that you had fun busting some skincare myths with us! Were you aware of some of this, was it all new to you? Let us know in the comment section!