Compared to generations before, today’s consumer takes a far more active interest in understanding the ingredients that comprise the products they buy and the manufacturing practices utilized to create them. Beyond the food industry, nowhere do we see more evidence of this practice than in the personal care industry. Recognizing that cosmetic and skin care ingredient lists can be overwhelming to the average consumer, various organizations have created online resources, which allow consumers to look up products and ingredients by name to get an overview of their safety ratings and potential risks. Additionally, numerous advocacy groups have implemented campaigns to educate consumers about specific ingredients that they recognize as particularly harmful. Read More

Most chemists openly express their concern over how little time is spent studying surfactants in college given their considerable importance in so many industries, especially the skin care industry. According to Perry Romanowski, coauthor of the acclaimed textbook, Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry, “surfactants are the workhorses of the cosmetic industry and all cosmetic chemists would benefit learning the basic principles of surfactant chemistry.” 1 Most often, action ingredients take all the glory for product performance, while the surfactant’s contribution is overlooked and frequently misunderstood by the consumer. Read More

One class of ingredients that continues to offer exciting new options to the world of skin care is peptides. Peptides have been perennial favorites due to their gentle, non-irritating qualities and long-term anti-aging benefits. Because new peptides that promise remarkable benefits are constantly being discovered, it is important for skin care professionals to understand the basic science behind peptides.Peptides are more than just skin care superstars – they are truly intelligent molecules that naturally play a role in the function of cells, tissues and hormones in the body. That is why they are of interest to many scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, medicine, nutrition, and even psychology. Read More

Global sun care is heading toward a record high in sales, totaling approximately $1.3 billion by the end of 2014. We should all feel very proud of ourselves. Our endless preaching and nagging to family, friends, and clients about the dangers of sun exposure for the beauty and health of their skin has apparently paid off. According to Euromonitor International and various other market research companies tracking sales and growth of designated skin care categories, we finally got through to them. Read More

Over the last couple of decades, antioxidants have risen from humble beginnings to being a part of some of the most sophisticated applications in cellular protection. Well established as the darlings of our industry, they are often featured as the magic bullet of anti-aging formulations. According to Mintel, “Antioxidants are the most popular ingredients in today’s skin care.” Examples of antioxidants at work are everywhere. Some of the most intricate claims in skin care today are derived from the vast activities of both natural and synthetic antioxidants. Read More

If you have ever sold an anti-aging product or a product for acne-prone skin, chances are that, at some point, you have broken the law. Not because you sold these products, but because of the claims you made and the statements you used while closing the sale would most likely have been deemed as drug claims by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Some of the first definitions aesthetics students are required to recite are those of a cosmetic and a drug. While it may seem like an unnecessary exercise, understanding these definitions is of utmost importance because they can have enormous implications in countless aspects of the skin care industry, from product line and manufacturer selection to marketing and branding efforts. Read More

The good ol’ days provided simpler times when it was enough to tell your client that their product contained hydrating honey, soothing aloe, cooling cucumber, and revitalizing carrot extract. Relying on anecdotal properties of ingredients, while failing to understand or interpret the scientific data behind ingredient activity and product performance, can put an aesthetician at a serious disadvantage in today’s fast paced, information-laden climate. Even if we are able to wade through the data provided, keeping up with the latest information can become a full time job. Most people have neither the time, nor the expertise that is required, to dig through all of the complex research and correctly interpret the studies. Read More

We have come a long way since the first vanishing creams promised to protect the skin from the elements such as chapping winds and sooty breezes. Today’s consumer expectations of product performance and benefits have become more complex than ever and product developers are responding to these expectations by formulating multifunctional products as well as targeted, specialized treatments for specific areas of the skin. New scientific discoveries in medicine, biotechnology and cellular biology are providing numerous applications for skin care launches. Through tireless research, ingredient manufacturers are offering novel solutions to every biochemical phenomenon of aging, cause of dryness, sensitivity or acne. Formulas are becoming more holistic in their approach to treating skin imperfections, while at the same time, targeting and even promising to augment surgical procedures, such as injectables. Read More

Chamomile is the name given to several species of herbs with fine, feathery leaves and daisy-like flowers. There are two plants most commonly distilled for their essential oils including Roman chamomile (Chamaemeleum nobile or Anthemis nobilis) and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita). The therapeutic and psychological properties of their respective oils, while not identical, are quite similar. Read More

Eucalyptus has a smell that we all love and recognize. Whether you have experienced its fresh, uplifting aroma in the steam room or simply used a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a bowl of hot water to clear your sinuses, the smell simply takes you back to your childhood. Using eucalyptus in your spa treatments can bring your client back to that moment in time when they first experienced its clean, lung-clearing aroma. There are hundreds of varieties of eucalyptus that produce an essential oil. However, the most common form of the oil used in aromatherapy is eucalyptus globulus, distilled in Australia from the beloved gum tree. Other widely used forms that are commonly distilled for their essence include the narrow leaved eucalyptus (eucalyptus radiate), used for viral infections, and lemon-scented eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriadora), a cooling, antirheumatic oil. Read More