1 Skin Solution
Facebook, twitter and Linked-in are great places to meet new people but to REALLY meet people requires a nice cup of coffee, some toast and a chance to properly Laugh Out Loud. So, after Facebook meeting Raylene late last year I thought it was about time we had a ‘proper’ date!
Raylene is a dynamic individual who’s background and experience spans the worlds of modelling, personal training, hospitality and now lip balm manufacturing! As far as skin care goes Raylenes is self taught after spending the last ten years attending weekend courses, reading trade magazines and communicating with world leading experts via social media – she sure knows her way around cyberspace!
Raylenes’ background in sports science and optimal nutrition seeing her lean firmly towards the ‘feed-your-face’ mindset that is growing in popularity. One look at the ‘build your own lip balm’ part of her website confirms this as you are encouraged to fill your virtual shopping cart with mouth-watering skin treats such as cocoa butter, avocado oil and almond biscotti flavour. Yuummmm. There are also different packaging options and options to add sunscreens, antioxidants or personalised branding to the balms which all seems rather exciting really!
But Raylene is not just the Lip Balm queen, she’s also the producer of the most fabulous smelling salt body scrub that I’ve ever had the pleasure of testing. This Lime and Lavender salt and sugar scrub is divine, it isn’t at all greasy and revives, polishes and soothes tired legs so beautifully that I just couldn’t stop touching mine – probably why I’ve been taking so long to write this 
Oh, and there’s more – Raylene has BIG plans for 1 Skin Solutions and is looking to add to her range later this year so watch this space.
The skin care business a difficult one to get into and even more tricky to stay on top of but Raylene looks like she has what it takes to not only survive but shine in the long run if she takes full advantage of the opportunities that scaling her lifestyle positioning could offer.
Check out her website and Facebook page here.
It was a pleasure meeting up and from all of the team at Realize Beauty.
You go girl xxx
If you would like to chat to the Realize Beauty team about your range and plans please feel free to e-mail us: amanda@realizebeauty.com. We do travel and we are always fascinated by your stories so go on, don’t be shy!
Welcome to 2012 – Thinking of Developing Your Own Products?
At Realize Beauty we LOVE writing but writing the blog is not the main way we make our money. Much of what we do goes on behind the scenes for our private consulting clients. We can often be found tucked up at our secret Laboratory where we mix up our beauty potions and test out all of those fab ingredients that you hear about. Alternatively we could be hosting a highly confidential product briefing session with our clients, tucked into a darkened, sound-proofed corner of a coffee shop as we hatch new product development plans while slurping away. But it’s not all secret stuff, we sometimes take centre stage as we help our clients customers understand what it is that makes their range special, we present our research and ideas at conferences and we facilitate training courses for cosmetic industry teams. It’s always varied and definitely interesting.
So why not give us a try?
We work with all sorts of clients wanting to make all sorts of dreams come true! Our smallest are hobbiests looking for starter formulations or a bit of advice on how to get a product to market and are largest are the multinationals wanting local market knowledge and someone who’s on hand to answer the questions of the local media. But they all have one thing in common. The need to understand and be understood in this exciting, fast-paced but technically challenging industry and luckily that’s what we love doing.
This year we are excited to be promoting some new services to our offering. We carry out stability testing from the New Directions Australia facility and clients can book this testing in online at their webstore. Secondly and by popular demand we are scaling up our PIP documentation service for those of you who want to export your goods to the UK or Europe. Finally and probably most excitingly we are continuing our work with APTF and the Stevie English salon and as such are able to help develop protocols and facilitate testing of your anti-ageing, sun care, acne and moisturisation claims plus conditioning, shine and straightening claims for hair. It’s all happening over here!
So, whether you just need a couple of hours work to get your facebook page sorted or want to become the next Elizabeth Arden we would love to hear from you so take care and drop us an e-mail for more info or a quotation. We don’t just consult, we do! amanda@realizebeauty.com
New Product Alert – Benefit Sun Beam
Sun Beam Golden Bronze Complexion Highlighter hits the shelves on 14th January in Australialand and sells for $45.
This liquid bronzer is an easy way to maintain a safe sun-kissed look all year around. It has been designed to be blended with most foundations making this a really flexible addition to any make-up bag. Benefit is such a funky retain space and well worth a visit so next time you call in why not pop a little sun beam into your basket.
The Science Bit
This would have been quite a tricky formula to put together. The Caprylic blah, blah, blah ingredient is actually a really interesting naturally-derived oily component that can be used to cut down on the silicone in a formula while still giving that light, easy-glide feel. Then there are some other solvents, silicones and polymers which all make this a fast spreading, light weight product with good pigment dispersing ability – you won’t end up with blobby colour. Otherwise it contains a newer generation preservative blend (Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol) and gets its colour from Iron Oxide. All in all a pretty fab product from a nerds perspective.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Dimethicone, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone Peg-7 Phosphate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-21, Squalane, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), Butylene Glycol, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, Steareth-2, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 60, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide. N° 06184/A
Skin Bleaching With Steroids – It’s NOT worth it.
Just before Christmas I was alerted to an article run on SKY NEWS in the UK reporting of an illegal trade in skin lightening products containing a chemical called Clobetasol Propionate. This weird ‘medical’ sounding ingredient is just that, a medicine that should never be used without a prescription! The fact that a number of small cosmetic brands were adding this to their skin brightening and whitening formulations rang those alarm bells loud and clear, especially as these creams were destined to be used on the faces and chests of the unsuspecting public.
Uneven Pigmentation. The white marks are where skin trauma has caused scarring and permanent damage. This can happen if skin whitening products are used excessively.
Clobetasol Propionate is a steroid cream with superior potency. It is usually used to help calm down super-itchy skin conditions that are not being managed by the lesser-active over-the-counter hydrocortisones. Now I’m neither a pharmacist or a doctor but I am a life-long eczema sufferer and so know from first hand experience that these things can be seriously damaging when mis-used.
Cortisone chemicals have a tendency to thin the skin which has all kinds of ramifications including a greater likelihood of physical trauma including permanent damage, sensitivity to chemical and environmental factors, pigmentation issues, increased risk of sun burn and other unpleasantries.
In the world of dermatology creams like this are used under strict guidance and the patients progress and tolerance of the product is closely monitored so that the minimum exposure is used to bring the patient back to a more manageable state while avoiding or limiting any side-effects. So, the prospect of being able to buy what you think is a ‘cosmetic’ cream to use as you please, for as long as it takes your fancy is bad news indeed!
Lighter, brighter skin continues to be desirable both as part of an anti-ageing regimen and as a way to emulate the lighter complexions of Bollywood actors and as such, the global market for skin brightening products is booming. However, there is a huge difference between ‘cosmetic’ brightening and that achieved through prescription only products such as that above.
Cosmetic brighteners may contain a number of actives that work either physically or chemically to even out the skins appearance. Products containing AHA’s and Papaya enzymes tend to work at the surface to slough off (exfoliate) dead and pigmented skin cells give the skin an instant bright and fresh look while remaining relatively safe and effective. A step up from that are products containing ingredients such as Bearberry Extract, Sodium or Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and resveratrol which get into the skin and turn down melanin production so that over time, pigmented skin appears lighter.
At the interface of cosmetics and medicine are products that use Retinol and Hydroquinone. There are strict laws surrounding the use of these actives and what results can be claimed in cosmetic formulations in order to protect the public from adverse effects. These actives both turn off melanin production very efficiently but over-use can cause some serious side effects and permanent skin damage so again, they should be used with caution.
Overall, the skin is pigmented for a very good reason and so any attempt to interfere with nature should be done cautiously and respectfully. A general rule of thumb should be that if a product looks too good to be true it probably is, all cosmetics sold in the UK should have their full ingredients listed on the packaging and my advise would be to either take your product to a pharmacist and get them to look over the ingredients list before using it or check out the ingredients on a reputable site such as the European Unions COSING database.
As far as this news story goes, the people behind these products were clearly breaking a number of laws and if caught will most likely be prosecuted. However, it’s the people who have been loyally using products such as these that may have to face up to the fact that life in future could be spent hiding away from the sun in an attempt to prevent any further damage to their now fragile skin.
Take care, ask questions and why not just love your skin, naturally.
PS: The above is my skin. The white marks are where I’ve had repeated trauma caused by acne that has left the pigmentation in the skin damaged. Even in fairly light skin the difference in colour is noticeable and on darker skin this may look even more pronounced.
After reading the Cosmetic design newsletter over coffee this morning I was drawn to this article stating that water-based nail polish is building momentum. Like many things in life I assumed that I knew all about it and quickly moved to something more interesting (have you seen my hands???? I hardly EVER wear nail polish as they are just so itchy and swollen from years of working with toxic nasty chemicals (and due to the fact that I was born that way babe – eczema, genetic fault, blame mother/father/dog)). However, something in my mind told me I had to think about this one a bit and so I returned to the article and dug a little deeper…..
Water based nail polish is seen as the ‘hero’ product in what has traditionally been known as the cosmetics industries dirty little secret (I made that up). For many years nail polish was the place that toxic and evil ingredients went on to better their lives as beautiful glossy coverings for ladies and gentlemen who wanted to make a statement (I kind of made that up too). Nail polish contained formaldehyde, gender bending plasticisers such as DBP and solvents that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy – Toluene. But all of that changed a few years ago (starting back in the late 1990′s and gathering pace around 2005-6) thanks to the arrival of some new polymer chemistry.
Basically the ‘nasties’ in the old type of nail polish did the following jobs:
DBP - This was the plasticiser used to make the resin flexible enough to spread, like a plastic coat across the nail.
Formaldehyde – NO this wasn’t used to preserve the product, it was in there as part of the resin that creates a hard film on the nail.
Toluene – This was one of the main solvents used to help dry your colour quickly and evenly so you don’t run out of time to dry your hair.
By the early 2000′s numerous reports including one by Greenpeace triggered a new round of concern and debate amongst the cosmetics industry and the laws surrounding pthalate use in perfumes and nail products were reviewed. In the case of DBP the laws governing cosmetics were found to be adequate and no amendment was made. However, a few other pthalates used in perfumery were reviewed and their maximum permitted levels reduced in line with new scientific data.
As far as the public were concerned, pthalates were now on the map and a report by Greenpeace in February 2005 meant that soon EVERYONE wanted their nail polish ‘free from’.
Time for innovation.
New Chemistry doesn’t just pop out from behind the curtain with a taadaaaaa and a top hat, it has to be developed and so during the next couple of years new polymers were tested and new systems played with. During this time the world of nail polish was turned on its head and formulations that were once pigments -in-oily-solvents became pigments-in-watery-polymers until we ended up with what we have now.
So, water based nail polishes are pretty amazing from a chemical nerd point of view but I won’t bore you with that. All I will say is this, don’t be fooled that your water based polish is ‘chemical free’. Firstly, that is a dam silly thing to say and secondly the thing that makes the polish work is a rather sophisticated acrylate polymer and these, when I last looked were mainly derived from petrochemicals.
On a parting note I do think that these water based polishes are a fab innovation as they are easier to remove and chemically ‘cleaner’ than their older counterparts.
So, enjoy and wear your water-colour with pride but don’t get stuck into the greenwash.
Amanda
Biomimetics – The Science of Nature.
The quest for eternal youth has seen us climb the tallest of swiss mountains for sweet apples and diving the depths of the vastest seas for mineral rich cellulite busters but good as these things are, some people feel like this is all just too much effort. No, these days the lazy beauty buff is heading to their local lab for a spot of biotechnology!
Biomimetic peptides sound scary and complex but they need not be and with a little bit of science know-how paired with close observation of nature some amazing things are indeed possible. So let’s take a closer look:
Peptides in Skin Care
Quick Biology Lesson:
Amino Acids come in 22 standard shapes and sizes and these join together to form peptides and proteins. Amino Acids are critical to many metabolic processes and are essential for our health and vitality. Some are made by the body and others (essential amino acids) can’t and have to be supplied by the diet.
Peptides. The word peptide comes from the Greek word ‘to digest’ which is appropriate as peptides generally break things down or initiate one reaction or another. The cosmetics industry have found many jobs for these chemicals including turning off pigment production, up-regulating cell regeneration and stimulating circulation but more about that later. Peptides are bigger than amino acids and are highly specific in their action but they are smaller than Proteins.
Proteins are coiled up chains of peptides and as such they are very large. Their structure can be damaged by heat or pH change so these molecules are quite sensitive. Proteins are very useful in cosmetics where we use them to help maintain a healthy skin structure.
Nature VS Science
The cosmetics industry has been watching the effects of these powerful chemicals on the skin for years and have, over the past few years developed techniques for making nature-identical peptides in the lab. These ‘laboratory-prepared’ peptides look, feel and act the same as those made naturally in the body. In other words they mimic nature – BIOMIMETIC. They are usually made using naturally sourced amino acids and are made under very clean and tight manufacturing processes.
So, if they look natural and our bodies can make them why bother buying them?
As we age our biological processes slow down. Coupled with environmental factors such as sun and wind damage our skin processes may slow down way before their time. Therefore the only way to up-regulate or BOOST the skins rejuvenation processes is to stimulate it by adding or doing something to it.
And can these ingredients work?
There are lots of different biomimetic peptides on the market and while some have brilliantly detailed and thorough clinical trial data to back them up others don’t. On top of that the ability of the active to work is largely dependent on it reaching the target site in the skin and this comes down to both the skill of the chemist and the practical constraints of the formulation – it has to be cost-effective, feel good and be relatively easy to make and reproduce.
So do they work?
Given the right circumstances YES and you only have to google peptides in cosmetics to see how many brands are using this technology.
So what’s next?
The cosmetics industry is always evolving ways of creating actives that work faster and better than before so who knows but one thing is for sure, the future is probably going to come out of a test tube and I’m all for that.
Episencial Sunny Sunscreen (and the very hungry caterpillar)
How many of us actually read the small print that covers the outer packaging of the newest addition to our bathroom cabinet? Well, I probably spend more time reading it than most which is partly due to the fact that I write some of it but mostly because I’ve always been a bit nerdy like that. I remember as a kid trying to read the back of the henna shampoo bottle advert style as I washed my hair in the bath. I also remember getting cross with myself for constantly stuffing it up before I wrapped the imaginary add up (note to self, I am not destined to be a hair ad voice-over artist)…..
Anyway, waffle over. I was reading the back of the Episencial sunscreen pack and found this interesting bit of text:
“I feel that taking the time to tell a story, read a book and play with your child is so important”
So do I but isn’t that a bit of an odd thing to put on a sunscreen???
And then it clicked (yup, not quick either). This sunscreen has been licensed to use the artwork of Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar! What a quaint little touch and I must say, the guys have done a great job with the branding.
The Product.
This sunscreen claims to offer an SPF 35 which is amazing being as though it contains only 5% of Zinc Oxide and 5% of Titanium Dioxide. Usually I would not expect an SPF of more than 18 with this blend, 20 at the most but by some magic of science we are up at 35! The sunscreen feels very zincy on the skin and while it goes in quite easily it does leave your skin feeling a little dry which won’t suit everyone. It also smells kind of chalky and minerally which is not bad but not that fab either.
Otherwise this sunscreen contains a mix of organically certified and natural actives and extracts to make up its bulk. The main carrier ingredient is aloe vera juice and there are a couple of nifty emollients in there to help boost SPF (which may account for the higher reading) plus a PVP based film former which I suspect is key to getting this formulation right up into the SPF 30′s. Other ingredients of note are the stabilized vitamin C, the green tea, comfrey and natural preservatives.
The Positioning.
This is definitely a brand that any parent of a toddler would look to buy as I don’t know any child (me included) that didn’t fall in love with the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Most parents would also love the fact that the bottle is made from recycled material, the product is made (at least in part) using sustainable solar power and the product contains organic ingredients. But the biggest pull for many parents would be the charitable links to the Healthy Child Healthy World foundation plus the brands support of various other health initiatives.
The only thing that lets this brand down for me is the usual jump-on-the-bandwagon marketing that is ‘FREE FROM’ and all of that jazz. I totally get why people do it but do feel that with so many positive messages espoused by this brand, this corner of negativity is unneccessary.
This 118g (4oz) pack retails for around $15 which makes it pretty affordable for a mineral-only sunscreen and that, plus everything above makes this a winning formulation.
Pretty good stuff and yes Eric, we agree that reading to our children is tops.
Enjoy.
PS: This product is not certified organic.
Harmonis Kiss Teen Organics Review
By: Maddison Tilyard aged 12.
I loved the colour of the packaging of the Body Scrub and the squeeze tube container. It was very attractive and great choice in colour for girls.
When I first opened the lid I noticed the colour, the smell and the consistency of the scrub. The colour of the scrub is green and brown. The smell is rather strong and has an odd smell to it which I didn’t really like but it didn’t bother me that much. The consistency is a little bit runny.
I found the scrub a bit too runny for my liking which was a bit disappointing. It was hard to put on as it fell through my fingers. The gritty bits actually feel like its scratching my face, but I suppose that is what it is supposed to do. Like I said before the smell is rather strong and doesn’t really smell like really anything.
When I put the scrub on my legs it was o.k. but my face tingled a bit. My faces and my legs felt as smooth as a babies bottom, well that is what my mother would say. I thought that was how they always felt. My face felt firm and very clean.
I thought that when you put chopped bamboo and tea tree in the body scrub that, that was a wired choice but when I looked up what they did. I found out that was a really good choice. The bamboo makes your skin feel soft and tea trees to get rid of any acne.
I think the body scrub is definitely in the top 10 products I have used. I loved the colour and the type of tube it was in. I think it looks just great. I’m not sure how often to use the scrub as there was not many instructions on the back of the package. You need to use it in the shower as it does run through your fingers. My skin felt clean and refreshed and thankfully I didn’t have any rasher or irritations from the body scrub product.
Lip Balm
I think that the first thing customers see is the packaging which I thought was fantastic and a great choice in the two different shades of pink. I thought this was great and wise to use theses colours for the age range. I do think you should of made the tube a little bigger due to the fact not much holds in a tube that is 5mL but that doesn’t really that matter to me.
The lip balm is a creamy colour that doesn’t really have much taste or smell to it which was disappointing. When I read the ingredients I saw vanilla and then I though “yum vanilla my favorite” and then when I put some on my lips I thought”where is the vanilla have you even put any in the bottle” which made me quiet sad.
When I squeezed some of the liquid out onto my fingers I found it very easy to apply. But then I licked my lips I thought where is the vanilla. All teenage girls need a good lip balm, well that’s what I strongly believe.
Like I have said for the 3rd time I really can’t taste the vanilla in the lip balm. What I really like is that it is environmentally friendly which is great I think. Also I do like the sound of the sunflower oil, honey and rosemary leaf extract.
I would have to say that Harmonis kiss should really work on their lip balm that is my opinion. But over all I would have to say that it harmonis kiss have had a try and have some room for improving which is great. I would probably not buy the lip balm. But I would most definitely try it again after improvements maybe by adding and losing some ingredients.
Roll – On
The roll on had a clear consistency, but a strange smell that smelt a bit kind of salty which is very odd. I find again with the packaging great attractive colours and not to big but not to small and also you could probable even fit it into a teenagers handbag to apply when you’re out and about. I would prefer the spray type bottle that’s what I think is best but it doesn’t matter. I would like to say something about the label and the label says roll-on but some people might think is it roll on sunscreen or is it roll-on blush and stuff like that so I think you should label it roll- on deodorant.
I do like the thickness of the roll-on which is really good. That colour I like a crystal white which is beautiful and it is not sticky which is good. Usually other brands are very sticky and wet when you put them on. But this roll on is different and I like different.
I found it very easy to apply under my arm which is good. Still I don’t really like the smell of the roll on which is disappointing, I like my deodorant to smell good because when I am out with friends I fell fresh and also smell great at the same time. This makes me feel proud of what I use and what I have.
When I put the roll on on before I went to school on Thursday and Friday I didn’t sweat as much as I do when I use my spray on Rezona Girl deodorant. This is very good because after we have sport we go straight to our next subject and the home time. My mother is always telling me to put on my deodorant so I smell good and also when other people are around that they don’t tell me that I smell instead they would say “ Wow you smell really nice today Maddie “ and I would say “thanks I’m wearing Harmonis Kiss’s NEW roll on deodorant “ . Harmanis kiss would have just got a new teenage girl as a new client and ready to try every product that harmonis kiss has to offer on. The teenage girl would be going home ready to put the product on the next day!
Just wondering why would we put zinc oxide into a under arm fragrance thought that zinc oxide is either used so you don’t get sunburn and for decoration on peoples skin. Also I think that Aloe Vera powder is another strange ingredient to put in for a roll on deodorant for young teenage girls. I like the idea of the lime oil, orange oil and the witch hazel extract are rather great choices but I have a question, why put fruit smells in a roll on deodorant?
I would most definitely buy this roll on deodorant to use until there was none left. Would probable give the colour choice about a 10/10 for colour a 7/10for smell and an overall 9/10.even better I didn’t get any irritations or rashes from the roll on deodorant.
A closer look at Aldi Shampoo
Brand: Protane (a Pantene inspired shampoo for those of us who shop in Aldi and want big brand results for small brand prices)
Brand Owner: Aldi (show me the bargains) supermarket.
Variant: Colour Protect Shampoo (to protect my newly coloured main from the sun)
Why we like it: Because it is made in Australia, is cost-effective and makes our hair feel and look great. It also smells clean and fresh.
Protane Shampoo from Aldi
Everything about this brand says “IWANNABEPANTENE” and that is perfectly understandable as Pantene is MEGA BEAST Cosmetic Industry giant Proctor and Gambles best-selling hair care range shifting a scarily bubbly $3 billion worth of bottles each year. Pantene do not sell in Aldi so if Aldi wants a piece of that pie, they have to engage in a little D.I.Y.
Aldi shoppers don’t mind rip off brands because Aldi prides its self on being cheap, practical and locally made rather than aligning its self to the biggest and best ‘names’ in the market. This is good news as Aldi shoppers who already don’t care that their brand’s street cred as almost as low as the brand owners advertising budget (why would they want to pay for a name anyway? ) and can still get the Pantene goodness without having to trawl around another supermarket (we like the one-stop-shop).
But if Aldi shoppers don’t care about brands, why bother copying a big name brand like this?
Because Pantene has great adverts that are EVERYWHERE. They show models with lovely long thick hair that has a healthy looking shine. These models also look clean, fresh and in-control. They are WINNERS with good hair and the Aldi shopper wants a piece of that action too.
And to do all of that requires quite a lot of ingredients…..
Ingredients and functions:
Water – the bulk of the product.
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate - The things that clean the hair.
Cocamide MEA – Foam boosting
Glycol Distearate – To make the product look pearly and lovely
Dimethicone – Conditioning agent
Cetyl Alcohol – Thickener, conditioner and opacifier (makes the shampoo look creamy)
Fragrance
Polyquaternium-10 - Conditioning active that gives long lasting softness.
Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate, Disodium EDTA,
PEG-7M – Thickener for the shampoo
Ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, Benzophenone-3 – Sunscreen agents that help keep the colour in your hair. Red pigments fade very quickly without sun protection.
Citric Acid,
Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether – Strengthen, condition and bring shine to the hair.
Tocopherol Acetate, Methylchloroisothiazoninone,Methylisothiazolinone, Sodium Chloride.
The Verdict: Great! This product leaves my hair feeling and smelling great and doesn’t cost too much. It is also locally made and comes in recyclable packaging which I like so why not give it a whirl next time you are in Aldi?
Shampoo is Shampoo is Shampoo is Shampoo.
Well that’s according to this weeks Gruen Transfer (Popular Australian show that dissects the tricks and tactics of the advertising agency) and in some ways we agree.
The Chemistry Of Shampoo
You see the main point of a shampoo is to clean the hair and as that benefit is quickly and cheaply achieved by using a couple of cleaning agents (we call these surfactants and the most effective, cheap and widespread are still Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate). However,don’t be fooled shampoo is NOT all about cleaning the hair. Like everything else that seems to need selling these days it is about sex, aspirations, our lifestyle, aesthetic beauty, youth, health, elitism, environmental activism and many other isms that I can’t possibly recall right now….
Shampoo has long since been all about getting clean and in fact, getting too clean is now called ‘stripping’ the hair and many shampoos pride themselves as being ‘mild’ (or not as effective but we don’t mind because mild = nice, soft, babies, peaches whereas stripping = harsh, chemical, over-the-top, itchy and flaky). These days there is big money to be made in fixing problems that we probably don’t have anyway. This is called marketing.
Problem – Dry hair.
Product Solution - Wash it with a shampoo (capable of stripping grease out) that contains a conditioning agent (silicone, quat, protene).
OR alternatively you can Either wash your hair less often OR refrain from using implements such as hot irons, hair dryers, curlers and gloop to tease your mop into an artistic Dr Seuss-esque sculpture.
So yes, at the heart of it shampoos are all basically the same and yes it is true that they only bubble like they do because we like it (we put foam boosters in to get the bubbles right and test them for size, creaminess, density and persistency) BUT it is also true that on top of all of that are some funky little ingredients that may just be worth it.
Little ’added extras’ such as keratin, silicones, amin0-acids, UV filters and vegetable oils do help to make your newly washed hair less static, more shiny, smoother feeling, quicker to dry, more protected, stronger or easier to style. As tempting as it is to think that these are just another bunch of marketing hype, when used at the right levels these things can help keep your hair looking and feeling great-ish.
The Realize Beauty team at the hair expo, Sydney 2011
So it is true that shampoo is shampoo is shampoo is shampoo if all you want to do is get your hair clean but how many of us just want to do that?
