Brands

January 17th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyacrylate-13, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-38, Phosphatidylserine, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Swertia Chirata Extract, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Ornithine, Ceramide NP, Ergothioneine, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Phytosterols, Phospholipids, Glycolipids, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Olive Fruit Oil, Shea Butter, Betaine, Squalane, Lecithin, Caprylyl Methicone, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol There is nothing of great value here to suggest a “quasi-medical” value. What I can rescue is the intent: the phrase “supports healthy adipose tissue”, like in giving the subcutaneous fat its due. Unfortunately, in the advertising the phrase refers to…

May 22nd, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Here we go again: words that sounds rich and magical like “platinum”, “rare”, “elixir”, following a French name. And a bad product inside a pretty bottle. Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, SD Alcohol 40-B (Alcohol Denat.), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Squalane, Dimethicone, Glycoproteins, Platinum, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture, Disodium EDTA, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Yeast Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, RNA, Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Soy Amino Acids, Polyacrylamide, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PoIyacryIate Crosspolymer-6, Silica, Coco-Glucoside, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Bisabolol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Laureth-7, Tin Oxide, Charcoal Powder, Glycolic Acid,…

February 17th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Keep your religion separate from your purchasing, especially of skincare products. There is no Saint Jane in the Christian list of saints, but my Yiddish name is Jane (pronounced Chane and named after my grandmother), so I feel very protective of the name.  So when I saw that there is now a skincare brand named Saint Jane, I became interested. Like, taking my grandmother’s name in vain! I found it in Credo, a website that purports to keep your skincare as pure as your heart (Credo in Spanish means religion).  Too much religion here in products that should be “ruled” by science. Indeed, in TikTok they use the phrase “sent…

May 1st, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

How do you end up with silly formulations like Perricone’s Hyaluronic 4 + 2 Complex? Ingredients: Water, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin. This ingredient list is silly. Why? There is sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronan), an ingredient we use in Skin Actives. As you can see below, I am against using three of the four actives: Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate. The rest is water (solvent) and preservatives. One of these, sodium acetylated hyaluronate, was designed to be used in implants and grafts. It is made by cutting hyaluronan and acetylating it by chemical means, to prevent degradation…

March 9th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

A product from Spain with a Japanese name. What could go wrong? Just as fake as its Japanese sounding name, here are the ingredients Water, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Glycosaminoglycans, Tocopheryl Acetate, Peg-35 Castor Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Glycogen, Salicylic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Soluble Proteoglycan, Sorbic Acid, Camellia Sinensis (Tea) Leaf Extract, Matcha Tea. Is there anything interesting in this list? Not the solvents (water, butylene glycol, propylene glycol), or ascorbic acid, which will be an oxidizer by the time it reaches your skin. The preservatives, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid and sodium benzoate, are not very interesting either. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or mucopolysaccharides, can be more interesting.…

September 23rd, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Ingredients Water･pentaerythrityl tetraethylhexanoate･squalane･butylene glycol･glycerin･behenyl alcohol･dimethicone･dipropylene glycol･diphenylsiloxy phenyl trimethicone･hdi/trimethylol hexyllactone crosspolymer･potassium methoxysalicylate･hydrogenated polyisobutene･stearyl alcohol･hydrogenated palm oil･beheneth-20･phenoxyethanol･myristyl myristate･microcrystalline wax･dimethicone/phenyl vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer･palm kernel oil･dimethylacrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate crosspolymer･palm oil･polyvinyl alcohol･fragrance･disodium edta･tocopheryl acetate･retinyl acetate･sodium citrate･sunflower seed oil･alcohol･bht･polyquaternium-51･silica･hydroxyproline･sodium metabisulfite･butylphenyl methylpropional･citric acid･allantoin･isostearic acid･linalool･citronellol･geraniol･lauryl betaine･olive leaf extract･crataegus monogyna flower extract･white dead nettle flower/leaf/stem extract･caffeine･raspberry leaf extract･tea leaf extract･sodium acetylated hyaluronate･sodium hyaluronate･inositol･pine cone extract･Chinese cinnamon bark extract･tocopherol･ginger extract･beta-carotene･soluble collagen･hydrolyzed elastin･gambir extract･Job’s tears seed extract･great burnet root extract･sodium benzoate･Bupleurum falcatum root extract･ Instead of buying this heavily perfumed product, take your $435 and get some vitamin A cream from Skin Actives! With all the leftover money ($415), buy yourself a plane ticket to Paris (low season). Enjoy the Louvre! PS:…

September 17th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Like in this cream, where C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate and Polyester 7 are transformed into MAGIC by paying celebrities to advertise it. Pity there is no money left for ingredients like epidermal growth factor and that some many fragrances (Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol) are likely to irritate your skin.  Still, “Charlotte Tilbury” sounds posh, right? Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Vegetable Oil, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Polyester-7, Phenoxyethanol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Shea Butter, Steareth-21, Oat Kernel Extract, Carbomer, Dimethiconol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract, Allantoin, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Disodium Edta, Tocopheryl Acetate, Camellia Oleifera Seed…

August 25th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Ingredients: Distilled Water, Glycolic Acid, Witch Hazel, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Vegetable Glycerin, Vitamin B5, Calendula Extract, Green Tea Extract, Allantoin, Menthol, Eucalyptus Oil, Spearmint Oil, Vitamin E, l-Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. They are selling you an acid but they are giving you salt. What a rubbish product! It will irritate because of the eucalyptus, not “peeling” because the glycolic acid is neutralized, menthol to make you think something is happening.  Plus the name suggests that it’s a prescription medication. All of the sins of bad skincare in just one product.

July 27th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Vegetable Collagen, Amla Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-37, Tripeptide-29, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Pichia Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Grape Seed Extract, Kiwi Fruit Water, Coffee Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Jojoba Seed Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Butylene Glycol.   No, vegan collagen doesn’t exist. Don’t waste your money on products that sell you what doesn’t exist.  Feeling indignant is the right reaction to this kind of stuff. Somebody called this kind of stuff “the bastardization of science”, to what I answer: aren’t scientists cheap? If you can’t be a serious, honest scientist, please find yourself a different profession. Maybe sell used cars? Or bridges?…