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Cynicism in the skincare industry is bad for the consumer and for the industry

If a formulator thinks that there is no difference (and there can’t be) between a 1950s skincare product and one formulated today, it’s sad. It negates scientific progress and the possibility that the industry could benefit from such progress. This is a pessimistic and, worse, ignorant position. It requires ignoring the fantastic advances in science in general, in organic synthesis, and understanding of skin biochemistry and molecular biology in particular.  It’s the equivalent of saying the medical treatment today is similar to that in the 1950s. And of course it isn’t!

There are some possible explanations.

  1. The formulator believes the old myth: the skin is impermeable.
  2. Because cosmetics are not supposed (as per FDA regulations) to change skin physiology, these formulators believe that’s the case. Again, they ignore when the law was written. It also ignores reality: just applying cold cream to the skin changes its physiology.
  3. Maybe they didn’t study biochemistry at school?

The pessimistic attitude of those formulators is self-defeating. If they don’t think their products will penetrate the skin, why will they bother adding beneficial chemicals, synthetic or natural? They should consider that a waste of money. I suggest that they focus on formulating shampoos and conditioners (after all, hair is dead protein) and leave skin and scalp to people who believe in science. People like me.

Decades ago, when I was “just” a plant biochemist, I thought skincare products couldn’t improve the skin, This was long before I studied the extensive scientific literature on the subject. At that time I didn’t know anything about human skin. Nut now, after writing a couple of books and reading thousands of scientific journal articles, I do know. I became very optimistic about what products applied topically can do, and you will find hundreds of posts in my blog about the benefits o Skin Actives Scientific in particular (because I know what they contain).

Hannah