Category: Blog

Alcaligenes Polysaccharides

KindofStephen 1 Comment

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This is a water gelling agent made from a Gram-negative bacteria, similar to xanthan gum.

A 0.001% concentration can thicken up a product quite nicely, which is good because it costs more than $10 000 for a kilo.

Beyond thickening water, it also has moisturizing properties, similar to hyaluronic acid.

Is it better or worth the money? I’m not sure – but if the popularity of this ingredient increases, the cost will go down. Much of the cost is the low yield from production. You can read more about how it’s produced here.

Japanese and Korean suppliers tend to have many unique and interesting raw materials, from my experience.

It’s found in a few commercial products, which are very luxury and expensive (as is to be expected).

Have you used a product that had this ingredient in it? Did you like it? Does knowing the cost of the raw material help justify the cost of the product for you?

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Contest Time! Win a Bite Agave Lip Mask!

KindofStephen

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What’s in it? Mostly lanolin (from sheep’s wool, so this product is not vegetarian or vegan), castor seed oil and agave nectar for sweetness. This lip balm is very sticky and substantial. It’s great for use before bed. 

Lanolin, Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Agave Tequilana nectar, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil Unsaponifiables, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Flavor, Vanillin, Siraitia Grosvenori (Monk Fruit), Vanilla Tahitensis (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Organic Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Trans-Resveratrol, Vitis Vinefera (Grape) oil, Tocopherol acetate, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (And) Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil

How do I enter? Follow my Tumblr @kindofstephen​ or Twitter @kindofstephen and reblog/retweet this post! That’s it! 

When does the contest end? November 6, my birthday 🙂 I’ll be starting another contest on that date as well!

Who can enter? I’m happy to ship to anywhere!

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Good luck, and thanks for entering!

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Hi Stephen! Why are certain ferments beneficial for our skin while others like plain alcohol are not? Thank you – Joan

KindofStephen 1 Comment

Hey @jxxn!

It depends on what part of the fermentation we’re isolating. Ethanol is the pure alcohol that’s a product of fermentation, whereas a ferment lysate used in cosmetics is generally the entire system (lysate means that the cell walls have been ruptured).

It’d be like comparing yogurt (a mixture) to lactic acid (a pure substance).

The yeast used in brewing is filtered out of the final product and sold as a nutritional supplement, brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast is rich with B vitamins, minerals, and proteins.

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On the left is unfiltered beer, and on the right is filtered beer.

Hope that helps!

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For everyday sunscreen, how high should the PPD (UVAPF) be? I’ve been on the hunt for a new sunscreen, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot!

KindofStephen

Hi @wormspoor,

Thanks for the question! I’d recommend that SPF and UVAPF are similar. So if a product’s SPF is 30, the UVAPF should be around 30 as well.

Why? This best mimics the reduction in UVA and UVB that shade provides.

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As well this gives you a better idea of how much protection from the entire UV spectrum you’re getting. Imagine you’re using a sunscreen with SPF 50+, but only UVAPF 10. While you’re not sunburning, you’re still exposed to a good amount of UVA energy – this is why people are often confused when they develop a tan despite wearing a very high SPF.

P.S. PPD is just one of the methods used to determine UVAPF, it involves human subjects and compares how much protected vs unprotected skin darkens. Other methods involve measuring transmittance in the UVA wavelength bands.

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