“Drink more water to hydrate your skin”. You’ve probably heard it, and it’s easy to see why this is common advice – it’s cheap, sounds right, and feels healthy…but is it true?
Researchers at the University of Berlin took a look at studies published in peer-reviewed journals that examined an increase in water intake and measurements of skin hydration. On Pubmed and Web of Science they found 216 records. Many of those were duplicates, unrelated, or didn’t have enough data. From those 23 were selected, many were dropped due to a high risk of bias…leaving them with 6.
With these 6 studies, of which 5 were experimental, the mean age of the samples ranged from 24 to 56. So if you’re much younger or older than that – these conclusions may not apply to you.
The experiments showed a slight, but statistically significant, increase in stratum corneum hydration when people drank an extra 1 to 2 litres of water a day. The increase was more significant if people were consuming low amounts of water previous to the experiment.
There was no difference in measurements of trans-epidermal water (TEWL) loss in any of the studies. TEWL is often used as an analogue of the skin’s barrier permeability and is a measurement of the amount of water evaporating from the skin. A decrease in TEWL is usually seen as a decrease in permeability.
Other studies looked at skin smoothness, skin roughness, and skin elasticity. While some of the studies showed slight positive effects when consuming mineral water, other similar studies showed no effect.
A couple papers looked at the effect of consuming water on the skin’s pH. In one experiment they found men had a slight decrease in skin pH when consuming 100 mL of water. And the other experiment found a decrease in skin pH when consuming 2.25 L of tap water, but not mineral water.
The researchers point out that measurement devices using electrical capacitance to measure stratum corneum hydration can be affected by dermal hydration. So the readings might be off. As well they point out that the “logical” thought of increased dermal hydration creating greater stratum corneum hydration isn’t necessarily correct. Hydration of the stratum corneum is more dependent on natural moisturizing factors, intercellular lipids, and the structure of the composing corneocytes.
Like most studies of this nature, their conclusion is “maybe” and “requires further research”. The researchers thought it’s possible that increased water intake could be increasing “deep” skin hydration, but unfortunately, the experiment reporting those results didn’t explain how that was measured – so it’s not strong evidence. As well, different types of water were used; each region’s tap water will be different, as will each source of mineral water.
I do want to touch quickly on hyponatremia – also known as “water poisoning”. When too much water (especially deionized) is consumed very quickly – electrolyte levels can drop drastically which can lead to fluid moving into cells causing damage to the body. While everyone is different, the amounts needed to cause hyponatremia are quite large – one paper reported on soldiers who had died from hyponatremia found that the amount consumed was 10-20 litres in a few hours and was combined with exertive exercise.
My thoughts? Adding a litre or two of extra water a day isn’t going to transform your skin – but it probably isn’t a harmful habit either if the intake is spread out throughout the day.
Akdeniz M, Tomova-Simitchieva T,
Dobos G, Blume-Peytavi U, Kottner J. Does dietary fluid intake
affect skin hydration in healthy humans? A systematic
literature review. Skin Res Technol. 2018;00:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/srt.12454
This is probably one of the most common questions I get, and to be honest it’s also one of the hardest to answer. There’s no “secret” to getting a job in the cosmetic industry, it’s the same as any job hunt.
Do you have the relevant experience, both work and education?
Are you approaching companies?
Does the interviewer (or hiring algorithm) like you?
And that’s really it. There’s no shortcut to skip producing resume after resume and endless interviews to get your foot in the door. In reality the only shortcut is nepotism – but not everyone is that privileged.
There are some things you can do to make sure that you actually want to work in this industry, and to find the right job for yourself.
What do you want to do?
The first thing I ask when someone asks me a question like “I want a job in the cosmetic industry” is what sort of job? And often times there really isn’t a clear response, just “any job in the industry”. As a potential employer that’s not an enticing approach.
The cosmetic industry is an industry like any other, there are many roles and positions across hundreds of companies. There’s a need for people trained in IT, there’s a need for MBAs, there’s a need for programmers, there’s a need for people with sales skills, and of course there is a need for people with scientific training.
A good place to start is to actually take a look at the recruitment positions that a large established company is offering. Estee Lauder and L’Oreal, for example, list their ‘fields’ very clearly and what the ideal candidate for each position looks like.
If you’re still in university or high school – plan your education stream to match your goal. A cosmetic chemist does not need the skills from a psychology degree, but a physical chemistry, food chemistry, or chemical engineering degree is going to be very useful and attractive. There are even cosmetic chemistry programs – though they are more common in Europe. On the other hand a person looking to work in global brand strategy likely won’t benefit much from a chemistry degree – an MBA is much more desirable in that case.
A resource that’s often overlooked by university or college students is their institution’s career center or guidance counselors. Each school offers different programs and courses, and these advisors will be best equipped to help you choose programs or courses that align with your career interests. Often universities and colleges also have programs that help connect you with graduates who are working in an industry of interest.
Who do you want to work for?
The cosmetic industry extends beyond brands, far beyond them. I think most people look at companies like Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, Neutrogena, and LVMH and stop there. But there’s an entire group of companies that produce products for these companies – raw materials, logistics, IT, and so on.
Estee Lauder doesn’t make their own packaging, they use a contract manufacturer to create them. And that company employs their own product managers, sales people, product designers, and so forth. These companies are harder to find, because they don’t advertise to the public – they advertise their services to other companies.
Often cosmetic companies aren’t their only client. Most chemical companies for example produce products for many industries. Just one company produces products for textiles, mining, coolants, oil refining, agriculture, flame retardants, construction, pigments, hydraulics, and finally the cosmetic industry. As you can imagine the profits from the cosmetic industry are overshadowed by the other industries.
So how do you find these companies that aren’t public-facing? You need to be creative here! One strategy might be to find a convention for that industry and look through the list of attending companies – scour their websites and highlight companies that seem interesting to you…and then contact them.
Build a network of people in the industry, be kind, be patient, and be thankful. Just because a person you contact can’t offer you a job doesn’t mean that that’s the end of your relationship. That person may recommend you when another company or friend in the industry needs to hire someone.
Make it easy for people to help you. Give them all the information they will need to help you. Your goals, what you imagine your job would be like, your experience – all the things that you might think are relevant. Most importantly make it clear how they can help you – have a succinct and clear ask.
There’s a big difference between “I want a job like yours, how?” and “I’ve just graduated with a degree in physical chemistry with a focus on emulsions. Here are some papers that I’ve worked on that I think are relevant. I’d like a job where I help scale up lab test formulas to production quantities. Is your company offering any roles that I might suit? And if not, do you have any ideas for companies or people that I may want to contact or would be able to help me?”
Make it easy for people to help you, I can’t stress this point enough. I got my start in the industry through a business plan competition in my second year of university, and I met my business partner at a water fountain at a gym. Often times we close ourselves off to help without realizing. Dropping your ego and sense of entitlement is often the solution to this problem.
Don’t be afraid to take a position that isn’t your ideal, but gets your foot in the industry. Intracompany networking is a powerful tool, and it’s much easier to hire someone if you’re already friendly or familiar with them. Having a job doesn’t mean your hunt for your ideal job is over.
Your blog or social media probably won’t help
Unless you’re looking for a position like managing social media, or copywriting – your social media presence probably won’t help you find a job in the industry.
It really doesn’t matter to a company who is looking for a cosmetic chemist whether or not they have a “scientific” blog or not. Applying for the job shows interest. In reality, from chemists that I’ve spoken to, a personal blog is often a detriment – not a positive.
Companies hope to control their own message, they do not want their employees producing content and messaging on their own. They have their own department or employ a company to manage their public messaging. The cosmetic chemist has a specific set of roles – and social media is outside of them.
You need to be realistic about where you spend your efforts. Two years developing a blog or social media presence isn’t going to help you become a cosmetic chemist as much as spending two years in a professional training program, interning, or working in an adjacent industry or lab.
I personally don’t think being enthusiastic or passionate about your job or industry is as valued as it used to be. A person with better skills or education is often more attractive than someone with less skills or experience who is enthusiastic. Companies know that if they raise the offered salary – they’ll attract better talent, who will work just as hard or consistently. An employee whose work ethic is closely tied to their enthusiasm or passion for a project they like can sometimes become a liability. You will not like every aspect of your job, do not let that disillusionment shatter you or stall you.
Companies are looking for employees, not friends. Strong opinions may indicate to a company that you may find it difficult to perform tasks set out for you that you disagree with or don’t think are the best approach. Doesn’t almost every employee think they’re smarter than their boss? Don’t many of us think we’re already more knowledgeable than the Sephora sales people? But at the end of the day, those Sephora sales people have been educated on a company’s material and are doing their job how they’ve been trained to.
A gathering of people in the cosmetic industry doesn’t look like Capitol citizens from the Hunger Games. We just look tired.
You may have read a few articles recently saying that the blackheads on your nose are more properly called sebaceous filaments. But as it turns out ‘sebaceous filaments’ isn’t really a standard or common term, at least in the research and medical world.
A quick Google search from 1960 to 2010 reveals that the term came into popular use beginning in the late 2000s, mostly on acne and bodybuilding message boards.
In many textbooks microcomedone, impactions, follicular casts, follicular filaments or just the contents of the infundibulum (the pore opening above the sebaceous gland) are also used to describe them.
If you do a Google Scholar search for the term “Sebaceous Filament” you only get about 15 hits, a University of Toronto literature search only returns 7.
This may be why articles from Teen Vogue and Allure have a hard time differentiating between a blackhead and a sebaceous filament. There’s arguably only one paper defining the term, the rest just use it as a descriptor.
The original German paper outlines some morphological differences and makes an argument that they are different from microcomedones and richostasis spinulosa (a condition which leads to the development of fine, dark hairs in the pore).
How are blackheads and sebaceous filaments the same?
“Sebaceous filaments are most commonly found in the centrofacial areas and the alae nasae in postpuberal individuals with large facial pores and seborrhea.”
These are also common areas for microcomedones which may turn into blackheads (more properly called open comedones).
“Sebaceous filaments are cylindrical tubes of whitish-yellowish color, which can be expressed from areas of the face rich in sebaceous follicles by pinching the skin or by the cyanoacrylat-technique.”
The cylindrical tubes are composed of bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells, and often also contain a fine hair. Blackheads or open comedones are also composed of bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells, and also often contain a fine hair.
How do blackheads and sebaceous filaments differ?
Sebaceous filaments are considered a normal feature of the skin, whereas a blackhead or open comedone is non-inflammatory acne.
Generally, blackheads or open comedones are going to be a larger buildup of sebum and dead skin cells. Blackheads or open comedones frequently distend or swell the shape of the pore. Blackheads or open comedones have an oxidized cap of melanin and lipids, giving them their dark or black appearance. Sebaceous filaments don’t always have a dark cap like blackheads, but they’re often the ones a person consider an issue, as the lighter ones can blend into the skin.
The two also seem to differ in ways that aren’t readily apparent to the human eye.
“Follicles containing sebaceous filaments have a conspicuous granular layer and no acanthosis.”
Acanthosis is a thickening of the layers of skin, and the granular layer is the stratum granulosum – the third layer of skin.
The German researchers also noted that in comparison to sebaceous filaments, microcomedones had smaller sebaceous glands as well as more skin cells in areas of the hair follicle.
Another author notes that the key difference between a sebaceous filament and a blackhead is that the skin cells become “sticky” in a blackhead and agglomerate into a plug.
So what’s the takeaway?
The two are probably best imagined as being on a continuum rather than two separate categories.
Both are mostly caused by the continuous production of sebum and skin cells. Sebaceous filaments are considered a normal build-up in the pores and can lead to blackheads or open comedones.
For someone with dark sebaceous filaments on their nose or chin, knowing that it’s normal or calling them blackheads or sebaceous filaments doesn’t really matter. The goal is to reduce their appearance.
I don’t bother “correcting” people when they describe blackheads on their nose. At the end of the day, as long as both parties understand what is being talked about – it’s fine!
What’s the best way to reduce blackheads or sebaceous filaments?
Both sebaceous filaments and blackheads or open comedones can reform after a certain period of time. The German researchers suggested it was 30 days for sebaceous filaments, but anecdotal evidence suggests it may be much sooner for some people. In the case of blackheads or open comedones, if the obstruction is removed the blackhead should not reform – at least to its previous size.
Consistent removal of the debris from the upper area of a pore will reduce the appearance of both a sebaceous filament and a blackhead.
This can be done through gentle manual exfoliation, chemical exfoliation with acids like glycolic or salicylic, or retinoids (anecdotally from dermatologists I’ve spoken to tazarotene is the most effective). The main thing to keep in mind is that sebum and skin cell production is constant, so consistency is crucial to reduce their appearance. The key is to find a product that you can use frequently enough to reduce their appearance, but doesn’t cause irritation. A very strong acid may reduce or completely eliminate your blackheads or sebaceous filaments, but you may not be able to use the product again before they return.
I’ve personally found that certain surfactants are more effective than others. The two that have given me the best results are disodium laureth sulfosuccinate and decyl glucoside. These tend to perform better at removing lipids from the skin, but are less irritating than sodium lauryl sulfate.
What about nose strips, peel masks, or pore vacuums?
These tools can help remove both blackheads and sebaceous filaments by adhering to the upper layer and then pulling them out of the skin.
There’s some concern that consistent use of nose strips or peeling masks can lead to larger pores and skin damage like vein formation.
But just because there’s no evidence doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Perhaps it just hasn’t been studied – on the other hand, perhaps it was studied and there was no result…so the researchers decided not to publish. There is research on tape stripping, which is a method of removing skin layer by layer with tape. After 5 tape strippings there was a very modest increase in water evaporation through the skin which is usually used as a measure of skin barrier function. More apparent and drastic effects took between 20-30 tape strippings. So it seems one use of a nose strip or peeling mask infrequently isn’t likely to cause much of an issue.
If nose strips or peel masks work really well for you, I’d recommend you keep their use to no-more than once a week, and to make sure your skin is in its best condition before using. So I would not recommend using them if you’ve recently introduced an exfoliant or are using retinoids on the skin. Right after desperately scrubbing your skin to reduce blackheads or sebaceous filaments is not a good time to use a pore strip or peel mask.
Pore vacuums are also coming back into popularity, but it’s important to keep in mind that these don’t actually vacuum up blackheads or sebaceous filaments. What they do is apply negative pressure on the skin, and this suction pressure and the additional pressure from sliding it against the sides of the device compresses the pore, expressing its contents. It’s very similar to squeezing your skin.
If you’re not convinced you can watch this Youtube video of water in a vacuum chamber. The water doesn’t get sucked up by the vacuum when it’s turned on.
So blackheads, microcomedones, impactions, sebaceous filaments, follicular filaments, follicular casts – whatever you want to call them…they’re arguably natural features of the skin, and if you’d like to reduce their appearance the treatment options are the same.
Where? Sebacia, Inc. in Aalborg, Denmark and Geneva, Switzerland
What? The researchers want to see how well Sebacia Microparticles reduce acne. Sebacia Microparticles are gold plated silica microparticles, they are designed to penetrate the skin and lodge in areas like the sebaceous gland. A laser is then placed on the skin and the laser is selectively absorbed by the Sebacia Microparticles and converted to heat. This heat is thought to reduce the activity of the sebaceous gland
How? Participants will be evaluated every 12 weeks for 36 weeks. It’s unclear how many times the Sebacia Microparticle and laser treatment will be performed
Who? You must not have tattoos in the area with acne, you can not be pregnant. You must be eligible to receive laser treatments, or not had a laser or intense pulsed light treatment recently
Contact Mariann Wittendorff at +45 98 12 52 59 in Denmark and Silvia Ferrari at 4122 807 2777 or silvia@skinpulse.ch in Switzerland
Where? Foamix Ltd. in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, United States
What? FMX-101 is a foam that contains 4% of the antibiotic minocycline
How? Participants will use the FMX-101 foam or a placebo for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks participants can decide to use the FMX-101 foam for an additional 40 weeks
Who? You must have moderate to severe acne, and no more than 2 nodules. You must be willing to only use the supplied cleanser (Cetaphil) and no other acne medications or treatments
Where? UCLA in Los Angeles, California, United States
What? The researchers want to see the effects of concurrent use of Isotretinoin and Omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Isotretinoin is an acne drug most commonly known as Accutane.
How? Participants who are taking Isotretinoin will be provided with an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement or placebo, the participants will take the supplements twice a day for 24 weeks
Who? You must be at least 18 and beginning Isotretinoin medication soon, you can not have taken Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the past, or dyslipidemia, blood thinners, or high blood pressure medication
Where? Dermira, Inc. in Alabama, Florida, Nevada, Texas, United States
What? Olumacostat Glasaretil is a novel, small molecule in development for the treatment of acne vulgaris that is designed to target sebum production, following topical application
How? Participants will apply the Olumacostat Glasareti gel or a placebo for 12 weeks
Who? You must have moderate to severe acne, but not nodular acne. You must not use other acne medications for at least 2 weeks, and must not have participated in another acne experiment recently. You must not have used birth control for the previous 4 months. You must not have used Isotretinoin (Accutane) in the past year
How? Participants will receive one round of injections in their scarring of either the ELAPRoo2 filler or a saline placebo. They will then return for assessment after 2 weeks and other times for 24 weeks.
Who? You must have scarring of at least 2 cm atrophic or sunken acne scarring on both sides of the face. You must not have active acne, be pregnant, or participated in a previous clinical trial in the previous month
Everyone makes mistakes. I certainly do, and I think they’re actually an incredibly useful learning experience. For example, I recently misinterpreted the conclusions of an experiment – which was then pointed out to me. Because of this discussion, I became aware of a gap in my understanding of sunscreens and now believe I have a better understanding of the issue.
As a community I think we want to know what the best ingredients, what the best products, and what the best ways to use them are. In order to move towards that goal – we need to be able to confront our mistakes as learning opportunities, not as personal attacks to our ego or ignore them.
Some wonder if a specific group of peptides – copper peptides (also known as copper gluconate) – are finally the anti-aging answer everyone’s been looking for.
Copper gluconate is not a copper peptide. It’s a relatively small error, but I’m seeing this article sourced and this error has spread. It’d be like if Anthony Bourdain misspoke and said rosé was a type of bourbon…and then a lot of people bought rosé and called themselves Bourbon Lovers. While rosé and bourbon may both be delicious, they are distinct, separate things. One is a wine made from grapes and the other is spirit made from grains.
Most recently it showed up in an article on Popsugar about copper peptides, I was quoted in this article and reached out to its author and let her know about the error and it has since been corrected.
Copper peptides combine the element copper with three amino acids.
There’s a minor error in this as well, and it’s to do with the number of amino acids. A copper peptide is simply a peptide with a strong affinity for copper. There are copper peptides with four amino acids, for example.
As it’s most basic definition, a peptide must contain at least one nitrogen atom. Peptides are made up of amino acids, and amino acids contain an amine group – which is based around a nitrogen.
If we look at copper gluconate, we’ll see that it’s made up of copper associated with gluconic acid. Copper does not contain nitrogen, and neither does gluconic acid.
The chemical formula copper gluconate is C12H22CuO14. This means there are 12 carbons, 22 hydrogens, 1 copper, and 14 oxygens. No nitrogen.
If we look at a copper peptide, GHK-Cu, we’ll see that it’s chemical formula is C14H22CuN6O4. This means it has 14 carbons, 22 hydrogens, 1 copper, 6 nitrogens, and 4 oxygens.
Now just the presence of nitrogens in GHK-Cu doesn’t make it a peptide, but we know for it in order to be a peptide it has to have at least one nitrogen. Hence, copper gluconate can’t be a copper peptide.
Each member of The Research Team is personally trained by Paula to honestly and scientifically analyze thousands of product formulations. The team is dedicated to helping you find the absolute best products for your skin.
…
Every one of the 20 books I’ve written on cosmetics, including the current edition of my book Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, fulfills my commitment to help women understand when product claims are lying or telling the truth.
This ethos was and has been an inspiration to me, from when I was younger and suffering from acne and seeking out her advice, to when I began researching and working within the cosmetic industry.
I do believe it’s a genuine mistake, but it does have repercussions. Some people have been misinformed, and at its worst may have spent money on a product that they would not have purchased otherwise.
Corrections: An error was made in the description of the chemical formula of Copper Gluconate, thanks to Tracey S for pointing this out.
If you follow my Instagram you’ll know that I’ve been on a bit of a sunscreen bender. I’ve been trying to find a replacement for the Ombrelle Complete Kids SPF 50+. While I like that it has the modern UVA sunscreen filter Mexoryl SX, its cheap price and local availability…the texture leaves me wanting. It is thick, has a slight white-cast, becomes very shiny throughout the day because of its high glycerin content.
I was recently sampled a bottle of the Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF 60 and loved the invisible finish as well as its Mexoryl SX and XL content. I ended up gifting it though, because its high price meant it would not be a product I’d likely to repurchase. I found myself rationing it and probably not using enough to get the protection on the label.
I wanted to see if there were other sunscreens in La Roche Posay’s Anthelios line that had a similar finish but was more affordable. Oddly though, the Canadian La Roche Posay website doesn’t list the ingredients for their sunscreens! So, I headed to my local Shopper’s Drug Mart and took some photos. I’ve transcribed the ingredients here for your reference as well 🙂
The Anthelios XL Melt-In Cream SPF 45 in 100 mL size is not on the Canadian La Roche Posay website, but was available in the Shopper Drug Mart when I visited. The photo I have here is old, the packaging has been updated to match the Anthelios XL Melt-In Cream SPF 60. I’m not sure if this means it is being discontinued or not.
I’ll be posting a review of the products that I tried shortly, as I’m still in the process of testing one (The Anthelios Mineral Tinted Anti-Aging Primer SPF 50 for the curious!)
Mexoryl SX and XL are two patented sunscreens that are only used in the L’Oreal family of brands which includes La Roche Posay and Garnier Ombrelle. They are similar to Tinosorb S and M, but not the same. They tend to offer better UVA protection, as well as greater photostability, and less skin penetration.
Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF 50 For Body, 125 mL
