SKINCARE
Alpha hydroxy acids
Ampoules & serums
Anatomy of the skin
Botox
Chemical peels
Cleansing basics
Cosmetic Surgery
Masks
Moisturisers
Non-surgical facelift
Skin analysis
Skin disorders
Treatment creams
Wrinkle fillers

BODYCARE
Aromatherapy
Massage
Reflexology

OPTIMAL HEALTH
Amino acids
Anti-oxidants
Homeocysteine
High protein diets
Know your fats
Nutrition
Tissue salts
Vitamins & minerals
RDA vs ODI

GENERAL
About me
Articles of interest
Effects of the sun
Fact or fallacy
FAQ's
Newsletter
Products & Prices
To take or not to take
In my humble opinion

INGREDIENT MYTHS

MYTH 1 - MINERAL OIL IS UNSAFE AND COMEDOGENIC

Mineral oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) is a widely used ingredient in many cosmetic products today. It is obtained from petroleum by refinement and is available in many different grades; from low-purity industrial grades, right through to very high purity cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades. There is a common belief that mineral oil is unsafe and blocks the pores in the skin but neither of these perceptions is true! In fact, mineral oil as a cosmetic ingredient has one of the best safety records in the world and it is for this reason that it is widely used as the base for most baby oils. Mineral oil does not exhibit a high propensity to block the pores of the skin; on the contrary it has a relative low comedogenic rating of only 2 when applied undiluted to the skin. The belief that mineral oil causes cancers is also a myth. Some low-purity industrial grades do contain cancer-causing polycyclic hydracarbons (PCH's) but the grades used in cosmetic products are highly refined, with every trace of these impurities having been removed. This requirement is enforced by legislation in most parts of the world, and specifically so in the EU and South Africa.

MYTH 2 - PARABENS ARE DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE CANCER

Parabens refers to a group of materials which have been widely used as preservatives in cosmetic products for over 50 years, with an excellent record of safety. Concerns about the safety of parabens arouse out of the publication of an article by a medical doctor in the UK in 2004, in which a link was claimed between the use of parabens and the occurrence of breast cancer.
In reality, careful examination of the article published in the medical journal reveals it to be scientifically flawed and the conclusions drawn, linking parabens to breast cancer, erroneous. This observation was endorsed by the CTPA in addition to many independent experts, including oncologists, stating that parabens are perfectly safe for use in cosmetic products.
Scientifically, parabens have one of the safest track records of all cosmetic preservatives and the fact that they are fully hydrolysed by enzymes in the skin means that parabens cannot be systemically absorbed. Ironically, the removal of parabens from a cosmetic product, in the absence of other preservatives, results in a potentially dangerous situation in which the cosmetic could easily become contaminated by bacteria and moulds, which would then be potentially harmful to human health.