Beauty Alert! Blog » HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS

To Your Good Health Radio

Stacya — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:28:58 +0000

I was recently a guest on To Your Good Health Radio show, talking about bacteria in cosmetics. Below is the podcast; give a listen! I love it that there is a show talking about all these issues, and the interesting thing is that one of the hosts is actually a chiropractor. What an adjustment.

My Niece, Corry

Stacya — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:18:13 +0000

I visited my niece last month, and she is a walking data base for cosmetics. I actually had her help me put together a pitch for an online magazine, and they used her suggestion of MAC wipes for removing eye make-up. I hope to have her as a guest blogger someday soon! The online mag is Type F, and I recommend this kind of beauty site because they actually go to the source to find out what professionals think!

Studies on Mascara Use and Bacteria

Stacya — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:55:33 +0000

MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION ASSOCIATED WITH MASCARA USE
Pack LD, Wickham MG, Enloe RA, Hill DN.
Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry, Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464, USA. packl@nsuok.edu

BACKGROUND: Microbial organisms are normally present on human eyelashes. Application of mascara to lashes has the potential to inoculate the mascara tube with microbes. This pilot study of a real-world situation investigated the microbial contamination of 2 brands of mascara used daily for 3 months.

METHODS: Forty women between the ages of 18 and 39 were randomly assigned to use 1 of 2 brands of nonwaterproof mascara. All mascara tubes were unexpired and purchased on the same day. Subjects were instructed to use the mascara on both the upper and lower lids every day for 3 months. After 3 months, the mascara tubes were collected, cultured, and examined for microbial growth.

RESULTS: Mascara tubes were collected from 33 of 40 (82.5%) subjects who began the study. Microbial growth was found in 36.4% of the subject tubes. Based on growth on selective media, most of the organisms were determined to be Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus species, or fungi. We did not attempt to quantify the numbers of bacteria or fungi present within the tubes.

CONCLUSIONS: Because microbial presence was found in 36.4% of the mascara tubes cultured after 3 months of use, we recommend a maximum 3-month use of a mascara tube used on a daily basis. More frequent replacement may be warranted with further study.

Dr. Diane Chiu, dermatologist

Stacya — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:45:48 +0000

The first time I heard about Beauty Alert! Labels, I thought: “What a simple but brilliant idea…I can’t believe no one’s thought of it earlier!” As a cosmetic and medical dermatologist, I value the importance of what my patients are applying to their face and body. Every day, I advise people about what products are best for their skin, however I never had an effective way to counsel them about getting rid of products that have expired. Numerous scientific studies have shown that cosmetics can grow a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, especially once they are opened. “Organic” or “natural” products that contain fewer preservatives and thus seem “better for the skin” may actually become contaminated even more easily. Eye make-up in particular can be a potentially hazardous source of eye infections. We know that once a tube of mascara has been opened, 36% have microbial growth by 3 months*. Expired or contaminated products used on the skin may lead to skin irritation, rashes, or infections, especially if there are any breaks in the skin, such as with eczema or acne. Without expiration dates on the product packaging, it’s impossible to know when items should be thrown out. The people at Beauty Alert! have done their research and have taken the guesswork out about recommended product replacement times. Beauty Alert! Labels make it easy for me now to offer guidelines to my patients about disposing of potentially contaminated cosmetic products and ensuring their skin health.
Diane Chiu, M.D.
Dermatologist

Mascara and Your Eye Health

Stacya — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:03:04 +0000

Mascara, according to the FDA website, should be tossed between 2 and 4 months. Beauty Alert! says 3 months, because a medical journal* that published test results gives the actual levels of bacteria in a controlled test, and 3 seems to be the number. I have a client who gets a new mascara every month, so feel free to toss it sooner! But don’t hold onto your mascara, you are taking a big chance with your eye health. This is not a marketing strategy. The build up of bacteria in a product that you put near your eye can lead to eye infection.

*Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association, “Microbial contamination associated with mascara use,” October 2008.

Eye and Lip Pencils

Stacya — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:55:14 +0000

Eye and lip pencils must be kept sharp. I keep seeing things online that give a “use by date” for pencils, and the truth is, if you keep them sharp and sharpen them each time you use them, it is a good guideline for keeping them clean and fresh. Also, you can clean your pencil sharpener, too. Some salons will clean and sterilize them for you. As you can see, this lip pencil has been sharpened to almost the bitter end. If you sharpen and use your cosmetic pencils regularly, you will use the make-up faster which is good for the “life” and safety of the product. Store your products in a clean, dry place. The bathroom is NOT the best place to store your cosmetics, lotions, perfumes and potions. Too steamy and warm in there!

Keeping Make-up Fresh For Travel

Stacya — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:15:14 +0000

One of the things I love to do is buy little travel jars and transfer a little bit of my favorite foundation into them. They are 1/2 ounce, plastic jars that you can clean out and re-use, and a handy way to take make-up with you on short trips without taking the whole huge 2 ounce jar. I also transfer (with a disposable tongue depressor) my Bobbie Brown Liquid Eyeliner in Caviar to a smaller jar, to insure that it stays clean with all the “double dipping” that goes on with jars of eyeliner. In Seattle, you can get the little 1/2 ounce or smaller containers at Zenith Supplies, and I think Sephora has them, too. Great size for that ziplock bag at the airport!

Sudden Back Acne

Stacya — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:10:41 +0000

I have been a make-up artist and skin care specialist for over 17 years now, and one of the things that comes up with clients is back acne. There is a type of back acne that almost looks like a rash, and I have been perplexed by what to recommend. I had been recommending using a face wash for acne on the back. I was also confused about what causes this? Allergic reaction? Hair products? A few months ago, one of my friends who had been suffering with this sudden rash that would not go away, called to tell me how she got rid of it. She heard she could wash her back with apple cider vinegar and that it would get rid of the back break out. It worked! So now I will be curious to see if this works for others. I love a simple cure!

Winter Make up shopping

Stacya — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:22:17 +0000

This time of year in Seattle, my skin feels so dry. Even though it rains buckets here, I have had chapped lips since I moved to The Emerald City (why do they call it that? I still don’t know) from California. Today, I went to Whole Foods to shop for our Holiday dinner parties, and there was a woman giving a chat about the new organic skin line from Sweet Beauty. It is made locally, and she gave me a lip balm! It smells like a Tootsie Roll because it has chocolate in it, apparently from Theo Chocolate, also local. I love it that Whole Foods picks up so many local businesses. Maybe they will take a shine to our Beauty Alert! labels. Anyway, I have the chocolate lip balm on now, I was worried that it would have a brown tint, but it is sheer and looks great. It is making me crave sugar…