Kigelia, Olive Oil...And Squalene

03/03/2011

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If you look through the ingredient list on nearly all our products you are likely to find another ingredient alongside Kigelia - olive oil.

Olive oil has been used as a beauty aid for thousands of years and provides a wealth of benefits when used in skin creams. Unlike seed and grain oils, olive oils are made by mechanical exctraction only. As neither heat nor chemicals are used, all the benefical nutrients and compounds are preserved.

Olive oil is rich in antioxidants, including vitamins A and E, polyphelols, phytosterols and avenasterol. One of the most important derivatives of olive oil that we use is squalene.

Squalene is a botanical lipid that is naturally present in our own skin. It increases during adolescence and peaks at about age 23 and then drops rapidly thereafter. From this point onwards our skin needs replenishment.

Although your own body produces small amounts of squalene most people do not synthesize enough of this vital oil. This can lead to dry and aging skin.

Using squalene in cosmetic products introduces the oil back into the body. As it is such a fine oil, the skin absorbs squalene very deeply and very quickly, leaving no oily film. This deep penetration then assists in the acceleration of new cell growth.

Combined together, Kigelia and olive oil are a powerful and effective anti aging formula.
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The Story Of Cosmetics

02/23/2011

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This doesn't really need an introduction. An excellent and informative little film about todays cosmetics industry, created by the non-profit making Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in the US.

Estee Lauder and Proctor & Gamble don't get off lightly...!

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Read The Small Print Before You Buy Skin Creams

02/02/2011

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It's doubtful you would buy a cream if was packaged like the picture opposite with 'liquid paraffin' written on it.

But liquid paraffin is one of the mainstay ingredients in many of the creams on sale in pharmacies today.

The other two ingredients you are likely to come across are propylene glycol and mineral oil, all of them by-products from the petro-chemical industry.

These chemicals are available in vast quantities...and they are very cheap. No wonder then, that cosmetic manufacturers have been using them for years to provide the lubrication in beauty creams.

However, these cheap chemicals have significant downsides. They clog pores and prevent the skin from 'breathing naturally'.

Add these ingredients to the cocktail of other toxins used to manufacture chemical creams and you can see how easy it is to do your skin far more damage than good.

Remember these two golden rules:

1. Do your own research. Don't rely on marketing hype.
2. Read the label before you buy. If the ingedients are mostly comprised of unpronouncable chemicals, think twice.
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Warning Against Using Aqueous Cream

01/02/2011

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For years people have been advised by doctors to use a cheap emollient cream to soothe their irritated skin. But researchers have now discovered that aqueous cream BP can make the condition worse.

Tests show a detergent contained in the cream thins the skin and actually causes irritation. Although aqueous cream has been prescribed for millions of people from childhood, it is the first time research has been carried out on an ingredient called sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS).

Previously it was thought the ‘stinging’ sensation affecting half of users was due to a preservative or antiseptic in the cream.

Aqueous cream BP is a popular paraffin-based generic emulsion, with dozens of different types available. It provides a layer of oil on the surface of the skin to prevent water evaporating from the skin surface.

It's been a mainstay for people with dry, chapped skin and eczema sufferers for generations, originally as a washing aid in place of soap which can worsen skin irritation. In recent years patients have often been advised to use aqueous cream as a leave-on emollient to soothe their skin.

The basic wax contains the emulsifying chemical and detergent sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). But close examination of scientific evidence reveals SLS increases water loss from the skin - and it is often used as an skin irritant in studies.

Many eczema sufferers give up using aqueous cream because they find it so irritating - a study in children showed 56 per cent experienced a 'stinging' sensation when they used it. Children said it caused more discomfort than any other product - and the latest research suggests SLS is the reason why.

In a study by Bath University researchers, aqueous cream reduced the thickness of healthy skin in volunteers by more than 10 per cent in just four weeks and water loss was increased. Professor Richard Guy, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Bath, said the remedy was likely to aggravate the dry, itchy rashes that plague eczema sufferers.

He said: ‘The skin has a protective barrier layer of lipids, around one eighth the thickness of a sheet of paper, that stops chemicals from getting into the body and keeps moisture in. ‘SLS is a detergent used to mix oils into water-based moisturisation creams to give a nice creamy texture. It’s also used widely in shower gels and other  cosmetics.

'Our study has found that rubbing aqueous cream containing SLS into the skin thins this protective barrier, making the skin more susceptible to irritation by chemicals. So to use this cream on eczemous skin, which is already thin and vulnerable to irritation, is likely to make the condition even worse.’

The study was published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Aqueous cream is the most widely prescribed moisturiser for dry skin conditions. The principal ingredients are liquid paraffin, white soft paraffin and purified water.

Other ingredients may vary, but some have irritant effects including the  preservative chlorocresol and the antimicrobial phenoxyethanol.

Margaret Cox, of the National Eczema Society, said the charity did not  recommend aqueous cream as a moisturiser.

* this article was originally published in the Daily Mail, a national UK newspaper
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How Do I Choose An Anti Aging Skin Cream?

12/01/2010

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Buying anti aging skin cream can be confusing and perplexing for many people.

The explosion in the number of brands and ‘cure-all’ ingredients, backed by complex scientific ‘facts’ that most of us don’t understand, tends to keep us guessing and hoping that we can find the most suitable product.

There is no sure-fire way of guaranteeing that you are choosing the right product but there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that you stand the best chance of finding something that works for you.

Don’t believe the hype – find out for yourself

Strip away the packaging, the claims and the advertising copy and what you are left with are just the ingredients. It sounds obvious but a skin care product will only ever be as good as the quality and the effectiveness as the ingredients that are used in its manufacture.

Many manufacturer’s creams and gels will enthuse about the restorative powers of their wonder ingredients. These laboratory derived formulas are then given official sounding scientific names to lend an air of credibility to them.

But it's just marketing.

It’s down to you to check out these claims and make sure that they stand up to scrutiny. If an ingredient really can make a difference then you should be able to find information on the web to support this, ideally from neutral or academic sources.

Look for independent articles that can back up the claims that are being made by the seller to understand how effective the product might be.

Check the Ingredients List

Many creams are manufactured using cheap, mass-market chemicals that could actually do more harm to your skin than good. A good example is the recent press alert about the detergent content in Aqueous Cream and how it can actually aggravate skin conditions such as eczema, rather than alleviate them.

Using Natural Products

Natural products may be more appealing but you will still want to understand why they are being recommended. Do they have a long history of use in skin care or is this just the latest fad for an ingredient that sounds like it could be more effective than it actually is?

Ultimately, it is down to trial and error in finding the product that works for you. But by spending a small amount of time on your home computer, you can quickly find some of the facts you need to understand whether the ingredients in your chosen product are likely to have the desired effect.
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    Welcome!

    At the Kigelia Blog we discuss what's going on  in natural skin care and anti aging products.
     
    We also take an informed look at how big cosmetic companies push chemicals in their products and how the industry is responding to the growing demand for a more natural approach.

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Kigelia...nature's answer to anti aging skin care