What is Sea Kelp Bioferment?

Sea Kelp Bioferment is a natural kelp extract that has been derived by fermentation of Sea Kelp using Lactobacillus, the same bacteria that produces yogurt, sour cream and sour dough breads, among many other foods. Sea Kelp Bioferment is a natural kelp extract that is obtained using traditional fermentation technology.

The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of many chemical compounds by freeing them from the food matrix to which they are typically bound. In addition, the principle of fermentation allows for the isolation and concentration of naturally occurring phytochemicals

Fermentation breaks down the cellular tissue of the kelp leaf, thereby increasing the bioavailability of the naturally occurring chemical compounds abundant in kelp. Fermentation and subsequent reduction of the kelp liquor results in the concentration of these vital nutrients. Naturally occurring algin, the mucilaginous intercellular material found in kelp thickens this product to a gel consistency.

How do I use Sea Kelp bioferment?

Sea Kelp Bioferment, a natural film former, acts as an excellent oil-free moisturizer. It can be used full strength on the face and body and used as a gentle styling gel in the hair, adding bounce and shine. It can be used as a base for the addition of many of the cosmetic actives we carry or added to formulations of creams, lotions, toners, shampoos and other personal care products.

Sea Kelp Bioferment can be used as a great nutritive active. Used alone, it’s perfect for people with oily skin as it moisturizes without supplying extra oil. It’s firming, healing, soothing for any skin type. It is also incredibly effective for normal and dry skin, as it is a powerful nutritive moisturizer. It can be added to almost any product – from creams to serums to washes and lotions, it is the perfect active for almost any purpose. Sea Kelp ferment can also be used 100% pure as a serum base, hair conditioner, or shaving gel.

Directions For Use:

Sea Kelp Bioferment can be added to the water phase of cosmetic formulations and heated to 80°C (167°F) without problems. It is heat stable. Sea Kelp ferment can also be used 100% pure as a serum base, conditioner, or shaving gel.

SeaKelp Ferment is available here: http://www.bulkactives.com/seakelpferment.htm

Recent posts on various DIY skin care forums have discussed the issue of the penetration of L-ascorbic acid suspended in a silicone base into the skin.

More precisely, a few posters have started promoting the idea that L-ascorbic acid cannot penetrate into the skin, because silicone forms a barrier on the skin.

I would like to address this issue in more detail.

Background: Stable L-ascorbic acid products for skin care

The DIY skin care community has long struggled with the formulation of a stable L-ascorbic acid skin care product. In fact, professional skin care companies and formulators have also struggled with the same problem.

Some attempts have been made by professionals to develop a stable vitamin C skin care product.  The best example of this is the Skinceuticals C+E+Ferulic product.  This is based on the 2006 study “Ferulic acid stabilizes a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin” by Pinnel and others.

This study claimed that

“Ferulic acid is a potent ubiquitous plant antioxidant. Its incorporation into a topical solution of 15% L-ascorbic acid and 1% tocopherol improved chemical stability of the vitamins (C+E) and doubled photoprotection to solar-simulated irradiation of skin from 4-fold to approximately 8-fold as measured by both erythema and sunburn cell formation.” http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v125/n4/full/5603565a.html

However, consumers have found that skinceuticals C E ferulic product is often orange tinted.  This color usually indicates that the L ascorbic acid has oxidized, thus making it pro-oxidant.  So, even though Ferulic acid may stabilize l ascorbic acid in the lab, in practicality there appear to be some serious issues that have not been addressed.

DIY skin care formulators are able to work around this.  By making a CE Ferulic product at home, it is possible to have a fresh supply every week, thus reducing (but not eliminating) the amount of vitamin C oxidization.

Solution: The Fitzpatrick study

Another study of interest is the 2002 “Double-blind, half-face study comparing topical vitamin C and vehicle for rejuvenation of photodamage” by Fitzpatrick.

Even though this study predates the CE+Ferulic study, it did not start getting discussed on the DIY skin care forums until quite recently.

Fitzpatrick’s method was as follows:

“Ten patients having facial photodamage were recruited for a double-blind pilot study of a newly formulated vitamin C complex having 10% ascorbic acid, a water soluble acid, and 7% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, a lipid soluble analog.

Both of these are combined in an anhydrous polysilicone gel base, which acts as a ‘dermal patch,’ releasing the water soluble acid slowly and the lipid soluble analog rapidly. The active vitamin C complex was applied to one side of the face and the inactive placebo base was applied to the opposite side of the face once a day.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11896774&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_ExternalLink

Now, this is where a very few posters start having some issues.  The base used is an anhydrous silicone gel, and the doubt seems to be in the fact that a very few posters believe that silicone forms a barrier and therefore hinders the absorption of active ingredients.

However, let’s look at the next part of Fitzpatrick’s study:

“Biopsies showed increased Grenz zone collagen, as well as increased staining for mRNA for type I collagen. This formulation of vitamin C results in clinically visible and statistically significant improvement in wrinkling when used topically for 12 weeks. This clinical improvement correlates with biopsy evidence of new collagen formation.”

Now, if silicone prevents the absorption of active ingredients, than there would not have been an increase collagen.

So, this should put to rest the claims that using silicone as a base prevents the absorption of active ingredients.

Flawed study

There is one troubling aspect about the Fitzpatrick study.  The study did not test the use of each key ingredient separately.

The two key ingredients in the anhydrous C product are L-ascorbic acid (which is water soluble), and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (also known as Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate ) which is oil soluble.

So, even though the study shows that the combination the two active ingredients in a silicone base led to an increase of collagen, we do not know if this was caused by the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, the Vitamin C, or the combination of the two.

This brings us back full circle to the original problem! We do not know which active is responsible for the increase in collagen. So it is possible to claim that the L-ascorbic acid is in fact not absorbed by the skin, and that the increase of collagen is cause by the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate.

The blame for this confusion can be put purely with Fitzpatrick. It seems a simple matter to have tested the activity of both l-ascorbic and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate in anhydrous silicone, separately. However, he chose not to do this.

So, we remain with his original statement.

“Both of these are combined in an anhydrous polysilicone gel base, which acts as a ‘dermal patch,’ releasing the water soluble acid slowly and the lipid soluble analog rapidly.”

To me the dermal patch idea makes sense, and I personally put more trust in this than the doubt caused by a very few (but very ‘vocal’) posters on skin care forums.

In the end the choice is yours.

I will continue to use the anhydrous C product as my number one weapon in anti aging skin care.  Why? Because no matter which active did the job, somehow this product has improved my skin and that is ultimately what I want.

http://www.bulkactives.com/siliconegel.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/ascorbicacid.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/ascorbyltetraisopalmitate.htm

It is in this light that the medicinal benefits of milk thistle have been a subject of intense research by scientists. Though its value as a medicine for a host of health conditions, including dermatological, has been known for over 2,000 years, it is only now that science has seriously begun looking at the role played by milk thistle and “Silymarin”, its active compound, in treating skin damage.

In an experiment conducted at Palacky University in Czechoslovakia (1), researchers studied the impact of two components of Silybum marianum (technical name for milk thistle) as both a preventative as well as treatment intervention for skin damage against UVA exposure. Their findings were positive, in that it was discovered that these two components – collectively known as “flavonolignans” – perform a host of functions, such as increasing the viability of keratinocytes in irradiated cells, inhibiting the production of ROS, stopping further depletion of ATP and GSH taking place at intracellular level, and halting the peroxidation of membrane lipids. Further, the activation of caspases-3 process that UVA exposure initiates gets halted and reversed when the two components of Silybum marianum are applied. The overall picture that emerges, therefore, is that Silybum marianum is a good candidate to be considered for inhibiting UV damage.

An interesting experiment conducted on mice at the University of Alabama in Birmingham has been reported in the March-April 2008 issue of Photochem Photobiology journal (2). Two observations from this research are of special relevance to us here. One, it is the CD11b+ cells, which are the major source of oxidative stress in UV-irradiated skin, were inhibited by Silymarin. The flavonoid also suppresses the infiltration of leukocytes that UV exposure had induced. The second important observation is that Silymarin not only halts UV damage, it also acts as a preventive measure. Another researcher has gone one step ahead with the identification of yet another reversal that this chemical performs to UV action: it reduces the volume of H2O2-producing and cytokine interleukin-10 producing cells, both of whose generation is activated by UV (6).

Nearly the same conclusion has been arrived at by researchers working in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado (3). Their research has shown a positive effect of Silibinin on the repair of UVB-induced DNA damage. Another experiment conducted at the Department of Dermatology of the University of Alabama has observed the inhibition affect that the flavonoid has on tumor promoters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, mezerein, benzoyal peroxide and okadaic acid (4).

Topical application of Silibinin prior to, or immediately after, UV irradiation has been found to inhibit thymine dimer positive cell generation that UV induces in the epidermis (5). This research has also shown that terminal sunburn cell formation that is again induced by UV is inhibited too, when Silibinin is applied.

A strong case for Silymarin being a very effective agent in inhibiting and reversing carcinogen and tumor-promoter-induced cancers is made by two independent researches. In both the experiments (7), (8), it has been reported that Silibinin inhibits cancer-causing cells (ERK1/2 activation) and promotes benign cells (JNK1/2, p38), making it an effective cancer-intervention agent for cancer.

A paper published in the journal “Cancer Research” details yet another in-depth investigation carried out on the efficacy of Silymarin as a possible intervention agent against Stage I and Stage II tumors (9). The paper reports that the milk thistle extract has been found to be especially useful in Stage I tumor suppression, and inhibits edema, hyperplasia, proliferation index and oxidant state which take place due to UV irradiation. This same result has been arrived by an independent group of researchers, who used a different chemical to induce skin edema in mice (10).

From the above researches being conducted around the world, it may safely be concluded that Silymarin is proving to be very effective in inhibiting UV-induced skin damage, and the day may not be far when milk thistle becomes one of the major ingredients in sunscreen lotions.

References

Svobodová A, Zdarilová A, Walterová D, and Vostálová J. Flavonolignans from Silybum marianum moderate UVA-induced oxidative damage to HaCaT keratinocytes. J Dermatol Sci. 2007 Dec;48(3):213-24. Epub 2007 Aug 3.

Katiyar SK, Meleth S, and Sharma SD. Silymarin, a flavonoid from milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) inhibits UV-induced oxidative stress through targeting infiltrating CD11b+ cells in mouse skin. Photochem Photobiol. 2008 Mar-Apr;84(2):266-71. Epub 2007 Nov 28.

Singh RP, and Agarwal R. Mechanisms and preclinical efficacy of silibinin in preventing skin cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2005 Sep;41(13):1969-79.

Katiyar SK. Silymarin and skin cancer prevention: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):169-76.

Dhanalakshmi S, Mallikarjuna GU, Singh RP, and Agarwal R. Silibinin prevents ultraviolet radiation-caused skin damages in SKH-1 hairless mice via a decrease in thymine dimer positive cells and an up-regulation of p53-p21/Cip1 in epidermis. Carcinogenesis. 2004 Aug;25(8):1459-65. Epub 2004 Mar 19.

Katiyar SK. Treatment of Silymarin, a plant flavonoid, prevents ultraviolet light-induced immune suppression and oxidative stress in mouse skin. Int J Oncol. 2002 Dec;21(6):1213-22.

Singh RP, Tyagi AK, Zhao J, and Agarwal R. Silymarin inhibits growth and causes regression of established skin tumors in SENCAR mice via modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and induction of apoptosis. Carcinogenesis. 2002 Mar;23(3):499-510.

Jifu Zhao, Moushumi Lahiri-Chatterjee, Yogesh Sharma and Rajesh Agarwal. Inhibitory effect of a flavonoid antioxidant Silymarin on benzoyl peroxide-induced tumor promotion, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in SENCAR mouse skin. Carcinogenesis, Vol. 21, No. 4, 811-816, April 2000.

Lahiri-Chatterjee M, Katiyar SK, Mohan RR, and Agarwal R. A flavonoid antioxidant, Silymarin, affords exceptionally high protection against tumor promotion in the SENCAR mouse skin tumorigenesis model. Cancer Res. 1999 Feb 1;59(3):622-32.

Zhao J, Sharma Y, and Agarwal R. Significant inhibition by the flavonoid antioxidant Silymarin against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-caused modulation of antioxidant and inflammatory enzymes, and cyclo-oxygenase-2 and interleukin-1-alpha expression in SENCAR mouse epidermis: implications in the prevention of Stage I tumor production. Mol Carcinog. 1999 Dec;26(4):321-33.

The simple truth is that, with the issues surrounding some of the chemical UV protection ingredients, you may not always want to lather up. When it comes to those days that you will spend hours out in the sun, the benefits outweigh the risks, and you should protect yourself from the suns damage.

For the days that you won’t be in the sun for long periods of time, though, it is better to use botanical products. Many botanical ingredients provide anti-oxidant protection, have anti-inflammatory properties, and have been shown to be able to repair the suns effects.

The advantage to using botanical sun products is that you aren’t covering your body in harmful chemicals. For the times that you are using the chemical products, a good botanical antioxidant can also provide protection against the damaging effects of the sunscreen itself.

Botanical Sun Care Ingredients

Studies are currently being done into botanical ingredients that provide UV protection. Some of the ingredients that I have listed do provide mild UVB protection, but they aren’t adequate for long term exposure. What you really want when you start to make a sun care product, from botanicals, are ingredients that provide antioxidant protection, and ingredients that help to repair the suns damage.

With that let’s look at some botanical ingredients that work well for sun care. The idea that some ingredients are better than others does hold true here, and I have tried to indicate the best ingredients for the job.

Botanical Antioxidants and Sun Care Ingredients

Conclusion – Protect Yourself

With the last three article we have covered UV damage, and how to protect yourself. You should now have a good knowledge of ingredients that can be harmful, and those that work for you. With this last article you also have a good guide to ingredients to use in your botanical sun care products.  When it comes to sun protection and to DIY skin care, choosing the right ingredients for the job is important to ensuring your skin’s health!

Dimethyl isosorbide ( Arlasolve DMI)

Lamellar maker (Arlatone 2121, Sorbitan Stearate (and) Sucrose Cocoate)

Butylated hydroxytoluene

GelMaker Plus (SepiPlus 400)

Liquid Lecithin (Phosphatidylcholine)

Polysorbate 80

Preservatives

Silicone gel DM

Tetrasodium EDTA

Xanthan Gum

All Packaging:

‘Airless’ pump bottle

Storage container

Allantoin

Alpha Lipoic Acid (Thioctic acid, RS-ALA)

L-ascorbic Acid (Ascorbic Acid, L- , Vitamin C)

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate)

Beta 1-3 Glucan YEAST (70%)

Beta 1-3,1-4 Glucan OAT(90%)

Beta Hydroxy acid (Salicylic Acid)

Bisabolol,Alpha (Natural)

Boswellia serrata

Centella Asiatica

CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10, Ubiquinone)

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate

DMAE Bitartrate

D-Panthenol USP (liquid)

Ellagic Acid

Ferulic Acid (Natural)

GABA

Gamma oryzanol

Ginkgo Biloba

Glucosamine (N-acetyl-D)

Glycyrrhizinic acid

Grape seed proanthocyanidins

Green Tea EGCG (90%) – white

Gynostemma

Hyaluronic Acid (NaH)

ultra low weight Hyaluronic Acid (ULMW NaH)

Idebenone

Jiaogulan

L-carnitine

L(+) Lactic acid

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP)

Niacinamide

Pantothenic acid

Pine Bark Proanthocyanidins (95%)

Pomegranate Extract (Ellagic acid 40%)

Quercetin

Resveratrol (98%) – white

Saw Palmetto

Silymarin

Soy isoflavones

White Willow – bark extract

Wild Yam

In this article we will look at the different types of UV radiation, and how they affect us. In a world where skin cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, understanding the sun is more important than ever.

UVA, UVB, and UVC Rays

To begin our look at the sun’s damaging rays let’s first begin with a look at the different types of UV radiation. When we generalize, without getting extremely scientific, there are three basic types of UV radiation. They can be divided into categories according to wavelength:

• UVC: 100-290nm
• UVB: 290-320nm
• UVA: 320-400nm

The two types of UV rays that have damaging effects on the skin are UVB, and UVA rays. The other type, UVC, is absorbed by the atmosphere and has no damaging effects.

UVB Rays

The most well known type of UV ray is UVB. These rays vary throughout the day, and are at their highest from 10am to 2pm. The summer months tend to be the worst for UVB damage, accounting for 70% of most people’s exposure.

UVB rays are responsible for tanning, sunburns, and in general cause the most immediately visible damage.UVB is generally considered to be the most potent and damaging type of UV light. It directly affects the epidermis (upper layer of skin), and causes damage quickly.

This is what most sunscreens protect against. In fact, that Sun Protection Factor (SPF), which is listed on your commercially bought sunscreen, directly correlates to UVB protection.

UVA Rays

The other type of UV light that causes harm is UVA. There are actually two types of UVA rays: shortwave UVA (also known as UVA II), and long-wave UVA (UVA I). The second type (UVA I) is the one that is most damaging to the skin.

Until recently UVA light was thought to have little effect on the skin. Recent studies have altered that perception.

UVA light is different than UVB in that it has some unique qualities. Firstly, it isn’t more prevalent at any time of the day. Whenever the sun is up, UVA light remains constant. It is also different in that it cannot be filtered by common glass. Window glass and automobile glass cannot stop UVA rays from passing through.

UVA has the ability to penetrate deep within the skin to affect the dermis. Its effects are more long term, and exposure to UVA light can build with time. Most sunscreens do not protect against UVA light, and until recently actually, none of them did.

Understanding the Effects of UVA and UVB Exposure

With a basic understanding of UV light, let’s begin to discuss how sunlight really affects the skin. Exposure to the sun has both short and long term effects, and understanding those dangers is the first step in being able to protect yourself.

Short-term Effects of UV Exposure

UVB light is responsible for most of the shorter term effects of sun damage. These include: sunburn, discoloration, tanning (yes a tan is damage to), and skin hyperplasia, as well as other short term effects. Too much exposure to UVB light leads to a thickening of the outer layer of skin. This is the body’s natural defense but can also cause more damage, since it also causes the epidermis to absorb and scatter more of the UVB light.

The most damaging effects of UVB light come with sunburn. Acute sunburn can lead to even more damage. The most danger occurs when the skin peels.

Peeling occurs when the body kills its cells as a last ditch effort to repair the outer layer of skin, this process is called Apoptosis. The problem is that when this occurs, under certain conditions that come with UV exposure, the body is unable to properly kill the cell. This can lead to a damaged cell that divides and turns into a tumor, and even becomes cancerous.

Some of the other short term effects of exposure to both UVB and UVA light include:

1. A reduction in  collagen production
2. An increase in free radicals which prevent normal cell function
3. Damage to enzymes  that repair DNA
4. Negative effects on your immune system as a whole.
5. Free Radical Production that causes damage to the cells, and also causes serious long term effects.

Long Term Effects of UV Exposure

The long term effects are where things begin to get even scarier. Both UVA and UVB light have long term effects.

One thing that should be noted is that exposure to UVA light builds over time. Unlike UVB exposure where the epidermis is damaged and the body then repairs it, UVA exposure adds upon itself. In other words – 5 minutes today, 1 hour in the sun tomorrow, 3 hours on the beach last Friday, and tomorrows trip to the zoo – all combine and add to the damage that has already been done.

This leads to a few common long term problems. These include free radical damage, photo-aging, and photocarcinogenisis.

Free Radical Production: One of the long term effects of UV exposure is free radical production. Free radicals are chemical particles that have at least one malfunctioning or missing electron. In the skin the most common free radicals are oxygen molecules. These tiny particles have the ability to chip away at a cell, causing it damage. After a cell is damaged the free radicals can further damage DNA and RNA that actually make the cell. Free radicals contribute to both photo-aging, and photocarcinogenesis.

Photo-Aging: UVA light is the type of ray mostly responsible for photo-aging. UVB exposure can add to this by repeatedly damaging the skin, but most UVB light is absorbed by the epidermal layer. UVA gets right under the epidermis.

Photocarcinogenesis: Both UVA and UVB light can cause skin cancer. UVB light does so by causing damage, and promoting free radicals that can alter DNA. Recent studies are beginning to show that UVA light is capable of directly altering DNA through the production of free radicals as well, which can lead to malignant tumors and even cancer.

The simple truth is that a basic understanding of UV light and the damage it can cause is the first step in protecting yourself from the negative effects of the sun.

References

Negishi, K; Higashi, S; Nakamura, T; Otsuka, C; Watanbe , M; Negishi, T. (2007) Oxidative DNA Damage Induced by 364-nm UVA Laser in Yeast Cells. Originally published by the Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society. Accessed online July 16^th 2008 from http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jemsge/28/2/74/_pdf

Brannon, Heather MD. (March 23, 2008). Effects of Sun on the Skin: Cellular Skin Changes Caused by UV Radiation. Article hosted on about.com. Accessed July 16^th, 2008 from http://dermatology.about.com/cs/beauty/a/suneffect.htm

Hugget, J. (June 28, 2005) Less Than Full Protection: Most Sunscreens Do Only Half the Job, Blocking Unsafe UVB Rays But Not Skin-Damaging UVA. Can We Get Better Cover. Washington Post. Accessed July 16^th 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/27/AR2005062701099.html

Eldich, R Dr. and Various other Authors (2004) Photoprotection by Sunscreens with Topical Antioxidants and Systemic Antioxidants to Reduce Sun Exposure.  Journal of Long-Term Effects of Medical Implants. Begal House Inc. Accessed July 16^th 2008 from http://www.pacificcenterplasticsurgery.com/articles/Photoprotection-by-Sunscreens.pdf

Reinheckel, Thomas,  Bohne, Marisela,  Halangk, Walter,  Augustin, Wolfgang,  Gollnick, Harald. Evaluation of UVA-mediated oxidative damage to proteins and lipids in extracorporeal photoimmunotherapy. A Study hosted on findarticles.com Accessed July 16^th 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3931/is_199905/ai_n8838478

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, no author listed. Two Cancer Studies: Tomatoes, Green Tea, and Cancer. Originally published in the P&S Journal: Fall 1997, Vol.17, No.3 Research Reports. Accessed July 16^th 2008 from http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/news/journal/journal-o/archives/jour_v17n03_0009.html

If you’re new to the world of do-it-yourself skin care, then sometimes the terminology that is used can seem quite daunting. Words like cosmeceuticals, skin actives, and active ingredients may seem unfamiliar. Then of course there is learning about the skin care ingredients themselves and trying to learn how they fit and what their benefits can be to you.

Getting familiar with the world of cosmetics and skin care doesn’t have to be difficult. To help you get started we have put together this brief guide to common terms you’ll find. This isn’t a definitive list of terminology. Moreover it will give you a start in understanding articles and recipes that you find for DIY skin care.

Cosmeceuticals, Active Ingredients, and Skin Actives

First let’s take a look at three very common terms in the world of skin care. All three of these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but each one does have a slightly different meaning.

Comeceuticals – The term cosmeceuticals refers to products that have both cosmetic and pharmaceutical benefits (it’s also a combination of those two words). As an example White Willow Bark extract is used for exfoliating (a cosmetic benefit). It also provides sebum control (a pharmaceutical benefit). The term may be applied to a single ingredient or a whole product, and it is often used in cosmetic advertising.

Active Ingredients – The active ingredients in any skin care recipe are those ingredients that actually serve a purpose related to skin care. Most recipes will include several ingredients to make a cream or scrub, and only one or two active ingredients.

Skin Actives – Here’s a term that you will find often in the world of cosmetics and skin care. The term “skin actives” is often used to refer to the active ingredients in many recipes. It is also included in the name of a number of cosmetic products, brands, and used in cosmetic advertising.

Other Important Terms Related to Skin Care Ingredients

There are also other terms you will find often when reading about skin care. If you browse any ingredient on our site, it shows that skin care ingredient’s properties in a list. Here are the quick definitions of some of the most common terms (as they apply to skin care ingredients).

Antioxidant - any substance capable of reducing oxidization and counteracting the damaging effects of oxidization on the skin.

Anti-inflammatory – any substance capable of reducing and/or preventing swelling in the skin

Skin elasticity – Refers to the ability of the skin to pull itself tight. As we age there is a fall in elasticity which often results in the formation of wrinkles.

Capillary health – any substance capable of promoting blood flow and cellular regeneration of the capillaries in the skin

Collagen production – substances that promote the production of collagen (provides strength and resilience to skin cells, thus reducing wrinkles and fine lines)

Emulsifiers – substances that promote the mixing of substances that wouldn’t normally mix together well

Exfoliating - substances that promote the removal of dead skin, thus revealing the healthier layer below.

Skin lightening – substances capable of reducing skin pigmentation

Skin brightening – substances that promotes proper pigmentation and reduces discoloration due to age spots, etc

Wrinkle Tightening – substances that help to increase skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles

Oil control (or sebum control) – Sebum is the oil responsible for blemishes that come with acne. Substances that control the production of oil can reduce acne.

With a brief look at some terminology it is very likely that you’re ready to start making your own skin care products. An easy way to get started is with our skin care recipe list. Each recipe links to the specific ingredients you will need, and provides instructions on how to make your next skin-care creation.

That store bought product likely includes detergents, chemical fragrances, dyes, and other toxic substances.  Your skin absorbs whatever you put on it. Using store-bought skin creams, and cleansers, simply put – can be a bad idea.

Even worse, many skin care product manufacturers work on the idea of label value.  By putting a minimum amount of the active skin care ingredients in their product, they can list it on their label.  The consumer then ends up buying an overpriced beauty product that has absolutely no affect on the skin.

Luckily there is a better way!

By making your own skin care products, also known as DIY skin care, the consumer now has the ability to tailor make a good product at a fair price.

Many people hold onto the idea that the best health products are naturally made. The same is true with skin care; choosing to make your own products is healthier.  It also allows you more freedom in choosing the right ingredients for the job.

There are actually many reasons why homemade products are better than their commercially made alternatives. Firstly you get the freedom to choose what products you put on your skin, and you get to rest assured that you know what you’re using. Most commercial products use long or invented names for common ingredients, or ingredients are included at ‘label value’ (just enough so that they can be listed on the label, but not enough to actually do anything useful). There are also other reasons: it will save you money, and it’s very rewarding to know that the anti-aging cream that you made actually worked!

The main reason that most people choose this route though, is the versatility if gives them. With homemade skin care products you can use recipes that are specifically made to target a certain type of problem.

Anti-Aging DIY Skin Care

One reason people seek out information and recipes for skin care, is for anti-aging products. There are literally thousands of products out there that claim to be wrinkle tightening, or wrinkle relaxing. Very few of them actually work, and the ones that do will likely cost you hundreds of dollars for a small amount.

With homemade skin care, you can choose ingredients like DMA bitartrate, L-ascorbic acid, CoQ10, Idebenone, or Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (among others). All which are clinically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, or have other anti aging qualities. There are also many ingredients that are meant for UV damage protection, or UV damage repair, which can reduce the aging of the skin in the first place.

Anti-Inflammatory DIY Skin Care

The next reason to make your own skin care products is for anti-inflammatory treatments. Store bought products, of this type, often include steroids in their ingredients. Steroids can  have many other adverse effects.

Ginkgo Biloba, Green Tea EGCG, Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins are just a few of the ingredients that you can use to take a holistic approach to anti-inflammatory cream.

Home Made Antioxidants

The term antioxidant is all the rage in health circles lately. As we learn more about oxidization, free radicals, and their effects on our health antioxidants have become an important part of health in general.

When you choose to make your own skin care products you can choose from scientifically proven anti-oxidants such as silymarin, Pine bark Proanthocyanidins, or Pomegranate extract; all of which have many other benefits to your skin.

Anti-Acne DIY Skin Care

Another area where homemade skin care products are better is for acne prevention. Commercially made acne products include very harsh chemicals, such as Benzyl Peroxide, which is a proven carcinogenic substance.

When you choose to make your own skin care products acne you can use ingredients such as salicylic acid, or White Willow Bark. Both of which provide sebum control, and get to acne at its source!

Scar Care

The last area that I will discuss in this article is scar care. Commercially made products for this purpose often include chemicals that aren’t good for your skin at all.

With DIY skin care you can use ingredients like Centella asiatica. This particular substance has been clinically tested for stretch mark reduction, scar care, and has wound healing properties. There are also other natural products that have been tested for the same purpose (with very good results).

The truth of the matter is that along with all of the health benefits, making your own skin care products is rewarding, and it will save you a lot of money. When you’re ready to get started, take a look at our skin care recipes. There you’ll find all the instructions you need to get started with DIY skin care!

After getting a couple of emails about products manufactured in China, I wanted to take the time to write about this hot topic a little bit. In our industry the simple truth is that some of our products can’t be sourced from anywhere else, in fact in every industry there is likely to be an element of Chinese manufacturing involved.

Unlike our biggest competitor who will adamantly avoid this topic , I have long taken the stance that honesty is the best policy.

We do openly state where our products are sourced from, and we have no problem sharing the truth. Each of our ingredient-products comes with a COA (certificate of analysis) that clearly states where the source materials came from, and what percentages of materials make up the finished ingredient product.

Even with that though, let’s take a little time to get to the heart of the matter. Whether you support China as a country or not, the simple fact remains that it isn’t likely that you can live without Chinese-manufactured goods in your home. Even the products that don’t state “Made in China”, very likely do contain Chinese-made ingredients or parts.

China as an Exporter

The first thing that we should note is that China is one of the world’s largest exporters. According to the US-China Business Council (USCBC), in 2007 China exported 1.218 trillion dollars worth of goods to the world[i]. Think about that number for a moment – that’s trillions of dollars!

According to the World Trade organization that number puts China in second place for international exports. They have an 8.8% share of the total export business in the world, and they are now second only to Germany with the US following closely behind as the 3rd largest exporter[ii].

In other words, China has taken its foothold in the world as an exporter, and no matter where you live; there are Chinese-manufactured goods in a store near you.

Food and Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Where things begin to get interesting is when you look at the types of products that China exports. Of course their biggest exports are machinery, power generation equipment, medical equipment, and other completely-manufactured goods. Ranking 8th on the list of exports though is inorganic and organic chemicals.

Let’s look closer at this one area, since the biggest controversy surrounding China’s exports at the moment was due to a case of adding melamine to milk powder and pet foods to increase the apparent protein content in those products.

It should be noted that those responsible for these scandals have been sentenced to death[iii], the Chinese government does not easily accept anything that might damage its image as a reliable source of manufacturing and export.

However, it should also be taken note of that similar types of scandals happen all over the world.

If you want a recent example of problems like this occurring within other countries, see the current Peanut recall in the US [iv]

On Monday February 9th, FBI agents raided The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia. This US company is accused of knowingly shipping salmonella tainted products now linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 US states. The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations launched a probe of the company on January 30. [v]

Getting back to it, when it comes to food and pharmaceuticals, China is the largest manufacturer of chemical ingredients in the world. They produce more ingredient products than any other country in the world.

Even if that drug or food manufacturer is based in the US or in Europe, the ingredients that go into those products very likely came from China. This is especially true when it comes to vitamins that are put into the foods we eat and products we use.

To provide an example, according to a study done by the company Beijing Orientbit Technology Co., Ltd: “every year about 90 per cent of vitamin C used by US pharmaceutical, supplement and drink manufacturers is sourced from China”[vi]

Since vitamin C is a common ingredient in many food and pharmaceutical products, if you eat, or take medicines or supplements, it’s very likely that you’re ingesting Chinese-manufactured products. I could further this example if I wanted to get into vitamins like vitamin: A, E, B2, B5, B12, etc.

The point is that it isn’t very likely that you can go through your day without ingesting something that was manufactured in China. This brings us to the topic I want to discuss, China and the beauty industry.

China and the Beauty Industry

We already know that China is one of the leading manufacturers for chemical and organic ingredients. In our industry specifically, these ingredients make up the larger portion of what is used to make skin care and other beauty-related products.

It isn’t just the ingredients that you purchase to make your own products (those which we sell), it’s the products that go into your favorite skin cream, that makeup you bought last week, and even that shampoo that you use to wash your hair.

Yes, that bottle may state “Made in the USA”, but that label just refers to the manufacturing process, not to the ingredients that went into the product.

The only way to find out where the ingredients came from is to phone the manufacturer and ask them.

In other words, for every item of makeup in your make-up-kit, for every facial cleanser, cream, or body wash you buy, if you want to know where the source ingredients came from you better get on the phone. Here’s the other part:

They aren’t required to tell you where they get the ingredients from!

The Bottom Line

What am I getting at here, what is my point?

Just that avoiding products made in China would be difficult at best, and more likely impossible. Even if you make a point of avoiding every label that states “Made in China”, in the food we eat, the medicines you take, and the products you use it’s very likely that at least some portion of the source material came from China.

As it applies to us at BulkActives, I am going to continue what I normally do. I may not like China’s politics or their political stances. In fact I don’t!

But, trying to not sell ingredients that include at least a portion of Chinese-sourced materials would be near impossible. The products we sell are quality controlled when they are imported by our distributors, and we do include a COA with every product we sell.

Yes, some of our products include Chinese source materials. But then, so do many other products you use and ingest every day. When you take the time to get to the heart of the matter, it becomes apparent that for most of us “Made in China” is impossible to avoid.

Those consumers who still insist that they would “never put anything made in China on their face” ( a direct quote from one email I received), may be interested in reading the following articles:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07315/832952-85.stm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19508453/

In conclusion, If you do not wish to buy from us because our product are from China, then please make sure you get a written and public assurance from our competitors, clarifying exactly in which country their raw materials are grown, processed, and manufactured.

A refusal to supply this info, either via email or on a forum, can only be an indication that your supplier is unwilling to acknowledge that they too are buying and selling “made in China” products.

References:

[i] USCBC’s Website Page: US-China Trade Statistics and China’s World Trade Statistics, no author listed. Accessed January 30, 2009 from www.uschina.org/statistics/tradetable.html

[ii] World Trade Organization, Press Release WTO: developing, transition economies cushion trade slowdown. Accessed January 30, 2009 from , www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres08_e/pr520_e.htm see Appendix Table 4 Merchandise trade: leading exporters and importers, 2007

[iii] BBC News Story, Chinese milk scam duo face death, Accessed January 30, 2009 from news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7843972.stm

[iv] US Food and Drug Administration Recall of Peanut-Containing Products: Salmonella Typhimurium, no author listed. Accessed January 31, 2009 from www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

[v] FBI raids peanut butter plant suspected in outbreak, no author listed. Accessed February 19, 2009 from http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/10/peanut.butter.raid/

[vi] The Free Library, Article: Price of vitamin C fluctuated considerably in 2007, by Ba Yanfeng, Beijing Orientbit Technology Co., Ltd. Accessed on January 31, 2009 from: www.thefreelibrary.com/Price+of+vitamin+C+fluctuated+considerably+in+2007.-a0176371912