Thoraiya DyerWrinkle Cream For Dummies: Putting Food On Your Face
April 23rd 2008 00:23
Why is it that when we see tumbling nectarines and slices of kiwi fruit on our television screens, we associate it with skin care and not with pavlova? There seems to be a lot of advertising dollars expended on forming strong associations, in the minds of consumers, between beauty products and smooth, ripe, colourful fruits with cold springwater beaded on their flawless skins.
I don’t know about you, but walking past a shelf full of Palmolive Naturals shampoo – “with 100% natural Fruit Vitamins and Aloe extracts, nourishes each strand inside and out, leaving hair feeling healthy and tangle-free” – makes me feel hungry instead of aching to be cleansed.
And why shouldn’t I feel hungry? There’s a picture of an orange and an apple. The word “nourished”, care of dictionary.com, means “To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed.”
But I’ve already established that hair is dead, and therefore requires no feeding.
What about the skin, then? The skin’s alive, isn’t it? Could the skin benefit from some food slopped onto its exterior?
I’m keen to find out. Let’s start with a name we can trust (or, at least, someone we’ve been lulled into accepting by their sponsorship of the Australian Open): Garnier.
They have a name (like L’Oreal, Lumiere, Estee Lauder and Clinique) that sounds French. And we all know that the French can stop us getting wrinkly!
(???)
Anyway, their Firming Night Cream “is enriched with Ginger and Essence of Cherries and is designed to help fight against the signs of ageing by revitalising the skin during the night”.
Mmm, this research is making me hungry. I keep ginger in the cupboard for my stir fries. Cherries, meanwhile, are the Christmas food from heaven. Should I get them out and start rubbing them frantically on my hands?
We find on Medline, provided by the US National Library of Medicine, that when it comes to ginger,
“There is supportive evidence from one randomized controlled trial and an open-label study that ginger reduces the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced nausea/emesis. … Ginger's effects on other types of nausea/emesis, such as postoperative nausea or motion sickness remain indeterminate.
Ginger is used orally, topically, and intramuscularly for a wide array of other conditions, without scientific evidence of benefit.”
So much for ginger. How about (mmmm, yummmmyyy) cherries?
Cherry essence doesn’t appear on Medline (surprise, surprise). It’s listed in a Google search as an ingredient in everything from soothing masks to tearless puppy shampoo (hee hee), but nowhere in any scientific journals.
“Nature’s Approved Cold-Pressed Natural Cherry Essence Oil” may give us a hint of why Garnier can make assurances that the stuff helps fight the signs of ageing.
At their online shop, they provide the following product description:
“Nature‘s Approved™ Cold Pressed, Natural Cherry Essence Oil is made from cold pressing the kernels in the pits of cherries. This is a sexy oil: it has a delightful aroma and slightly sweet taste with a strong hint of cherry. Its fatty acid profile makes it excellent for lotions and creams as well as for salad dressings and medium heat sautéing. Very healthy with eight percent (8%) Omega three, 30-45% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated and 10-14 % saturated.”
Ignoring the “sexy oil” claim (it looks really good in speedos?), let’s focus on the Omega-3. Now that’s a fatty acid I’ve heard of before.
Garnier advertises Omega-3 in another of their products:
“Skin Naturals Nutritionist combines Omega3 6 and magnesium… Omega 3 6, which is derived from rosehip oil, reinforces the skin’s natural barrier and helps protect the skin against environmental aggressors. Magnesium, a potent source of energy found in kiwi fruit, helps stimulate the skin.”
Of course, I’ve only ever EATEN omega 3 and 6 before. Tip Top adds them to my bread, in fact. Essential fatty acids cannot be manufactured by the body, it’s true, and they are necessary for skin and hair growth, but where does it say that external use is beneficial?
The University of Maryland Medical Centre mentions fish oil supplements as skin protection:
“In one clinical study, 13 people with a particular sensitivity to the sun known as photo dermatitis showed significantly less sensitivity to UV rays after taking fish oil supplements.
Still, research indicates that topical sunscreens are much better at protecting the skin from damaging effects of the sun than omega-3 fatty acids.”
I can find no scientific data which relates to smearing omega-3 on your skin. Looks like the makers of these products (and Garnier is far from alone on this!) decided that with the health benefits of consumed Omega-3 established in people’s minds, it couldn’t hurt to wave the fatty acid flag around (even if it’s completely USELESS unless you eat it!)
And what about magnesium? Last time I saw this shiny metal, I was burning little strips of it in my year 8 chemistry class to make a brilliant white flame and measure how much magnesium oxide was produced.
Notice how Garnier goes to great lengths to make sure we associate it with happy fruit instead of building construction?
It’s not “magnesium, the silvery, light-weight metal, obtained by the electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride from sea water and forming the major component of mag wheels on hotted-up cars.”
No, no no!
It’s “Magnesium, a potent source of energy found in Kiwi fruit.”
There they go with the fruit, again!
And, sorry, but magnesium is not “a potent source of energy”. Close, but no cigar. Keeton and Gould’s fourth edition of “Biological Science” lists the uses of the essential macronutrient, Magnesium (that’s right, you do die without it), as being:
“Cofactor for many enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, nucleic acid synthesis, and the coupling of ATP with reactants.”
What that means is, in order for the body to break down carbohydrates, store the energy that it produces, and make new DNA, it needs magnesium as a cofactor – or a kind of necessary tool to get the job done.
The magnesium itself is not the energy source. Besides, if you were deficient in it, you would probably notice the associated muscle spasms.
In case of hypomagnesemic muscle spasms, likelihood of a paramedic slathering you with emergency doses of Skin Naturals Nutritionist:
ZERO!
Well, on to the next product.
Re-density, which is aimed at the 50 market, is, “formulated with fig milk and soya nutripeptides to intensively nourish, plump up and improve the appearance of mature skin. “
Fig milk! I am intrigued.
Fig being yet another fruit, it does not tend to lactate. I learned lots about figs in Morton’s 1987 paper, “Fig” ( Really Long Link ).
Maybe Garnier means the fig tree sap?
“The fig is a tree of small dimensions... It contains copious milky latex.”
Or maybe figs boiled in milk?
“In Latin America, figs are much employed as folk remedies…figs boiled in milk are repeatedly packed against swollen gums.”
Although, swollen gum relief is not exactly the same as anti-ageing.
Or, could they mean this?
“The latex …is collected at its peak of activity in early morning, dried and powdered for use in coagulating milk to make cheese and junket.”
Fig milk seems to be an imaginary, made-up substance, but if Cleopatra had access to Garnier products, she probably would have tried to bathe in it. Such is the power of advertising.
I could go on and on about the use of food and its dubious alleged benefits in cosmetics. Biogold, Really Long Link , raves about its amazing “active” (and I use the term reluctantly) natural ingredients, “herbal extracts of grape, hazel and angelica.”
Herbal extracts of grape… isn’t that called wine?
Their Lotus and Jade Toner, on the other hand, contains, “rare jade powder, ginseng, lotus and peony extracts. The Lotus & Jade Facial Toner maintains the skin's water balance, accelerating skin metabolism and nutrient absorption, leaving smooth and delicate skin.”
What I love about that one is the adaptation of Chinese herbal tea ingredients instead of fresh fruit. Need I point out that it’s unproven rubbish? Is there anything that does work when applied topically – besides sunscreen? Is there any silver lining to this stupid, misleading cloud?
Well, yes, actually.
Vitamins A, B, C, E and K have all been shown to be topically effective, as has topical copper, zinc, alpha-lipoic acid, DMAE and hyaluronic acid.
In the following paragraphs, lifted from WebMD article, “Nutrients for Healthy Skin: Inside and Out,” several official sources are cited:
“In research presented at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Duke University researcher Sheldon Pinnell and colleagues demonstrated that "appreciable photoprotection can be obtained from topical vitamins C and E."
"Topical Vitamin C can prevent the consequences of prolonged sun exposure which can lead to skin cancer," says Karen E. Burke, MD.”
(Please note: “The trick here is to use a formulation containing the L-ascorbic acid form of vitamin C, the only one that can penetrate skin layers and do the job.”)
“Topical vitamin A … makes a real difference in your skin. Medical studies show a reduction in lines and wrinkles, good acne control, and some psoriasis relief, all from using creams containing this nutrient.”
“In one study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2003, a topical form of vitamin B was shown to dramatically improve aging in human skin.”
“In a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, doctors from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that the topical application of a gel containing a derivative of vitamin K, as well as vitamins A, C, and E, was effective in reducing dark under-eye circles while also decreasing wrinkles.”
“…topical applications of copper-rich creams …have been found to firm the skin and help restore some elasticity, according to four studies presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in 2002.”
Horay!
Despite all that, the article concludes that drinking plenty of water, avoiding harsh cleansers, wearing sunscreen and EATING a balanced diet are really all you need, with a multivitamin thrown in if you’re really worried.
Yes, if you take the word “nutrition” to mean “food you put in your mouth” instead of “food you whack on your face”, you’ll find that slowing the appearance of wrinkles really can be accomplished, not in the bathroom, but in the kitchen.
Monash University in Melbourne published in the 2001 Journal of the American College of Nutrition the correlations they found between less wrinkling and eating the following foods: Olive oil and olives, fish (especially fatty fish, such as sardines), reduced fat milk and milk products such as yoghurt, eggs, nuts and legumes (especially lima and broad beans), vegetables (especially leafy greens, spinach, eggplant, asparagus, celery, onions, leeks and garlic), wholegrain cereals, fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries, apples and jams), tea, water and foods containing zinc (including seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts).
If you want to try putting all those things on your face, let me know how that works out for you.
Me, I’m just going to eat them.
I don’t know about you, but walking past a shelf full of Palmolive Naturals shampoo – “with 100% natural Fruit Vitamins and Aloe extracts, nourishes each strand inside and out, leaving hair feeling healthy and tangle-free” – makes me feel hungry instead of aching to be cleansed.
And why shouldn’t I feel hungry? There’s a picture of an orange and an apple. The word “nourished”, care of dictionary.com, means “To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed.”
But I’ve already established that hair is dead, and therefore requires no feeding.
What about the skin, then? The skin’s alive, isn’t it? Could the skin benefit from some food slopped onto its exterior?
I’m keen to find out. Let’s start with a name we can trust (or, at least, someone we’ve been lulled into accepting by their sponsorship of the Australian Open): Garnier.
They have a name (like L’Oreal, Lumiere, Estee Lauder and Clinique) that sounds French. And we all know that the French can stop us getting wrinkly!
(???)
Anyway, their Firming Night Cream “is enriched with Ginger and Essence of Cherries and is designed to help fight against the signs of ageing by revitalising the skin during the night”.
Mmm, this research is making me hungry. I keep ginger in the cupboard for my stir fries. Cherries, meanwhile, are the Christmas food from heaven. Should I get them out and start rubbing them frantically on my hands?
We find on Medline, provided by the US National Library of Medicine, that when it comes to ginger,
“There is supportive evidence from one randomized controlled trial and an open-label study that ginger reduces the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced nausea/emesis. … Ginger's effects on other types of nausea/emesis, such as postoperative nausea or motion sickness remain indeterminate.
Ginger is used orally, topically, and intramuscularly for a wide array of other conditions, without scientific evidence of benefit.”
So much for ginger. How about (mmmm, yummmmyyy) cherries?
Cherry essence doesn’t appear on Medline (surprise, surprise). It’s listed in a Google search as an ingredient in everything from soothing masks to tearless puppy shampoo (hee hee), but nowhere in any scientific journals.
“Nature’s Approved Cold-Pressed Natural Cherry Essence Oil” may give us a hint of why Garnier can make assurances that the stuff helps fight the signs of ageing.
At their online shop, they provide the following product description:
“Nature‘s Approved™ Cold Pressed, Natural Cherry Essence Oil is made from cold pressing the kernels in the pits of cherries. This is a sexy oil: it has a delightful aroma and slightly sweet taste with a strong hint of cherry. Its fatty acid profile makes it excellent for lotions and creams as well as for salad dressings and medium heat sautéing. Very healthy with eight percent (8%) Omega three, 30-45% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated and 10-14 % saturated.”
Ignoring the “sexy oil” claim (it looks really good in speedos?), let’s focus on the Omega-3. Now that’s a fatty acid I’ve heard of before.
Garnier advertises Omega-3 in another of their products:
“Skin Naturals Nutritionist combines Omega3 6 and magnesium… Omega 3 6, which is derived from rosehip oil, reinforces the skin’s natural barrier and helps protect the skin against environmental aggressors. Magnesium, a potent source of energy found in kiwi fruit, helps stimulate the skin.”
Of course, I’ve only ever EATEN omega 3 and 6 before. Tip Top adds them to my bread, in fact. Essential fatty acids cannot be manufactured by the body, it’s true, and they are necessary for skin and hair growth, but where does it say that external use is beneficial?
The University of Maryland Medical Centre mentions fish oil supplements as skin protection:
“In one clinical study, 13 people with a particular sensitivity to the sun known as photo dermatitis showed significantly less sensitivity to UV rays after taking fish oil supplements.
Still, research indicates that topical sunscreens are much better at protecting the skin from damaging effects of the sun than omega-3 fatty acids.”
I can find no scientific data which relates to smearing omega-3 on your skin. Looks like the makers of these products (and Garnier is far from alone on this!) decided that with the health benefits of consumed Omega-3 established in people’s minds, it couldn’t hurt to wave the fatty acid flag around (even if it’s completely USELESS unless you eat it!)
And what about magnesium? Last time I saw this shiny metal, I was burning little strips of it in my year 8 chemistry class to make a brilliant white flame and measure how much magnesium oxide was produced.
Notice how Garnier goes to great lengths to make sure we associate it with happy fruit instead of building construction?
It’s not “magnesium, the silvery, light-weight metal, obtained by the electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride from sea water and forming the major component of mag wheels on hotted-up cars.”
No, no no!
It’s “Magnesium, a potent source of energy found in Kiwi fruit.”
There they go with the fruit, again!
And, sorry, but magnesium is not “a potent source of energy”. Close, but no cigar. Keeton and Gould’s fourth edition of “Biological Science” lists the uses of the essential macronutrient, Magnesium (that’s right, you do die without it), as being:
“Cofactor for many enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, nucleic acid synthesis, and the coupling of ATP with reactants.”
What that means is, in order for the body to break down carbohydrates, store the energy that it produces, and make new DNA, it needs magnesium as a cofactor – or a kind of necessary tool to get the job done.
The magnesium itself is not the energy source. Besides, if you were deficient in it, you would probably notice the associated muscle spasms.
In case of hypomagnesemic muscle spasms, likelihood of a paramedic slathering you with emergency doses of Skin Naturals Nutritionist:
ZERO!
Well, on to the next product.
Re-density, which is aimed at the 50 market, is, “formulated with fig milk and soya nutripeptides to intensively nourish, plump up and improve the appearance of mature skin. “
Fig milk! I am intrigued.
Fig being yet another fruit, it does not tend to lactate. I learned lots about figs in Morton’s 1987 paper, “Fig” ( Really Long Link ).
Maybe Garnier means the fig tree sap?
“The fig is a tree of small dimensions... It contains copious milky latex.”
Or maybe figs boiled in milk?
“In Latin America, figs are much employed as folk remedies…figs boiled in milk are repeatedly packed against swollen gums.”
Although, swollen gum relief is not exactly the same as anti-ageing.
Or, could they mean this?
“The latex …is collected at its peak of activity in early morning, dried and powdered for use in coagulating milk to make cheese and junket.”
Fig milk seems to be an imaginary, made-up substance, but if Cleopatra had access to Garnier products, she probably would have tried to bathe in it. Such is the power of advertising.
I could go on and on about the use of food and its dubious alleged benefits in cosmetics. Biogold, Really Long Link , raves about its amazing “active” (and I use the term reluctantly) natural ingredients, “herbal extracts of grape, hazel and angelica.”
Herbal extracts of grape… isn’t that called wine?
Their Lotus and Jade Toner, on the other hand, contains, “rare jade powder, ginseng, lotus and peony extracts. The Lotus & Jade Facial Toner maintains the skin's water balance, accelerating skin metabolism and nutrient absorption, leaving smooth and delicate skin.”
What I love about that one is the adaptation of Chinese herbal tea ingredients instead of fresh fruit. Need I point out that it’s unproven rubbish? Is there anything that does work when applied topically – besides sunscreen? Is there any silver lining to this stupid, misleading cloud?
Well, yes, actually.
Vitamins A, B, C, E and K have all been shown to be topically effective, as has topical copper, zinc, alpha-lipoic acid, DMAE and hyaluronic acid.
In the following paragraphs, lifted from WebMD article, “Nutrients for Healthy Skin: Inside and Out,” several official sources are cited:
“In research presented at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Duke University researcher Sheldon Pinnell and colleagues demonstrated that "appreciable photoprotection can be obtained from topical vitamins C and E."
"Topical Vitamin C can prevent the consequences of prolonged sun exposure which can lead to skin cancer," says Karen E. Burke, MD.”
(Please note: “The trick here is to use a formulation containing the L-ascorbic acid form of vitamin C, the only one that can penetrate skin layers and do the job.”)
“Topical vitamin A … makes a real difference in your skin. Medical studies show a reduction in lines and wrinkles, good acne control, and some psoriasis relief, all from using creams containing this nutrient.”
“In one study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2003, a topical form of vitamin B was shown to dramatically improve aging in human skin.”
“In a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, doctors from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that the topical application of a gel containing a derivative of vitamin K, as well as vitamins A, C, and E, was effective in reducing dark under-eye circles while also decreasing wrinkles.”
“…topical applications of copper-rich creams …have been found to firm the skin and help restore some elasticity, according to four studies presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in 2002.”
Horay!
Despite all that, the article concludes that drinking plenty of water, avoiding harsh cleansers, wearing sunscreen and EATING a balanced diet are really all you need, with a multivitamin thrown in if you’re really worried.
Yes, if you take the word “nutrition” to mean “food you put in your mouth” instead of “food you whack on your face”, you’ll find that slowing the appearance of wrinkles really can be accomplished, not in the bathroom, but in the kitchen.
Monash University in Melbourne published in the 2001 Journal of the American College of Nutrition the correlations they found between less wrinkling and eating the following foods: Olive oil and olives, fish (especially fatty fish, such as sardines), reduced fat milk and milk products such as yoghurt, eggs, nuts and legumes (especially lima and broad beans), vegetables (especially leafy greens, spinach, eggplant, asparagus, celery, onions, leeks and garlic), wholegrain cereals, fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries, apples and jams), tea, water and foods containing zinc (including seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts).
If you want to try putting all those things on your face, let me know how that works out for you.
Me, I’m just going to eat them.
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