Body
January 29, 2010
Posted by copley
The health risks of Botox are hard to underplay but easy to overlook. Few people realize that this widely popular wrinkle smoother is one of the world’s deadliest poisons, and that a drop smaller than a grain of sand is potent enough to kill a 150-pound adult. Two years ago, there were reported deaths among American children who had been treated with Botox for muscle spasms linked to cerebral palsy. Last year, the U.S. FDA required Allergan to put a “black-box” warning on the label of Botox, explaining that the material has the potential to spread from the injection site to other parts of the body…such as the brain. Now there appears to be a new reason to fear Botox, and it’s probably the last thing you’d expect to touch the realm of beauty: terrorism. Read more...
January 22, 2010
Posted by copley
Last week, the Organic Consumers Association and a select group of organic personal care brands filed an official complaint with the USDA against manufacturers that have been falsely promoting beauty and grooming products as “organic.” The legal basis of their complaint is that these operations are in violation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and the National Organic Program. In advertising, labeling, and marketing products as organic when in fact they are not, these cosmetics manufacturers have been given the final slap on the wrist for hoodwinking reasonable consumers.
The band of certified organic brands along with the Organic Consumers Association are requesting a federal investigation into the ambiguous labeling practices of thirteen mainstream so-called organic brands. At the same time, a new lawsuit has been filed in federal court, taking aim at companies in violation of the false advertising clause of the Lanham Act. Could this be the dawning of a new era when organic consumers are no longer ripped off? Read more...
January 20, 2010
Posted by copley
Have you ever wondered what you would look like post-plastic surgery? Do you think about the shape of your nose or the fullness of your lips constantly? Do you own an iPhone or iPod Touch? If the answer to these questions is – YES! – then you might be in luck, because Board-certified, Miami-based plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer, has just released his much-anticipated app, iSurgeon. According to Dr. Salzhauer’s people, iSurgeon is “the most advanced beauty makeover app available in the iTunes App store,” combining personal image modification with high-tech gaming functionality. Beauty and gaming together at long last? Say it ain’t so. Read more...
December 8, 2009
Posted by copley
When a justifiably irate reader commented on my review of DoshaCare Sakala sunscreen that its ingredients hardly qualify as Ayurvedic, I had to reconsider the meaning of this often-used, seldom-explicated holistic term. Does an Ayurvedic beauty regime owe itself to a nebulous borrowing of ancient practices? Do modern cosmetics laying claim to Ayurvedic features imply a shared understanding of health and balance? Or does a product with an Ayurvedic stamp only have to incorporate a couple of key time-honored ingredients?
Let’s start with the basics. Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old natural healing system that originated within the Vedic culture of India. Traditional Chinese, Tibetan, and early Greek medicine all have roots in many of the concepts described in the classical Ayurvedic texts. Though based on ancient eastern traditions, it is today considered one of the leading forms of holistic medicine available in the west. Ayurveda translates literally to “the science of life,” conveying a purpose much greater than the treatment of illness. Read more...
November 25, 2009
Posted by copley
Better known as a starchy side dish than a skincare ingredient, potatoes are a turkey’s most loyal posse on the Thanksgiving table. But do they also warrant a place in your cosmetics? Potatoes are stuffed with benefits to help you achieve clearer and younger-looking skin. Its abundant vitamins and minerals (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B, and vitamin C among them) can be just as nourishing for your skin as your body. Should you be telling your skin to eat its veggies too?
Believe it or not, your skin may already be consuming potatoes behind your back. A couple of popular ingredients in skincare products are derived from the humble potato. Maltodextrin, a polysaccharide extracted from potatoes (as well as rice and corn), binds to other compounds and helps stabilize cosmetic formulas. But its uses don’t stop there. In 2002, Unilever filed a patent submitting that maltodextrin enhances the anti-aging activity of hydroxy acids and reduces skin irritation associated with weak carboxylic acids. Read more...
