/oss/taxonomy/term/2269/all en /oss/article/health-you-asked/are-forever-chemicals-cosmetics-dangerous <p>Many cosmetics come with promises to make us look “forever young.” But there are some suggestions that many contain “forever” chemicals that may actually interfere with our efforts to prevent aging. In this case, “forever” refers to the environmental persistence of the polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) found in a number of cosmetics that come with some toxicological baggage.</p> Sat, 19 Jun 2021 00:03:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8765 at /oss /oss/article/history/bloody-mess <p>Take some corn syrup, water, flour, red food dye and blue food dye. Blend these ingredients together in the right ratio and you’ll have a great batch of fake blood! It won’t be of any good for transfusions, but when it comes to movies, it makes for a very effective substitute for the real thing. By no means is this the only recipe that is used. Over the years special effects experts have developed numerous variants but the most common base is some sort of syrup composed of a combination of simple carbohydrates.</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:17:50 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8754 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/dimethicone-copolyol-mascara <p>On hot, humid summer days many women rely on waterproof mascara to keep their lashes soft and smooth.  The main chemical responsible for smoothing the lashes is a type of silicone polymer known as dimethicone copolyol . This chemical adheres firmly to the lashes and repels water. In rare cases waterproof mascara can cause acne, skin irritation and eyelid dermatitis. Dimethicone copolyol is also added to deodorants to make the product spread more smoothly and is included in shampoos to add body and shine to hair.</p> Mon, 22 May 2017 15:31:55 +0000 OSS 2468 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-cosmetics-news-quackery-technology/making-it <p>Several people have sent me this video of a Harvard student "inventing" a 3-D printer that cranks out cosmetics at home. She starts out by telling us that the cosmetics industry, a $55 billion annual business, is bulls--t. Well there is a lot of BS in that industry, selling hype and hope for lots of bucks. That's true. But there is a lot of interesting and important chemistry there as well when it comes to the formulation of the various products.</p> Fri, 09 May 2014 03:34:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2141 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-health-toxicity-you-asked/you-asked-should-we-be-concerned-about-parabens-cosmetics <p>Not if you look at the numbers. Many cosmetics now advertise "no parabens," as they cater to chemical paranoia. Parabens are very effective preservatives and prevent bacterial growth in creams and lotions. The reason that they have made news is that they have estrogenic activity. But the fact is that this activity by comparison to the body's natural estrogen is essentially insignificant, some 10,000 times less. Based on studies carried out with animals, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) has been determined to be about 800 mgs per kg of body mass.</p> Fri, 28 Aug 2015 14:30:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2281 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/there-lead-my-lipstick <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4872"><img alt="Red lipstick" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/04/Lipstick-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Had a question about lead in lipstick. You won't see lead listed on the label but doesn’t mean that there is no lead in the product. Certainly there is no lead added on purpose, but the presence of trace amounts is very difficult to avoid. That’s because lead compounds are widely present in minerals and ores from which a number of chemicals used as ingredients in cosmetics are produced. Certain colorants used in lipstick do contain tiny amounts of lead because it is virtually impossible to eliminate all contaminants. Amounts, however, are carefully regulated. In the U.S., all colorants used in cosmetics, unlike other ingredients, require FDA approval and cannot contain lead over a certain amount. For example, in the case of FD&C Red #6, commonly used in cosmetics, lead content cannot exceed 20 parts per million. The final cosmetic product of course will have a much lower level. In Canada, we follow the FDA’s lead.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/04/15/is-there-lead-in-my-lipstick/">Read more</a></p> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:59:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1911 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/no-more-dirty-looks-gets-dirty-look <p>Siobahn O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt are two very pleasant ladies who came to see me when they were doing research for their recently published book, No More Dirty Looks. I was a little apprehensive about speaking with them, because frankly, I knew they shouldn’t be writing such a book. Not only did they have no knowledge of the science of cosmetics, they had no knowledge of science at all. It seems, though, that these days having expertise in a subject is not a requirement for writing about it.</p> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:20:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1630 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/lipstick-behind-scenes-look <p>Lipsticks, (the waxy kind that come in the traditional tube), contain a variety of natural waxes, such as beeswax, carnauba wax, ozokerite, ceresin, or microcrystalline wax, which is derived from petroleum. These waxes are softened with mineral or vegetable oils, or with petroleum jelly. And in order to get the colour spread evenly over the lips and remain there for more than 30 minutes, film formers are added. Colourants and preservatives too. And because there is such a high concentration of waxes and oils, antioxidants are frequently added as well.</p> Tue, 21 Feb 2017 04:42:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1504 at /oss