Recently B group vitamins have become the hero ingredient in many skincare ranges many of which claim to be natural, organic and fully plant based.⠀
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There are eight different types of vitamin B:
B1, Thiamine ⠀
B2, Riboflavin⠀
B3, Niacin / Nicotinic acid⠀
B5, Pantothenic Acid⠀
B6, Pyridoxine⠀
B7, Biotin⠀
B9, Folic Acid⠀
B12, Cyanocobalamin⠀
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The B group vitamins are extremely important to our skin health and need to be replenished on a regular basis as this vitamin is water soluble, hence the body does not hold onto it.⠀
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So, in theory, putting B group vitamins into a skincare product is a great idea and I would totally agree but unfortunately it isn’t that easy. In actual fact this can’t be done unless synthetic versions are used (see my last post on how B group vitamins are synthetically produced).⠀
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There are claims that some of the B group vitamins come from plant sources but from my research I have never been able to find any evidence of this. B group vitamins are animal derived with the highest sources being from beef, pork and fish.⠀
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The other issue with B group vitamins is that they are all highly unstable and putting them into a formulated product that is either acidic or alkaline will break them down rapidly thus giving no benefit to the product.⠀
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So if you want vitamin B that isn’t produced synthetically eating a balance diet with the inclusion of beef, pork or fish is best.
Myth busting
The naturally derived myth
Many brands in the natural/organic area of the cosmetic industry use the term “naturally derived” to describe many of the ingredients used in their products. They do this so they can deceive the consumer into thinking their brand is 100% natural and/or organic when it’s not.
In actual fact, “naturally derived” means some ingredients derived from nature have been used to artificially create a product that is delivered in an unnatural form.
In other words, there is no natural source of a naturally derived ingredient – they are not natural, they are artificially created by humans. As an example, there is no natural source of emulsifiers, preservatives or synthetic vitamins.
The big problem with these ingredients is that our genes are not designed or adapted to require these products thus reject them causing inflammation and problems in the skin and within our body.
When you see a product that has ingredients described as “naturally derived”, think about the fact that it will contain synthetics which your skin and body will not like.
The truth about micellar water
Here is the truth about micellar water that nobody ever tells you.
To understand what micellar water is we firstly need to understand the word micelle.
Micelles are oil molecules that arrange themselves in a spherical form in aqueous (water) solutions with the addition of a synthetic emulsifier/surfactant. This type of product is not natural and is completely synthetic. A shampoo is a good example of a true micelle product.
Presently there are 2 types of micellar waters on the market. Both are marketed as natural and clean but are neither. In other words, they have been “green washed”.
1. The first type is sold by companies that push that they are organic, natural, clean and green. This type of micellar water contains synthetic surfactants and are basically relabelled foaming cleanser.
2. The second type is sold by the multi-national brands who use petrol-chemical derived glycols (Hexylene/Ethylene/Propylene) which are able to remove oil based makeup but are soluble in water. Glycols were created for industrial purposes and have found their way into cosmetics.
Car coolant is produced from glycols, do you really want to be putting that on your face?
Can hyaluronic acid be natural?
Our body naturally synthesises hyaluronic acid (HA) but half the amount of HA that our body produces naturally is used up daily and its production decreases with age.
Industrial manufacturing of HA is based on two main processes, the extraction from animal tissues and microbial fermentation using bacterial strains. Both technologies produce polydisperse high molecular weight HA.
Synthetic hyaluronic acid was first created for use in dermo fillers to mimic the action of natural HA. The HA in injectable dermo-fillers is not the same as that which is produced by the body. In fact, the HA molecule is too big to penetrate the skin, unless it is injected. The HA used in skincare products can therefore only sit on top of the skin and has no chance of being absorbed.
The other issue is when HA is formulated into a cosmetic product containing water. The water in the product is attracted to the HA which deactivates it, so when the product is purchased and applied it may not contain any HA at all.
With prolonged use, synthetic HA is also known to induce reactions such as rashes and redness.
Counterintuitively, the water-binding properties of synthetic HA used in skincare can cause the skin to become more dehydrated, as it pulls up the moisture from the deepest layers of your skin.
New biotechnology companies claim to synthesise a new type of HA: Botanical Hyaluronic Acid. These companies claim that the smaller molecular structure allows it to penetrate the skin and mimic the action of natural HA without the need for injections.
After further researching this, I found this form of HA is produced from genetically modified (GMO) Bacillus subtilis and structurally is not the same as HA produced in the body.
Nature ALWAYS knows best, and whatever we do or say will neve replicate its power.
Natural tanning products
Recently I was asked why I believe getting sun on your skin is better for you than taking vitamin D supplements. The answer is simple. The body converts the sunlight it receives into the vitamin D it requires which is a naturally occurring reaction that has been happening for centuries.
Taking oral vitamin D, I believe has no effect, thus we are now seeing the rise of vitamin D deficiency due to sun protection products. Don’t get me wrong, overexposure to the sun can cause serious health problems and we should strive for a happy medium.
This conversation led on to self-tanning products and the claims they are natural, naturally derived or completely organic.
In my opinion, to make these claims, the product needs to contain all natural and or organic materials only. From my knowledge of this market, none of the brands I know are truly natural or organic. They all contain synthetically produced ingredients labelled “naturally derived” and surprisingly, the active ingredient in these types of product, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), is completely synthetic and does not appear in nature.
DHA is created in a chemical reaction by the oxidation of glycerol with hydrogen peroxide and a metal salt as a catalyst. It can also be synthetically produced from glycerol using cationic palladium-based catalysts with oxygen, air or benzoquinone acting as co-oxidant.
Essentially, not a plant material in sight. Natural and organic? DEFINITELY not.
On further investigation of DHA, I was shocked to find several clinical assessments stating “that there is no clear, safe use of DHA-containing sunless tanning products. The chemical reactions that occur during the Maillard reaction caused by DHA in sunless tanning products may cause DNA damage. This DNA damage seen with the use of DHA in sunless tanning products can cause diseases in the human body. Increasing evidence suggests that DHA contained in sunless tanning products causes changes in pigmented lesions”.
I have one thing to say to summarise the above- transparency, please!