Posts Tagged ‘cosmetics’

BEHIND BEAUTY: ETHICAL QUESTIONS IN BEAUTY & COSMETICS

Last night, in desperate need of an electric pink lipstick, I dashed into the mall to grab one. There were a couple colours to choose from and  when I finally flagged down the lone sales associate, the first (and only) selling feature? “This one has the PETA Bunny on it.” When did our priorities change? No comment about the stunning colour, or glossiness, or lasting time. Instead, the focus was immediately placed on the “ethical” nature of the product.

While I find this to be a reassuring shift, I’m also a little saddened.  It’s 2013, “Cruelty-Free” should be a standard. While I don’t have a flying car in my driveway, shouldn’t I at least have an ethical lipstick? Recently, the EU passed legislation banning the sale of any product tested on animals. Expanding on laws that made it illegal to test products on animals within the EU, they will soon refuse all products tested on animals.

Animal testing is the most well publicized ethical dilemma in the beauty and cosmetics industry. However, there are lots of questions that educated consumers are starting to ask. The “Dirty Dozen”, a group of ingredients pointed out by David Suzuki to be harmful, are on a lot of women’s “avoid” lists. In fact, with the average person using 10 to 20 personal car products a day, it’s important to understand exactly what your using. In fact, most skin care companies have voluntarily removed the parabens from their formulations due to the public distrust. By choosing companies and brands that offer ethical alternatives, we have inspired ethical behavior.

Naturally, looking at the scary list of what all of these  chemical ingredients might do tends to cause consumers to gravitate towards natural or organic products. There are some fantastic brands in these categories that work very hard to ensure they provide results as well as that warm fuzzy feeling. We love Eminence, Jane Iredale, Decleor, GM Collin, Phytomer and several others!

Retailers are constantly monitoring their inventory. Keeping track of which products sell, and which don’t. They use this information to determine which products to stock more of and which brands to stop carrying. As we actively choose ethically responsible brands, stores start stocking more choices. At Spa Boutique, we have responded by providing a natural section as well as ensuring all our products meet our ethical standards.

Does this mean conventional products are bad? No. In fact, most of the active, effective ingredients come from years of laboratory research. For optimal results, clients still gravitate towards premium products with retinol, peptides, and stem cells. However, companies are becoming increasingly aware of how their business practices are perceived by consumers.  Companies like Guinot do their best to ensure “the active ingredients used in our formulations are chosen so as to respect the environment”.

Another big ethical question is cosmetic or elective surgeries and medical treatments, such as Botox. Images from a South Korean beauty pageant recently surfaced online. All of the contestants looked strangely similar. Initially the high rates of elective surgery in Seoul were blamed for giving the women a “cloned” appearance. However, there is now talk that the overall “clone” effect is due more to Photoshop than surgery.

However, The best way to handle these ethical questions is to ask them of yourself:

Do I want a Product Tested on Animals?
Do I prefer a product that is non-natural but free of certain ingredients?
Do I prefer a Product that is Natural/Organic?
Where do I want my products manufactured? In Canada, France, or Overseas?
Are there any symbols, such as the Recycling Circle, PETA Bunny, or Sustainability Leaves on the box?

Once you choose to make ethical skincare and cosmetics a priority, you’ll be surprised to discover how many of your favourite brands already meet your standards!

 

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

BEHIND BEAUTY: Is Beauty An Obsession Or All About DNA?

Have you ever wondered why we, the modern era, seem so superficial or obsessed with beauty? Is it related to our time? Well, I did ask myself those questions. I have always blamed our obsession with beauty on our way of life. Perception seems more important than reality. Secretly, I have always wished I was born 10.000 years ago. I would be promenading in an Eden-like garden, feeling a gentle wind caressing my naked skin, eating fresh and juicy fruits from trees and not caring about how I looked or what I wore. I would be happy. Happier than ever! Or so I thought, right until I stumbled upon this amazing piece of history.

Did you know that our ancestors were not as careless and uninterested in their appearance as we might have thought? They were masters of disguise! Let’s hop into a time machine and revisit the history of skin care and grooming.

Imagine yourself in 51 B.C.E in Egypt, one of Cleopatra’s maids. Every evening, preparing your queen’s milk bath. With the help of the other maids, you will carefully fill a pool or a tub with warm water from the Nile River. One of you will then add warm milk, as instructed by the queen. You will then add aromatic flowers and oils (different ones depending on her mood). Be Careful, you don’t want to upset the queen and get you head chopped!. Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, re-known for her beautiful skin and her grooming rites, was very fond of bath oils, milk baths and fragrances. She used clay from the Nile River, mixed with herbs and essential oils, as a facial treatment. The Egyptians first developed methods of extracting herbal and flower essences through distillation, still the preferred method for extracting essential oils today! The Egyptians also believed in cleanliness and built elaborate systems for bathing that were later on adopted by the Greeks and the Romans.

Let’s continue our Time Odyssey with the inventors of the many words we use today including the word “cosmetics”.  “Cosmetics” comes from the Greek word “kosmetikos” meaning “skilled in the use of cosmetics”. The Ancient Greeks made lavish use of perfumes and cosmetics in their religious rites as well as in grooming. They built elaborate baths, developed methods for dressing the hair and caring for the skin and nails. Following the path of the Egyptians, who began applying kohl (a silver white, metallic substance, related to arsenic and tin) to their eyelids to make their eyes appear larger and brighter, Greek women were applying a preparation of white lead on their faces, kohl on their eyes and vermilion on their cheeks and lips. Around 200 C.E, Galen a Greek physician, mixed rose water, beeswax and olive oil together creating the first modern cosmetic compound: cold cream. Through the centuries, olive oil was often replaced with other oils, such as almond oil, but these oils spoiled easily. In 1907, mineral oil replaced the other commonly used oils, creating a more stable formula.

By the 1920’s, industrialization brought a new prosperous era to the Americas. Influenced by Hollywood stars, women started to care more for their hair and became interested in the use of eye makeup, lipsticks and rouge. This trend continued in the postwar era with a renewed interest in fashion, hairstyling and makeup. The 1970s & 80s brought exciting changes as manufacturers introduced a wider range of new products. Everything from skin care, to new innovations in hair care and a multitude of colours! By the end of the 90’s, we could now choose between an expanding range of topical products such as “anti-aging treatments” including “nutriceuticals” and internal supplements that promote the skin health inside and out.

So… are we more superficial than our ancestors? Well, I let’ll you be the judge of that. But, it seems to me that the practice of self-grooming and beautification has its origins our ancient cultures. Ruins and archeological excavation have given us proof that, even in prehistoric times, men and women were interested in making themselves more attractive. Maybe it is just a need printed in our DNA?

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

What’s the difference between drug store, department store, and spa skincare brands?

Why would I pay $100 for your skin serum when I saw one that does the same thing in the department store for $50? AND they offered me a bunch of free gifts!!

(The million dollar question that I’ve been asked countless times in my esthetics career)

I like to rebut with another question.

Do you want to see a difference and improve you skin’s health, or not?

Here are some of the differences between drug/department store and professional spa brands (and please keep in mind that this is my opinion only):

Drug Store/Department Store/Infomercial Brand

•low quality ingredients, usually synthetic, sometimes toxic

•active ingredients in very low percentages

•cheap fillers (ingredients used to ‘fill up’ the products)

•synthetic preservatives

•cheap, artificial fragrance, and color

•expensive, fancy packaging and presentation

•elaborate advertising and wasteful promotional materials

•gifts with purchase (usually junk that goes unused)

•can be bought and sold by anyone

Professional Spa Brand

•top quality ingredients (many certified/verified for grade)

•high percentages of active ingredients

•little or no fillers

•most lines completely synthetic preservative-free

•most lines are artificial fragrance and color-free (consumers still tend to be drawn to pretty smells and colors)

•packaging ranges from totally plain to fancy (again, consumers are drawn to pretty things)

•no advertising

•gifts with purchase (which tend to be more useful)

•sold by skin therapists to ensure that highly active formulations are not misused

How much $$$ do you think all of this fun advertising costs?

Times that number by A LOT of magazines/billboards/bus stops/displays/newspapers/television commercials, then times that by A LOT of cities in A LOT of countries!  That equals billions of dollars.  So where does all of this money come from? You!  And can you imagine how much money they have to pay to get celebrities to endorse their products? And those TV commercials that come on every commercial break promising perfect skin in 3 easy steps and it costs $29.99 (if you call now!)?

So, if the ingredients in the products were top quality and they didn’t use cheap, junky fillers & preservatives; they were able to keep the prices low; AND they were still able to pay billions for marketing – then I guess there would be no profits right? Wrong.  The equation doesn’t add up.

Don’t get me wrong, there are always exceptions! I’ve come across spa brands that I didn’t particularly like and I’m sure that there are non-spa brands with higher quality ingredients too.  The best thing to do is to read the ingredient list and remember that the ingredients are listed in order of quantity (if it’s at the end there probably isn’t enough of it to do much).  Try to avoid skin irritants like artificial fragrance, color, preservatives, mineral oils, etc.  If you are into natural and organic products be sure to check that they are certified by a legitimate regulating organization (you’d be surprised how many ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ lines aren’t natural and organic at all).  Also, try to find pure and natural makeup or mineral makeup.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

Spa Boutique’s First Store!

It’s been a long time coming, but this past November we finally opened our very first retail store front.  Located at 3630 west 4th in Kitsilano, we have an adorable little space with purple walls and sparkling chandeliers.  We carry a selection of the products that are online (we simply don’ t have space for everything) but it includes our best selling skin care and makeup lines.  Additionally we are one of, if not the only place in Vancouver, that carries select polishes form Butter London, China Glaze, Essie, Orly, CND and Spa Ritual all in one place.

We offer customizable express facials that are educational in nature and and are a great way to learn how to take care of your skin at home.  They’re a complete steal at $30-$60 for 30-45 minutes and this also includes a light application of Jane Iredale mineral makeup.  Staffed with estheticians, we are happy to answer your skin care questions and help you achieve your best skin.

Come by and visit us!

Spa Boutique Kitsilano

360 West 4th Ave, Vancouver

604-734-7114

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

Parabens in Cosmetics

Chances are you’ve heard or read something lately about parabens. More than likely it’s passionately negative and accompanied by the words “cancer” and “estrogen-like”. These are scary words. Yet cosmetic companies world wide still use parabens in thousands of products. Why is this? Let’s take a good, logical look at the information available.

What are Parabens?
They are the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetics products that protect against mold, fungi and bacteria that can cause irritations and infections. Most cosmetics have high water content and it’s important to protect and stabilize them. Often, more than one paraben is used in a product to protect against a wide-range of contaminants. Parabens are also used as food additives.

All commercially used parabens are synthetically produced, although some are identical to those found in nature like in Blueberries.

What started all the controversy?
The whole idea has been over-dramatized – when most people talk about it, they’re claiming that “Parabens have been shown to cause breast cancer”. What they are referencing to is that in 2004, Dr. Phillippa Darbre conducted a study to assess whether any of the six parabens commonly used in consumer products in Europe could be detected in human breast tumors. Further studies have also discussed the estrogen-like properties that parabens can have on the body and whether or not they can accumulate in the skin.

What were the actual results?
What the study found was that in 18 of the 20 tumors tested at least one paraben was present, the most common being methylparaben. This does not mean that they cause cancer, just that the parabens were easily detectable in the tumors. The study also did not look at parabens levels in normal tissue.

In 2007 a French study was conducted to see whether parabens accumulate in the skin. The findings were that with a realistic application of parabens to the skin every 12 hours for 36 hours, there was an increased amount of parabens moving across the skin barrier for the first 24 hours. However there was no cumulative effect after 36 hours. This suggests that there would be no risk for people who use products over their whole lives.

How are cosmetics ingredients regulated?
The Food and Drug Administration regulates only color additives in cosmetics
products. This means cosmetics companies can use any ingredient as long as they are not prohibited by regulation. Studies conducted in both 1984 and 2005 concluded that parabens are safe as long as they do not exceed 25 % of a product’s formula. Parabens make up a minuscule fraction — 0.01 to 0.1% — of most product formulations, according to the FDA.

The FDA has stated that at the present time there is no reason to be concerned about the use of parabens in cosmetic products. BUT they understand that further studies are needed and they will continue to re-evaluate as new data emerges.

What does it all mean?!
Ultimately it comes down to the fact that there is no data proving that parabens cause any actual harm to humans in the way that we are currently using them. But there is still enough concern for there to be continuing studies. Parabens are considered safe by those in the industry (chemical, beauty, food) due to their low toxicity profile and long history of safe use.

This view is currently being challenged, and challenge is good. If an ingredient is suspect, then absolutely they should begin looking for safe alternatives. For right now, most of the natural alternatives have the same amount of contradictory information and potential safety issues. Some haven’t been proven to be stable or effective against bacteria, mold and fungi as they haven’t been clinically tried yet.

There is a growing range of paraben-free products out there, with professional lines (spa lines) looking to make the switch to keep consumers happy. Be patient with them. It takes a lot of research for companies to change formulas in this way and keep them effective. They want to provide you with safe products that actually give results.

Spa Boutique carries many different paraben-free lines including Eminence, Golden Moor, Beauty through Balance, and Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!