Saturday 19 May 2012

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No matter what profession or job you're in, you will come across a word that ceases to have little meaning.

Barnett Dermatology in the US, recognised worldwide as a pioneer for work in skincare and cosmetic surgery, recently put out a press release called Skincare Hype Decoded which provided a lot of food from thought. Far from taking aim at new generation technology such as gene expression, it questioned widely used terms that most of us accept without thinking.

    * Patent or Patent Pending: According to leading New York dermatologist Dr Channing Barnett, patents are granted to companies that manufacture or combine materials in a new way. Just because an ingredient is patented doesn't mean that it works.
    * All Natural: As most chemists joke - arsenic is natural - and so are chemicals. This catch-all term is not a synonym for organic or chemical-free.
    * Hypoallergenic: Far from being a guarantee that something won't cause a reaction, many hypoallergenic products contain preservatives and fragrances which some people are allergic to.
    * Fragrance-free: Just because a product doesn't have a discernible fragrance, it doesn't mean that it doesn't contain "masking" scents. Many ingredients have disagreeable natural odours that have to be played down. Increasingly, many products are using the more correct labelling - no fragrance added.
    * Non-Comedogenic: Oil-free - yes - but many non-comedogenic products contain the well-known pimple aggravator dimethicone.
    * Delays Premature Ageing - There isn't a woman alive who hasn't been hooked by this claim. Technically, if a cream or moisturiser really did prevent premature ageing it would be a drug that acts by changing the structure of the skin. Many companies are staying on the right side of the law by including a sunscreen, which is another reason why SPF use in skincare has soared in the past decade. A product that includes a sunscreen can truthfully claim to delay premature ageing because it does diminish the effect of UV damage on the skin.

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