http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJ81qCEI1k

Transcript of video

Hi I’m Perry Romanowski and Welcome to Cosmetic Science in 300 seconds brought to you by Chemists Corner.

Today’s topic is Cosmetics.

Cosmetics are used by people all over the world and represent a huge industry that sells over $300 billion a year. Almost every person on the planet uses some form of cosmetic product. This is true now and has been since the dawn of civilization.

Throughout history people have used cosmetics for three primary purposes. Camoflauging flaws, improving overall appearance, and enhancing attractiveness to the opposite sex.

The first direct evidence for cosmetic use are some 30,000 year old cave paintings in Europe that show people with colored faces. In ancient Egypt from around 3500 BCE cosmetics were routinely used for religious ceremonies, aesthetic and hygenic reasons. They used a variety of natural ingredients like oils, honey, natron, and even lead. There is also evidence of cosmetic use by people in ancient India, China and the Americas.

The ancient Greeks & Romans had records of cosmetic use. The first cosmetic formulation book was produced by Galen during the Second Century. Recently, archeologists have uncovered the oldest skin lotion which is over 2000 years old.

During the Middle Ages use of cosmetics was at times frowned on but technology developed along with medicine. The term Make-up was introduced in the 17th century and during these times, cosmetics were generally produced at home. In the 19th century most cosmetic & perfume development was done in France where it was more acceptable. It wasn’t until the 20th century after World War 1 that regular use of cosmetics was viewed as socially acceptable.

Throughout history there had been instances of cosmetics harming people. Lead & mercury were common ingredients until it was discovered that they were poisons. In the US, the cosmetic industry was largely unregulated until the passage of the 1938 Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. This helped set safety standards and provided the current definition for cosmetic products.

According to FDA regulations cosmetic products are…

“articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, and (2) articles intended for use as a component of any such articles; except that such term shall not include soap”

What this means is that cosmetics are pretty much any product you put on your body that is meant to change the appearance. It also means that cosmetics are not supposed to have any significant effect on the biochemical processes of the body. If a product does, it is classified as a drug.

There are 5 cateogries of cosmetic products including hair, skin, oral, makeup, and fine fragrances. In each category that are numerous types.

Skin cosmetics are the most popular types of products and include moisturizers, lotions, anti-aging creams, facial scubs, body washes, deodorants, self tanners, and toners. Sunscreens and anti-acne products are often sold with cosmetics but they are technically over the counter drugs.

Hair cosmetics include shampoos, conditioners, hair colors, hair sprays, hairdressing, styling gels, and various other hair styling formulations.

Color cosmetics or makeup is what people usually think about when they hear the term cosmetics. This includes any type of product for temporarily changing the color of skin. It includes lipstick, lip gloss, eyeshadow, foundation, blush, nail polish and more.

Oral care products are designed to take care of the teeth and mouth and include things like toothpaste and mouthwash. Note however, that toothpaste containing flouride is actually an OTC drug according to the FDA.

Fine fragrances are the last category of cosmetics that we will consider. They include perfumes, colognes and mists and are some of the oldest types of cosmetics. Some fragrance formulations have been unchanged for over 100 years.

While products in the cosmetic industry have not drastically changed since the 1960′s they have steadily improved in both effectiveness and safety. In the future we will see a blurring of lines between what is considered a drug and what is a cosmetic. A group of compounds called cosmeceuticals look to get pharmaceutical effects from cosmetic applications. Nanotechnology also promises to drastically improve the performance of current cosmetics.

For cosmetic chemists who formulate cosmetic products, the future holds some interesting developments. And the cosmetic industry will be around for years to come. As long as there are people interested in changing and improving how they look, the cosmetic industry will be here to provide them solutions.

This brings us to the end of Cosmetic Science in 300 Seconds. If you want to learn more about cosmetic science and formulating please visit our website Chemists Corner.com. I’m Perry Romanowski and thanks for watching.

This is a joint article written by cosmetic chemists Valerie Patton & Perry Romanowski

This question was tweeted by @beautyscientist and followed up by @thelahobo. I thought it was pretty interesting so teamed up with @thelahobo to tackle the subject.

The original question was posted on a business forum and the questioner specifically wondered, how profitable would a natural cosmetic business (skin care line) that I started in my kitchen be? Many of you may be wondering the same, so here are some key things you need to know.

Cosmetic market

The cosmetic market is a pretty good one as nearly everyone on the planet uses some kind of personal care product. There is a ton of competition of course, but consumers are always looking to try something new and with the right dedication you can create a following of loyal consumers who will be the basis of your business for years to come.

Cosmetic start up costs

Starting your own skincare line from home *can* be profitable, but how quickly profitable is where it gets sticky. If you are a small shop starting out, it is unlikely that you are going to get your products into major retail stores or even mid sized local stores. Your best bet is to begin online where you can build some sales data which you can then take to your local markets to convince them to carry your product. If you take the online route, your key start-up costs will be in three primary areas including product development, marketing, and business expenses.

Of course, these costs can vary widely depending on the formulations you are making but here is a general ballpark for what you can expect.

Product development costs

When people think of starting their own cosmetic line, the product development costs are what they generally think about. Basically, these costs include anything related to creating your product such as raw material costs, packaging, and labeling. It also includes the cost of production activities such as mixing the materials together and filling them into the packaging. Cosmetic formulations can run anywhere from $0.10 per pound to $3 per pound but on average you can guess products will cost about $1 per pound. Packaging & labeling will cost another $1 per unit. Add in production and filling costs and your average per bottle cost will be about $2 – $3 per unit.

But you can’t just make a few bottles at a time as you’ll have to buy minimum quantities of the raw materials and bottles. To get the costs to $2 – $3 per unit you are going to have to make a minimum of 500 – 1000 units. If you make less your costs will go up significantly.

So, figure this part of product development will cost you around $3000.

Hidden product development costs

While $3000 doesn’t seem too bad, the product development costs are not done yet. If you are serious about running a cosmetic business you MUST test your products to ensure they are safe and effective. Preservative Efficacy Testing is a must. It can be a little pricey to start out if you have multiple products, but the one-time cost of this (~$350/product) is far less than payment on a lawsuit. Sensitivity testing should be done too, but can be optional, if your budget is super tight. However, if the product is going to be applied near the eyes or has ingredients like SPF, AHAs or BHAs, etc, you should really consider budgeting this in. These tests start at $800 and go to $1500 at some labs in the California area. If you’re selling an SPF product, don’t forget that SPF testing will probably cost you around $3000-$4000. Note these are ballpark figures.

So, the hidden costs of formula development have now pushed your cosmetic start-up costs to about $6000.

Cosmetic business costs

If you are going to sell cosmetics and you don’t want to lose everything, you should incorporate. In the US you could conduct your business under a Sole Proprietorship, but this makes you completely liable for anything bad that might happen as a result of your products. You would be risking your savings, your car, and your home. You do not want to do this. Incorporate to protect your personal assets from liability. This will cost you about $500.

Business Insurance

Now, you also need to further protect yourself. Whether you’re the formulator, manufacturer, or skincare company, get insurance. There are two basic types to be considered – Property Insurance and General Liability Insurance. Property insurance is just that – it protects your property, like rental insurance would. In the event of, let’s say, a fire, everything related to the retail aspect of your business (computers, your product inventory) are covered. The insurance company will write you a nice, big check for what you lost. This insurance is a great idea for a skincare or hair care company, in the event of misfortune, but if your budget is tight, it is probably not necessary. Formulators and manufacturers don’t necessarily have to have this one, but again, it’s a good idea.

Anyone serious about a cosmetic business should have is general liability insurance. And, unfortunately, this is the expensive one. This insurance is in the event that someone experiences an adverse reaction to your product, or slips and falls on your property. The cost of this insurance is typically based on how much sales your business has during the year. The limits are set so that the insurance company will pay a total of X amount of dollars (general aggregate limit), and will only pay a certain number of occurrences or claims. The higher your sales, limits, and occurrences, the higher the monthly premium. Formulators should have this insurance in case their formulation is the reason for the occurrence, and likewise for manufacturers – if something they did during the manufacturing process contaminates the product and causes the adverse reaction, they are responsible.

Sometimes, if you work with contract manufacturers and or contracted formulators they will “umbrella” the cosmetic company on their policy. This means that the manufacturer or formulator’s insurance company is including your products on the insurance. It does not mean that you are insured individually as a cosmetic company. That is why it is important for your company to have its own insurance. Formulators and manufacturers can be insured until kingdom come, but ultimately responsibility falls on the your company for the safety of the products. If the product doesn’t perform the advertised claim, or you do something to make the product unsafe, you are responsible. Selling homemade products is a huge risk – and any adverse reaction can potentially cost you thousands or millions. So, you just have to weigh the odds.

Finally, the last thing to consider about insurance. If your dream is to get your product into a large retailer – most major companies require proof of insurance before selling your product, as they will assume no liability.  Insurance costs will depend on lots of factors but a rough estimate is ~$100 per month per $1,000,000 of insurance.

There are lots of other business related costs such as fees for lawyers, accountants, employees and taxes but the details will be highly dependent on where you are located and how you run your business. You should just figure on some number for business costs like these.

Marketing & Sales Costs

The final area of start-up costs that we’ll cover is your marketing costs. This represents any money you put out to develop and sell your product. If you begin an online business (which is what we would suggest) the initial costs can be fairly low. Running a website can be done for less than $500 a year. Online promotion can be done for next to nothing and requires mostly an investment of your time. The amount of time you dedicate to online marketing will directly relate to how much product you sell. More time generally will mean greater sales. The activities that you do would be writing blog posts about your topic, participating in social networking sites, commenting on other people’s sites, and conducting online auctions.

Filling orders will be your next significant cost. You will need to have money available for boxes for shipping, people to actually fill the orders and shipping costs. When you are coming up with the price of your product don’t forget to including shipping as part of your costs. This can often be as much or more than the cost of the product. For example, if it costs you $3 to make your product, shipping costs will easily be $3 so you need to charge $6 per unit just to break even.

Another option is to get a booth at a local market and sell your products directly. Booth costs vary but you can get some for between $50 and $125 a day. If you can sell more than that in a day then you’re making a profit. Once you’ve established your brand you may also attempt to get your product sold by some of the local shops in your area. For hair care brands, go see if your local salon will carry your brand. For skin products, perhaps a local spa or specialty gift shop would carry your products. You will have to give up a significant amount of your direct sell profit but you’ll ideally make it up with a high volume of sales.

Cosmetic Start up Costs

A cosmetic business can be profitable but it is much more complicated than making a lotion in your kitchen and selling the product to a demanding public. When you figure in the costs of product development, business, and marketing you realistically need about $10,000 – $15,000 to invest up front. Once you start making sales you can make that money back but understand that this is the minimum amount you are going to need to get started.

This is a guest blog post written by cosmetic chemist Mica Oba. She is currently an undergraduate in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and spent some time working with a contract manufacturer in the Bay Area (California). You can read more from her on her blog Lily x Ren.

For this guest post on Chemists Corner, I decided to dedicate this to the future cosmetic chemists—to the high school students and undergraduates who read this blog.

Becoming a cosmetic chemist

As an undergraduate, I understand how difficult it can be to get your foot into the industry. I have been struggling with that problem since my senior year in high school. I emailed cosmetic companies around my area (Northern California) for internships. At one point, during the beginning of my junior year in college, I was offered an internship, but a month later they told me that they could no longer offer me the position. As discouraging as that situation was, I picked myself up and continued inquiring about internships with other companies. Finally after years of persistence, I was lucky enough to be offered an internship position with a company in my area.

So what did I do in that span of four years before obtaining my internship? Acquiring a B.S. in chemistry and applying for positions in the industry or graduate schools are a given, but here are some other things I did to prepare myself for a job in cosmetic chemistry.

Network, Network, Network

I cannot emphasize networking enough. I think a big mistake a lot of undergraduates make is keeping to themselves and waiting to network until after graduation. I think it’s important for undergraduates to realize that not only can you network with people in the industry or from academia, but also with your classmates. It’s good to network with a variety of majors aside from chemists. Networking with biology, business, art, design and communications majors is a great idea. Remember that getting a product out onto the market is a collaborative effort and takes more than just chemists. Be sure to keep networking with a variety of people in other fields even after you graduate.

Power of the Internet

The internet also makes it easy to network with people around the globe! My blog and Twitter alone has put me in contact with a lot of cosmetic chemists that I never would have been able to network with had it not been for the internet (Perry for example!) Sometimes people will leave their e-mails in comments on other people’s blogs. I’ve made contacts this way as well. Networking doesn’t even need to lead to a collaboration. Contacts can share their experiences with you, give their opinions, and even inspire you. Even if a contact cannot have a job for you right away, keeping in touch with this person may present a new opportunity down the line. If you decide to utilize social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter to network with people in the industry, be sure to present yourself as professionally as possible.

Sign up for a cosmetic seminar or class

In the second year of my undergraduate career, I was becoming more and more anxious to learn about cosmetic chemistry. I spent my freshman year talking to counselors about opportunities around my area, but to no avail. I decided to take matters into my own hands and searched online for any seminars or classes I could take. Finally, I found a skincare ingredients seminar taught at UCLA extension. I took both parts of the class, and the experience was both amazing and overwhelming.

I got to meet a lot of different people from the industry, including formulators, lab technicians, estheticians, raw material suppliers and even dermatologists. I also learned the basics, like reading ingredient decks, interpreting marketing ads and skin anatomy. Seminars and classes similar to this are great ways to expose yourself as to what the industry is like. Aside from doing online seminars and classes, I would recommend doing some of them in person. From experience, and what everyone else in this industry will tell you, I’d like to say again that networking is key. Live seminars and classes will give you this opportunity.

And trust me, I know that networking sounds scary the first time. It was definitely frightening for me to talk to anyone at the first UCLA meeting since almost everyone there was already a part of the industry. You can see that these classes not only taught me the basics, but also gave me my first opportunity to work on my networking skills!

Self-teaching

If you can’t afford to take a class or it’s difficult to travel, you can teach yourself a lot about cosmetics on the internet. Aside from this blog, I often frequent specialchem4cosmetics.com and The Beauty Brains. Specialchem has a really great INCI directory and has other great resources.

The UCLA teacher, Rebecca James Gadberry, really inspired me to self-study most of what I know. Even after coming home from the lab, I always looked up MSDS’s or articles about ingredients I used that day so I could understand their function in the product. I also enjoy reading a lot of scientific literature about skin biology. I remember Rebecca talked about educating herself using a variety of resources, such as chemistry and biology books as well as the internet like Youtube videos or even Wikipedia. I personally find Wikipedia a great resource for scientific information.

Seek cosmetic related opportunities

If you have time to get a part time job, one thing you can do is to work at a cosmetic counter in a department store, or get a position at a retail store. Not only will this experience help you to understand what customers these days are looking for, but you can also learn a lot about the latest trends and advancements. To make the most out of this experience, I would definitely recommend doing your own research about new innovations in the industry so you can educate yourself on the science behind it (or lack thereof).

Internships

In addition, if you are at a research university you could try to get an internship related to skin biology or polymer chemistry. Polymer chemistry research could be helpful for understanding the thermodynamic concept of emulsions, but such extensive knowledge is honestly not that necessary for formulations. If you think you wouldn’t mind working for a raw supplies company, however, research dealing with organic synthesis would be a great experience. As an aside, if you conduct research at your university I highly recommend participating in a scientific conference by giving a Powerpoint or poster presentation. Even presenting at your lab’s group meetings will be helpful in making you comfortable with public speaking, an invaluable skill for this industry.

SCC Student membership

It’s pretty easy and cheap to get a student membership with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. Having a membership will give you full access to their published archives, which is helpful in keeping up with the latest topics. The SCC also gives the opportunity to do poster sessions if you conduct research. If you cannot afford a membership, you will still have access to the job postings on the website. That’s how I found my internship!

Conclusion

Before I conclude this article, I would just like to stress the importance of having a back-up plan. I was very, very fortunate to land an internship with a cosmetic company, and as I mentioned before it took me four years of applying. It is not easy to get into this industry as a fresh graduate. Keep your options open and don’t be afraid to take on positions not directly related to cosmetics. Before acquiring my internship, I was simultaneously researching at a genetics/ecology/evolution lab and inorganic chemistry lab on my campus. I can’t say that my work with Drosophila and fullerenes will have any direct correlation with being a cosmetic chemist, but it definitely taught me the work ethic of being in a laboratory. It also helped me to see that I was much happier working in industry than being involved in research.

I hope that this article was helpful to the future cosmetic chemists. If you have any questions about applying to graduate schools, looking for internships, or would just like to network, leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back to you! Thank you and I hope to hear from some of you soon!

You can follow Mica on Twitter here.

The Midwest SCC Trade Show is this Wednesday. If you are going to be in the Chicago area, it is a free event and you should certainly attend. Here is the information for registering.

Cosmetic chemist & Trade shows

Going to a trade show can range from highly educational to being a complete waste of time. Here are a few tips to help you get the most benefit out of attending.

1. Start with a plan. Trade shows almost always publish a list of companies that are going to have booths at the event. Make a list of the companies that you must see and write down why. Bring this list with you and check it off as you visit the booths.

2. Take notes. You are going to see lots of different companies and will be inundated with information. It is not enough to simply collect the paperwork that they are handing out. Write notes on any information that you are given so you can remember why you found it interesting.

3. Write down ideas. Cosmetic trade shows are an excellent place to be struck with ideas. So, be sure you write down any new idea that you might have had while at the show. I find it incredibly helpful to carry a notebook around just for writing down ideas. Make them detailed enough that they will still make sense to you when you review them a few days later. You might try recording voice notes but I’ve always found this more difficult to review.

4. Bring lots of business cards. The people who participate in trade shows do it mostly to generate business and business leads. You are the business lead and they want to know you. It’s a fair trade for the information they provide you. So, be sure to bring a big stack of business cards. If you don’t have many, give them out only to companies who you want to hear from again. Of course, business cards are frequently used in prize drawings so you’ll want them for that reason too.

5. Network. One of the best things about a trade show is the opportunity to meet other people in the industry. Take some time to talk to people you don’t know and swap your contact information. Creating a big network of individuals is one of the most useful activities you can do at a trade show. The more people you know the more likely it will be that they can help you in the future.

I’m really looking forward to this upcoming event. If you have any other tips, leave a comment below.

It’s pretty common to hear people complain that they didn’t like Chemistry in school because it was too hard or too boring. And perhaps the way it was taught to them, this was true. But if you like cooking you really would like cosmetic formulating. There is no other job more similar to formulating than cooking. Here are ways in which they are alike.

Creating Recipes

One of the hallmarks of a good chef is that you have the ability to create a tastey dish from the available raw materials. You pick out the right ratios and mix the ingredients in the right way to create a masterpiece. This is exactly what cosmetic chemists do. But instead of working with ingredients like eggs, flour, and milk, you’re working with raw materials like Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Dimethicone Copolyol. And like a chef, you even keep a recipe book. We call it a lab notebook.

Making Recipes

While cooks spend time coming up with recipes, they also spend a lot of time actually creating them. They measure out the ingredients, follow a procedure, mix things together at a certain time using blenders or mixers. They change the temperature by heating in an oven or microwave and cool batches down with ice. Cosmetic chemists do all of these same things. Making a skin lotion requires the same type of emulsification procedure as making a salad dressing. If you can make food, you can make cosmetics.

Evaluating Recipes

A primary skill that a cook has to develop is their sense of taste. They need to become familiar with which flavors go well together and the relative proportions of ingredients when combined with other ones. And while a cosmetic chemist almost never has to eat their products, they do have to use their sense of touch to get a feel for how the cosmetic is interacting with the skin. The skills that a cook develops for evaluating flavors are analogous to the ones you develop as a cosmetic chemist. And both the chemist and cook have to develop a sense of what smells good.

Aesthetics

Finally, a good cook does not just throw the food on the plate but rather they create a plate with some style. This requires them to develop an eye for what will appeal to their consumers. A cosmetic chemist also has to develop a sense of what will appeal to their consumers. They need to know what colors, odors, and feels that consumers want and expect.

If you didn’t think you liked Chemistry but you love Cooking, it’s time to reconsider. Chemistry, just like cooking, is all about putting ingredients together to create new things.

This is a guest post by UK cosmetic chemist Colin Sanders. You can read more from Colin on his excellent blog at Colins Beauty Pages.

The latest iteration of the EU cosmetic regulations come into force in July 2013, and they are a pretty major upgrade with lots of new provisions and innovations that will affect everyone in the business of supplying cosmetics and personal care into the European market. If you are doing so, you really should know all about them by now, but here is a quick whistle stop tour if you are just starting or if you don’t operate in Europe but are curious.

EU cosmetic regulations

There are 6 main new areas.

Claims – it is now necessary to have data on file to support any claims you make for the product. This has been an implied requirement for some time via other bits of consumer legislation but it has now been codified into the actual cosmetic regulations. One eye catching provision is that it is now illegal to make claims that denigrate safe and legal ingredients. This sounds a bit like somebody somewhere is working out their pet peeve. In theory this outlaws claims like ‘paraben free’, though I dare say ways will be found round this one soon enough.

Nanoparticles – nanoparticles as defined by the EU will now need to be specified as such on the label. The format will distinguish a nano particle with the suffix ‘nano’, so Titanium Dioxide becomes Titanium Dioxide nano.

Cosmetic GMP – cosmetics will now have to be produced under controlled conditions, i.e., pretty much how they already are but it is now mandatory.

Notification – all products and their individual raw materials will have to be disclosed on a database covering the whole EU. This is to provide information for poison centres for them to use in the event of dealing with an adverse event where the ingredients of the cosmetics the victim is using might be relevant. (If any toxicologists reading this can give an example of how this might be useful I would love to hear it.)

Safety Assessments – currently the safety of cosmetic products have to be assessed prior to release by a ‘suitably qualified’ person. The new regulations specify that the qualifications should be in toxicology and that the assessment should follow a particular protocol.

Adverse Event Reporting – all adverse reactions now need to be reported directly to the authorities in the country in which the reaction occurs. The intention is that the data thus generated will be made public.

Regulation implications

Overall these changes represent a significant tightening of the regulations governing the manufacture, promotion and sale of cosmetics. I am planning to allocate an hour a day to the work needed to get ready for it, and I imagine that it will create about 2 hours a month extra work per formulation to keep compliant once it is in force. This isn’t too much of a burden for a large company or even for a medium sized one, but I think it might be onerous for smaller ones and start ups.

There are some clear advantages to the user. The adverse event reporting is long overdue and will give us all a better idea of what is causing problems and issues. The notification system is going to be expensive both for companies providing the data and for the general public who will pick up the tab for maintaining the database. Whether it is worth it or not is a matter of opinion. It seems to me a huge investment of resources for very little return, but I am open to being corrected on that if it turns out that lives are saved by the rapid availability of detailed cosmetic formulation information.

The requirement for cosmetic GMP is probably neutral. There are poorly produced and controlled cosmetics around. But whether the companies who make them will take any notice of this regulation is a good question. The companies that will comply with the new regulations are probably doing it already. I am particularly unimpressed by the tightening of the rules about safety assessments. It is good news if you are a toxicologist in want of employment, but it doesn’t seem to me that by being more prescriptive it makes things any safer. The phrase suitably qualified seemed to me to a good description, because it allowed for different levels of assessment for different products. I would say that just about anyone is suitably qualified to assess the safety of a bar of soap for example. On the other hand, a really advanced skin innovation using a lot of materials that don’t have a track history of use really ought to be assessed by somebody who understands that specific technology. Getting in a toxicologist off the street and following a set format doesn’t sound like the way to determine whether it should be released to me.

But however I feel about it, it is coming. It is such a large and widely ranging piece of legislation that I dare say most people will be able to find bits they like and bits they hate.

Don’t miss the podcast episode that featured a discussion with Colin Sanders!

If you spent any time on the web this week, it would have been difficult for you to avoid the news of the impending Internet censorship legislation called SOPA and PIPA. Some major websites went dark and thousands of others modified their websites, facebook pages and twitter feeds in protest. You can read more about the issue here.

SOPA PIPA and Cosmetics

While looking at the list of companies that support this awful legislation, I noticed a number of companies from the cosmetic industry. They include…

3M
Chanel
Coty
Dow Chemical Company
Estee Lauder
Johnson & Johnson
Dolce & Gabbana
L’Oreal USA
Personal Care Products Council
Pfizer
Revlon

I don’t get it. Why would these cosmetic companies support censorship of the Internet? What is the benefit to them?

Chemcial companies like 3M & Dow Chemical? How does online piracy affect them?

The only thing that I can think of is that these companies are worried about pirated copies of their make-up or brands being made available on the Internet.

The PCPC is on the list of supporters!!! What the hell!!? A majority of their member companies don’t even support it. Very troubling PCPC.

Seriously, what are these organizations thinking?

There was a recent study on parabens that made the news. It was research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology conducted by Dr. Philippa Darbre and Mr Lester Barr.

The key findings of the research includes

1. Parabens were detected in 99% of all breast tissue samples

2. An average of 85.5 ng/g was found. Four times higher than work done in 2004.

3. Propylparaben and methylparaben had the highest levels detected

The researchers conclude…

Mr Lester Barr – “Our study appears to confirm the view that there is no simple cause and effect relationship between parabens in underarm products and breast cancer”

Dr Darbre – “The fact that parabens were detected in the majority of the breast tissue samples cannot be taken to imply that they actually caused breast cancer in the 40 women studied”

Darbre further concludes that the fact that parabens are found in breast tissue justifies further investigation.

What’s the story?

The study is interesting and presents a bit of a mystery. Why are parabens being found in breast tissue? Where are they coming from? As Darbre says, more research is needed.

But the story I most want to write about is the way that this story is being reported.

Take a look at these different headlines about the same press release.

From Science Daily…

Parabens in Breast Tissue Not Limited to Women Who Have Used Underarm Products

From Cosmetics Design…

Study finds no link between deodorant use and breast cancer

Then from Red Orbit…

Possible Link Between Personal Care Products, Breast Cancer Studied

And NHS…

Deodorant chemical ‘found in breast tumours’

And finally Healthcareglobal.com

Popular cosmetic chemical found in breast cancer tissue

Viva la difference

How is it that all of these media outlets got the same press release and came up with completely different headlines?

None of these headlines are lies per se. But they all communicate a different message.

The Science Daily headline (which I view as the least biased source) captures what I see as the main point of the study. Parabens are found in breast tissue whether people have used deodorants or not.

The Cosmetic Design headline is clearly biased to tell the story in a way that exonerates the cosmetic industry. They don’t lie but they do miss the point of the research.

The next few headlines are much more sensational however, and communicate the message that the study somehow links parabens, cancer and the use of cosmetics.

The study does the exact opposite!!

I guess it just goes to show that way you tell a story is just as important as the facts that go into creating it.

In my view, this research provides no new information to the debate. Unfortunately, chemophobes will look at this research as a new reason to ban parabens from cosmetic products.

Sigh

This video is funny…and a little sad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOYCkHFMnVc

Thankfully, this isn’t how it really is for cosmetic chemists but there is certainly a tinge of truth here.

Early years

In my younger years I often fretted about taking a job as a cosmetic chemist. One recurring thought was that it wasn’t “important” enough. In fact, I remember driving home after my interview at the shampoo factory thinking that there is no way that I would want this job.  I took it with the intention of making some money then quitting after a few years and going to get a PHD in something “important”.

After a few years, I found I really enjoyed my job. I liked the projects.  I liked the challenges.  I liked the people.  And overall, it was fun.  Being a cosmetic chemist is a great job.  If you have an interest in inventing things, learning about chemicals and human biology, being creative and seeing your work directly impact people’s lives, then you’ll love a career in cosmetic chemistry.

But is it important enough?

Is cosmetic science important?

You really have to decide for yourself if cosmetic science is important enough.  Consider the pros and cons.

Pros

• Your work leads directly to products that people use
• Your products make people happy
• There is a lot to learn & the subject is interesting
• It’s economically important
• It is a low stress job, good salary
• It can pose challenging problems

These are just off the top of my head but I’m sure there are other things that cosmetic chemists would add to the list.  (feel free to do so in the comments)

Since I’ve spent nearly 20 years in the industry it seems that my answer to the question is…

Yes, cosmetic science is important enough.

When I thought about it I decided that no one is really curing cancer because cancer is still around.  And people may be making progress on Big Problems but there are still plenty of Big Problems that are unsolved.  And they’ll remained unsolved whether I work on them or not.

The other thing is that as a scientist you are free to keep tabs on other areas of research.  If you ever have an idea that you think will cure cancer or Alzheimer’s disease or solve some other world problem, go work on it.  But if you don’t have any ideas about those subjects, a cosmetic science career is a great place to keep your brain fresh and work on interesting problems (that can be solved).

Epilogue

Incidentally, I did go back to school and pursue a Masters degree in biochemistry but I never left the cosmetic industry. Biochemistry just didn’t seem like it would be an interesting job.  For me being interesting is more important than being “important”.

If you work in the cosmetic industry, then you should know about the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and their off-shoot group the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The EWG focuses on providing information while the CFSC attempts to get legislation passed. Ostensibly, they are consumer advocacy groups who endeavor to ensure that cosmetic manufacturers produce only safe products.

A laudable goal and one that all cosmetic chemists can get behind.

However, cosmetic chemists, formulators and the cosmetic industry already support this goal so the cosmetic products we produce are already safe. The EWG & CFSC are unnecessary.

But I’m certain that the good folks at these groups would disagree. From their perspective cosmetics are not safe. And cosmetic chemists can not be trusted to create safe formulas. They seem to believe that there are cosmetic chemists who want to create formulas that will poison their families and cause widespread cases of cancer. They don’t think very much of cosmetic chemists or formulators.

Problems with these groups

The primary place that consumers (and beauty bloggers) find out about the EWG is through their online ingredient resource called the Skin Deep database. It’s an interesting concept and they’ve clearly put a lot of work into it. Unfortunately, it is full of misleading information & many things that are just wrong.

Skin Deep database Flaws

There are a few obvious flaws in the database that have been pointed out to the EWG but they don’t seem interested in changing them. Here is what I mean.

False information

There is false information in the database but they don’t seem interested in fixing it. For example, they have a listing for Polyparaben. They even give it a chemical rating and call it an endocrine disruptor. Unfortunately, there is no chemical called polyparaben. It doesn’t exist. How they managed to come up with a toxicity score and links to studies about a non-existent chemical is baffling and it certainly doesn’t build faith in the reliability of their data. If they had a cosmetic chemist review the information they were putting up before entering it into the database, perhaps this wouldn’t be a problem. Clearly, they don’t. And they don’t care to fix it because this has been pointed out to them directly.

Nonsense ratings

Creating a hazard score is a dubious activity anyway (since it is the dose that makes the poison) but they aren’t even consistent within their own scoring system. For example, they have listings for both Sodium Coceth Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Cosmetic chemists know that these compounds are essentially identical with minimal differences. But somehow the Sodium Coceth Sulfate gets a 0 hazard score, while Sodium Laureth Sulfate gets a 4 hazard. This makes no sense.

Belief not science

Perhaps the worst thing about the EWG Skin Deep database is that they are unwilling to modify their conclusions when new evidence comes to light. They base their actions on a belief and use science only when it supports what they want to believe. Since they are a politically motivated group, they are unable to accept new science which might indicate an ingredient is more safe than previously thought. There is not a single instance of them changing their stance on any cosmetic ingredient.

No courage of their convictions

But the most galling thing about the EWG is that they are hypocrites who either don’t believe what they say or are more interested in making money off people than protecting them from “dangerous” products. For example, they list a Hall of Shame for sunscreens. In it they list specific products that are typical of “…what’s wrong with the sun protection business.” Of course, this does not stop them from making money through their Amazon Affiliate program by selling those same products. For example, they list Aveeno Baby Protection Sunblock as a Hall of Shame sunscreen because it is dangerous for babies but they’ll happily take your money if you want to buy the product.

This means they either do not care that they are making money off of products that they believe are dangerous…or…they don’t believe the products are really dangerous.

Either way, it’s shifty.

EWG and cosmetic chemists

If the EWG & the CFSC is to be believed, cosmetic chemists are evil people who do not care about the safety of the formulas they create. I think this is BS.