Whitening and Blood Clots: What is Tranexamic Acid?

Hopefully, you've read the previous post, because the build-up was kind of there.

Because I have more free time, I am now tasked with the traditional "sa bahay lang" housewife role and am now in charge of everything housekeeping and cooking. I cannot carry very heavy loads according to my doctor, so every other day, I go to the nearest grocery to pick up household items and ingredients for our meals. I always make it a point to make fun of some products sold in the beauty aisle or read product labels.

Anyway, I've noticed that my go-to grocery, and I'm betting many other groceries, sell much more variety of whitening soaps compared to that of normal soap. Whitening soap with different ingredients saturate the shelves while ironically, the sunscreen area is tucked in an obscure corner. The "canon" whitening products are still there: papaya, calamansi, glutathione, kojic acid. Then something catches my eye: kojic acid with tranexamic acid. 

I've never heard of tranexamic acid before, so I took a mental note of the spelling, went on with my routine and proceeded to read about it after all the housework. Wikipedia, basically says it is given by doctor to patients with the risk of heavy bleeding. Huh? How was this related to skincare? How this ingredient was discovered as a whitening ingredient is beyond my Googling powers, but at least I now have an idea and how people use it, so I can share it with everyone.

Phthalates in cosmetics: my non-scaremongering version

I've recently been eyeing a lip conditioner from one of my favorite Korean brands. When I checked its ingredients with cosdna.com, I found out that it had a phthalate (DPHP). I really want to buy the product because sale and I like lip care products, but I felt that the unrated DPHP component listed with cosdna needs some checking.

Bis(2-propylheptyl) phthalate or DPHP belongs to a class of components known as phthalates. In cosmetics, phthalates have been used as plasticizers in nail polishes or hair sprays or as solvents in creams and fragrances. Interestingly, phthalates are used in medical supplies, both invasive and non-invasive chemicals, even on the examinations gloves doctors use.

So what is the deal with phthalates then? They are used in medical supplies and cosmetics but then EPA says long term exposure to phthalates (specifically, DEHP) may lead to various problems. Are phthalates really as scary as they sound or are they victims of the greenwashing movement?

Personally, I'd still prefer a life saving transfusion with phthalates over natural nothing.
(Image from blog.phthalate-free-plasticizers.com)

Does it work: Snail slime skin care

One big skin care fad from the East is the use of snail mucus. It is believed to reduce pigmentation and scarring on the cute assumption that snail mucus was designed to heal the snail as it moves through jagged terrain. I've personally seen some snail mucin products and they're not as icky as I thought they would be. In fact, I'm thinking of reviewing one famed mucus containing moisturizer for fun.

I first learned about snail slime from Penn and Teller's Bullshit show. It was witty and brutal as always, and I thought the snail mask was a mean yet funny prank. At that time, I had no idea snail creams would be as huge as what they are now.

Miracle(?) Skin care Ingredient: Aloe Vera

A lot of skin care products contain aloe. I have after sun gels with aloe. I have a facial wash with aloe extract. I've always though aloe was an established, as in well-researched miracle care, since it has been used for so long.

Until I found this strip from http://carbon-comic.com. This site just gained a regular!

I read more of the post and found out that there are no scientific evidences yet for the use of aloe as a remedy for sunburns. Let's say the evidences for the use of aloe on sunburn may be anecdotes for now, but what about some of the other skin-related claims?

Like as a moisturizer, treatment for acne, anti-aging ingredient, remedy for stretch marks, treatment for wounds among many others. Again, there are no scientific evidences for these claims - http://www.webmd.com and http://www.mayoclinic.com do list some cases where aloe may act as remedy but point out that additional research on aloe is still necessary.

So fellow skin care fans, don't forget to check the active ingredients on your products. Always check the product claims. And don't forget natural is not always safe, so test a product prior to purchase.

Papaya whitening: Is it safe and effective?

Visit a supermarket and you are sure to find a TON of whitening products. Among the most common here in the Philippines is the use of papaya soap. Papaya is claimed to help whiten the skin and is a common ingredient in lotions and soaps, which can be cheaply bought off supermarket shelves.

According to papaya whitening advocates, papaya contains papain which is the effective "whitening" ingredients. So what is papain and how does it "whiten" the skin?

Misunderstood: SLS and SLES

With the rise of the green movement came the demand for natural products. Among the main considerations of skin care product consumers is the absence of sulfates, hence the label "sulfate free", which comes almost always with "paraben-free" (related blog post here).

Image from http://www.shielo.com

My Simple Collagen in Skin Care FAQ

So I wanted to buy drinks with collagen because well.. they're kind of big here, and I want to experiment if collagen will have any effect on my skin. Also, it is supposed to be anti-aging, a skin smoothing miracle. However, this miracle may not come cheap - some of the collagen beauty products can fetch for hundreds of dollars. This warrants some research (or rather Google-ing) and here are a few things I learned (sources are linked within the post):

Panic over parabens

Let us face it. Beauty products are sometimes full of BS and marketing hype. Anti-aging. Breakthrough technology. All-natural. Of course, some claims may actually be true, but are we discerning enough to know which ones are true and not? How do we know we are not paying ridiculous claims worth nothing?

Let's take a look at one of the labels we often see in products nowadays: paraben-free. For those who have no idea what they are: paraben (butylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben) is a class of chemicals commonly used as preservatives. Recently, some beauty brands have been pegging this label into their products, implying that parabens are unsafe. But how (un)safe are parabens anyway?

Pulblic Safety Advisory: Kanebo Cosmetics voluntarily recalls products with Rhododenol

Rhododenol or 4HPB, is a substance implicated in cases of white blotches on the skin. Rhododenol-containing products have also been banned by FDA last July 4, 2013 following this voluntary recall by Kanebo Cosmetics, manufacturer of the said whitening ingredient.

White patches from rhododenol (Provided by Kanebo Cosmetics Inc.)

Sour facts of Calamondin (Calamansi)

I love calamansi juice. Especially if it has some honey in it, topped with a few ice cubes. I also love it on my pancit, as it gives a certain tangy flavor to the dish. It is also very nice with green tea and some aloe bits.

However, I will always cringe at the slight mention of calamansi as a part of the Pinay's natural and cheap arsenal of whitening products. Heck, it is so common here in the Philippines that my mother believed it can whiten my elbows if I'd scrub calamansi on them every day.