Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed Eye Cream

English Rose Cosmetics is a brand new skin care brand I’m currently developing.  I’ve spent time researching ingredients and developing formulations and am delighted to announce I will be going into production soon.  My website www.english-rose-cosmetics.com will go live by September 2012 hopefully. 

But first I’d like to share with you how I’ve formulated my first under Eye Cream

Why do we get dark circles and under eye bags?
Its a consequence of short nights, early wake-ups, stress and tiredness, but you knew that already.  Dark circles and under-eye bags are due to a slowing down of microcirculation causing blood to congregate in capillaries, making them more visible which is first sign of dark circles. Microcirculation is decreased because of a dilatation of blood capillaries, and weaknesses in capillaries. The membrane surrounding the capillaries is also weak and leads to blood leakage. Blood will accumulate in the extra-cellular matrix, and the degradation of hemoglobin (by oxidation) will create bilirubin, a blue-green pigment making the dark circles appear worse.  In addition, because of the slow down of blood and lymphatic microcirculation there will be water and lymph leakage thus causing the  appearance of bags under the eyes. Age is also a factor of bags, as the supporting tissues are less strong and fat will cluster in the under eye bags.

How Do We Prevent Dark Circles and Bags?
1.     Stimulate blood and lymphatic microcirculation
2.     Strengthen blood capillaries to prevent blood and water leakage
3.     Prevent hemoglobin degradation (which create bilirubin by oxidation)
4.     Get more sleep!

Cytobiol™ Lumin Eye at 5% 
There are a handful of actives that decrease dark circles and under eye bags, I found the evidence for Cytobiol the most impressive and have used it at 5% so it should bloody work!  It’s a synergistic blend of the following ingredients:-
1.        Esculin and fraxin from the bark of a European Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) these are clinically proven to reinforce capillaries, reduce blood leakage and elimate the pigments responsible for skin colorantion and erase signs of tiredness.
2.       Organic silicon is already present in collagen and elastic and helps reinforce the structure and elasticity of the vessels and makes the connective tissues stronger and more flexible. Organic silicon helps reinforce capillaries structure, completing the action of esculin and fraxin.
3.       Vitamin B3 also reinforces the structure of the blood vessels and helps to maintain or restore a normal blood flow in capillaries.

Additional actives used

1.      Sodium Hyaluronate – intense hydration and repair UV damage
2.      Tocopherol – anti-oxidant
3.      Allantoin – soothes skin and promotes cell regeneration
4.      Creatine – improve skin firmness by boosting collagen production

What to look for in an under eye cream
As the skin around the eyes is much thinner than elsewhere on your face and body, pick a product that sinks  in with virtually no rubbing in.  Dot a small amount under the eyes using the ring finger and massage in small circles on the outer corner of the eyes to help reduce fine lines.  Look for actives/ingredients that have been proven to work and are used at a high enough level to be effective, any good quality ingredient will have good evidence that can demonstrate how effective it is – don’t be afraid to do your own research, and don't just spend £60 or more under the assumption it has to be good.  I'm going to be selling mine for under £15 for 15ml and I've used a clinically proven active at 5% as well as other anti-ageing actives.

TOP TIP

If your using an anti-ageing day or night cream, and it sinks in nicely, you should be able to use this under your eye and thus save yourself a bit of money by not buying two separate ingredients.  If you want to do something about hiding the wrinkles than look for eye creams that contain optical blurring.  My second under eye cream will likely have ingredients proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well as ingredients for giving a soft focus effect!

Simple Soothing Facial Toner

The main function of a toner is to cleanse the skin and shrink the appearance of the pores.  There is a danger that if we over cleanse our skin, it can lead to excess oil production and throw the skin out of balance.   For that reason I make moisturising more of a priority and try not to over cleanse and always make sure that if I do use a toner, its mild.

Sensitive skin – a mild toner with virtually no alcohol i.e. rose water, water and humectants* to keep the upper layers of the skin moisturised
Normal/combination skin – a tonic with up to 20% alcohol i.e. orange floral water, water and humectants is recommended
Oily skin – an astringent with 20-60% alcohol i.e. witch hazel, anti-bacterial ingredients i.e. tea tree, water and humectants,

Ingredients

Sodium PCA – Occurs naturally in human skin and is responsible for binding moisture to the cells as it holds several time its weight in water, which makes it an intensive humectants.
Allantoin – soothes skin and promotes cell regeneration
Witch Hazel – astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, repair UV damage
Chamomile – calming, anti-inflammatory & anti-bacterial
Pantolactone, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol & Sorbitol – humectants and skin conditioning agents

Toners
A few decades ago we have the 3 step routine drummed into us
1. Cleanse 2. Tone 3.  Moisturise
This was wonderful for the beauty brands as they were guaranteed a sale of 3 products, and it was hinted that the best result would only come from using products from the same range.  Then over the years combined cleanser & toners were developed and then came the face wipe, which suited us all as it saved so much time, and was so handy, the only negative being potential landfill problems.

Rating

Value for money – +_ £3.00 for a 200 ml bottle available from most druggists and supermarkets and online
Effectiveness – this is very kind to the skin, with the majority of the ingredients being beneficial
Pampering factor – although it is gentler on the skin than most toners, I feel the need to heavily moisturise after applying
Recommended

* Humectants – used in food and cosmetics to keep moisture in.

L’Oreal Men Expert Vita Lift

A male friend of mine uses this and wanted to know what was good about it.  It’s a two part daily moisturiser with an Orange Firming Gel (Pro-Tensium) and a White Anti-wrinkle cream (Pro-Retinol).  My first thought was that it looks similar to Revitalift under the women’s skin care and indeed it is has the same claims but the colour red has been used instead.

Is it a Gimmick to have a two part face cream?
Not always, there are some ingredients that will not work in a gel (carbomer) base and some ingredients that are better suited to a gel base.   Looking at the INCI list on the box (which I think combines both parts) carbomer isn’t mentioned, so this may well be a gimmick for this particular product, or a way to give less products as despite the normal 100ml looking box, there is only 30ml of product!

Ingredients

There is only 1 ingredient list under 781796 2, which I initially thought referred to the white cream in part 2, but when I noticed Red and Yellow colours near the top of the list, I realised this would be for the orange gel part and I noticed Retinyl Palmitate at the bottom of the list which would be for the white cream.

Ascorbyl glucoside – a stable form of vitamin C for brightening, and anti-oxidant benefits

Acetyl trifluoromethylphenyl valylglycine – is a high end skin conditioning agent – I couldn’t find too much data on this, but there are many natural skin conditioners out there ie shea butter that would probably just as effective

Ethylhexyl methoxycinammate & drometrizole – these are sunscreens, so a good product to see, the pack doesn’t advertise SPF so its possible its function is to protect the product from UV degradation

Palmitic acid – emollient (quite a basic product)

Limonene – a natural citrus odour

Peppermint Leaf extract – I suspect this is the “Pro-Tensium” as its known to have a uplifting, invigorating effect in the skin – doesn’t sound that high tech to me!

Retinyl Palmitate  (Pro-Retionol) – is a form of Vitamin A, and is more gently as its 20% weaker than Retionoic Acid and as it’s 3^rd from bottom of this list its used in miniscule amounts to make much difference.

The remainder of the ingredients are typical for skincare namely water, humectants, silicones, oils,  alcohols, thickeners/stabiliser, colours, preservatives etc. 

The Claims

1.    Pro-Tensium for making skin feel taut and firmer – a very fancy name for Peppermint Extract.
2.   Pro-Retinol a powerful ingredient for wrinkles, yes Retinol is, but this is a weaker version used at a very low level.
3.   Hydrated skin for 24 hours – possibly Acetyl trifluoromethylphenyl valyglycine is responsible for this
4.   Smoother and more supple skin – any emollient, especially petrolatum (Vaseline) would do this
5.   Non greasy, non sticky, quickly absorbed – a high silicone content would make it non greasy and the absence of carbomer in the gel would make it non sticky.

Rating (by my friend)
Value for money – £11.00 for a 30ml – 6/10 – I do think it’s expensive for a 30ml product that is neither high-end nor natural in my opinion
Effectiveness – 8/10
Pampering factor – apparently men don’t rate this!
Recommended – Yes (I really need to introduce him to new products!)

Olive Tree Products Argan Oil Conditioner

I’m a big fan of Argan Oil in hair care products so this extremely large bottle of conditioner recently caught my attention.

What Goes into A Conditoner

Humectants ie glycerin and dipropylene glycol to help the hair retain water
Silicone and Natural oils to penetrate the hair to help it remain soft and pliable and have a healthy shine
Detanglers ie Cetrimonium chloride to give a postive charge to the hair to make it less static and easier to comb and less likely to tangle
Conditioners are normally acidic as this gives a positive charge which improves the hair structure
 
Ingredients of Interest
The first 8 ingredients are typical of most conditioner formulations and have the function of smoothing the hair shaft to make it easy to comb and have a healthily gloss as well as conditioning with the addition of panthenol.  It’s the natural ingredients that are of interest to me, namely:-
Shea Butter – this is an excellent skin moisturiser, not sure what benefit it will impart to the condition of the hair, but would help boost the thickness of the product
Argan Oil – also known as liquid gold and is well documented to be effective in improving the elasticity of the hair, hydrating it, is very good for taming frizzy, curly, rough hair by smoothing it and making it more manageable.  I’ve been using L’oreal Elvive Smooth Intense Shampoo with Argan Oil for over a year now and I have really noticed the difference reviving in the softness and better mangeability of my wavy hair.
Olive Oil – is the closest oil to  sebum, and therefore has the best compatibility with human skin, in hair care it would moisturise the scalp as well as benefiting the condition of the hair.

6 Weeks Later

I’ve used this pretty much every day for the past few weeks, and I’m not overly impressed.  I’ve used about 4-5 pumps at a time for my shoulder length hair and left it on for 2-3 minutes.  Some conditions massage well into hair and slightly change their structure, almost shearing with water.  I find those one give the best conditioning.  This conditioner does not massage into the hair and stays thick and heavy on the hair.  It rinses out fine, but still leaves my hair with some tangles that need a bit of effort combing out, I don’t think its’ made any significant improvement to the condition of my hair.  I think the problem could be the Shea butter, this is a vegetable fat with a waxy consistency and when I look closely at the conditioner I can see bits of wax in it, I don’t think it’s a good ingredient for hair care, and is reducing the benefits of the other ingredients.

TOP TIP

Instead of tipping the remainder of a can of beer down the sink, keep it until next time you wash your hair.  Apply it after you’ve rinsed off shampoo, and leave it on for a few minutes and rinse off slightly.   Works brilliantly as a detangler, and vegetable proteins in the form of wheat, hops and barley contain proteins similar to hair proteins and are therefore nutrients that the hair can absorb in to improve condition and strength.

Rating

Value for money – paid £5.99 for a whopping 1000 ml bottle – which should keep me going for a while!

Distribution – I purchased in TK Max, the company – Olive Tree Products are based in California, so not sure how easy it will be get in the UK in the future

Effectiveness – not as effective as other conditioners I’ve tried

Pampering factor – leaves hair a bit heavy, and doesn’t remove tangles that well