There is a great correlation between the morphology of a skin condition and what is chosen for correction in both treatments and the cosmetic chemistry found in product lines. At times, there may be a great deal of emphasis placed on a brand or isolated ingredients without realizing that a manifested skin condition requires research and contemplation going beyond what is visually apparent. Products are…

One of the most dreaded client complaints is one involving a reaction to product. Potential problems can range from simple rashes to full-blown allergic reactions. Skin reactions to product make clients distrustful of future recommendations, leaving aestheticians helpless and frustrated in their often futile attempts to figure out what is happening and why. To complicate matters, symptoms of a reaction to a cosmetic product cannot…

Heat flows from warm to cold objects. As environmental temperature drops, heat is lost from the body. We respond in two ways to a drop in temperature; the first is peripheral vasoconstriction, and the second is an increase in metabolism in an effort to generate more heat. Almost all of the skin’s problems associated with the cold can be derived from these two facts. Cold…

There is nothing that causes more grief and dismay to a cosmetic chemist or a formulator than being told which specific preservative to use or being asked to create a preservative-free skin care product. As more brands are joining the “does not contain” movement, the claims regarding preservatives have escalated from paraben-free to formaldehyde-donor free, and in some instances, preservative-free… the scariest claim of all.