Beauty Bulletin - Full Version

The Basics

Sun protection is an everyday must for anyone concerned with keeping their skin in top shape (and that includes avoiding wrinkles, brown discolorations, building collagen, keeping skin firm, and even preventing skin cancer). SPF 15 is the minimum rating to look for and higher is better for some skin colors and conditions; all sunscreens must be liberally applied; and UVA protection is critical.

UVA protection depends on the active ingredients in the product you are using so be sure one or more of these active ingredients are included: avobenzone (sometimes listed as butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, Mexoryl (ecamsule) or, outside the U.S., Tinosorb.

Decisions, Decisions

There are several important factors that influence how you choose and should apply a sunscreen:

How long you are going to be in the sun or sitting next to a window (UVA radiation, the sun's most damaging rays, come through windows). The longer you are going to be in the sun or exposed to UVA radiation via windows the higher the SPF number you need to look for.
Are you willing to apply your chosen sunscreen liberally? No matter what SPF rating you choose, you have to apply it liberally. If you aren't applying it liberally always go for a higher number to assure you are getting as much sunscreen ingredients on your skin as possible.
Will you be swimming or perspiring heavily? If so, go for sunscreens labeled water resistant or very water resistant. Be sure to reapply as directed, especially after toweling off.

You'll also want to take into consideration your skin type and whether or not you'll be wearing makeup.

Those with normal to dry skin should use sunscreens in a lotion or cream base.
Those with oily or combination skin should go for sunscreens formulated in a lightweight lotion with a matte finish, a liquid, or an alcohol-free gel base. Many spray-on sunscreens are excellent for oily skin.
If you're going to be wearing foundation, you can choose a foundation with sunscreen and pair it with a moisturizer with sunscreen and a pressed powder with sunscreen!

What's Your Rating?

Your ideal SPF number is a multiplication figure based on your skin color and the SPF number on the product.

Identify Your Skin Color:

	Level 1 skin is very fair and often freckled. It burns easily within about 20 minutes of direct sun exposure and never tans. This is common for people with blue eyes and blonde or red hair.		Level 2 skin is fair to light and often burns with about 30 minutes of direct sun exposure. Tanning may occur but is minimal. This is common in people with blue, green, or hazel eyes and red, blonde, or light brown hair.
	Level 3 skin is light to medium or olive and sometime burns with about 40 minutes of direct sun exposure. Tanning is possible, but typically sunburn happens first. This level can apply to those of any hair or eye color.		Level 4 skin is medium to tan skin that rarely burns but can turn pink in about 60 to 90 minutes of direct sun exposure yet often tans easily. This is common for people with dark hair and eyes.
	Level 5 skin is brown to dark brown skin that very rarely burns and tans easily in about two hours of sun exposure. Those with dark hair and eyes and of Middle Eastern or African-American descent are usually at this level.		Level 6 skin is black skin that never burns and always tans, though a tan is usually not apparent due to depth of natural skin color.

REGARDLESS OF YOUR SKIN COLOR AND HOW EASILY YOU TAN, WRINKLES, SKIN DISCOLORATIONS, AND SKIN CANCERS ARE PRIMARILY CAUSED BY UNPROTECTED SUN EXPOSURE!

Next, Do the Math:

Your Level of Sunburn Risk x by the SPF Rating = Safe Sun Exposure for Your Skin Color
The SPF number is a rating that determines how long you can stay in the sun without burning when you wear that product without needing to reapply it. It does not indicate quality of protection, just length of time. Here's how to do the math. If you have:
- Level 1 skin (very fair)
- That means you usually get a burn in about 15 to 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. Determining your skin's response to various SPF ratings works like this:
  - SPF 15 x 20 minutes = 300 minutes (5 hours) of protection
  - SPF 30 x 20 minutes = 600 minutes (10 hours) of protection
  - SPF 45 x 20 minutes = 900 minutes (15 hours) of protection
- Level 2 skin (fair to light)
- That means you usually get a burn in about 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. Determining your skin's response to various SPF ratings works like this:
  - SPF 15 x 30 minutes = 450 minutes (7.5 hours) of protection
  - SPF 30 x 30 minutes = 900 minutes (15 hours) of protection
  - SPF 45 x 30 minutes = 1,350 minutes (22.5 hours) of protection
- Level 3 skin (light to medium/olive)
- That means you usually get a burn in about 40 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. Determining your skin's response to various SPF ratings works like this:
  - SPF 15 x 40 minutes = 600 minutes (10 hours) of protection
  - SPF 30 x 40 minutes = 1,200 minutes (20 hours) of protection
  - SPF 45 x 40 minutes = 1,800 minutes (30 hours) of protection
- Level 4 skin (medium to tan)
- That means you usually get a burn in about 60 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. Determining your skin's response to various SPF ratings works like this:
  - SPF 15 x 60 minutes = 900 minutes (10 hours) of protection
  - SPF 30 x 60 minutes = 1,800 minutes (30 hours) of protection
  - SPF 45 x 60 minutes = 2,700 minutes (45 hours) of protection
- Level 5 and Level 6 skin (brown to dark brown or black)
- That means you usually get a burn in about 120 minutes (2 hours) of unprotected sun exposure. Determining your skin's response to various SPF ratings works like this:
  - SPF 15 x 120 minutes = 1,800 minutes (*30 hours) of protection
  - SPF 30 x 120 minutes = 3,600 minutes (60 hours) of protection
  - SPF 45 x 120 minutes = 5,400 minutes (90 hours) of protection

*Note that level 5 and 6 skin should do just fine with a well-formulated sunscreen rated SPF 15. However, liberal application is still important. If you do not think you'll be applying the sunscreen as liberally as you should, consider a sunscreen rated SPF 30.

Paula's Choice Has Several Options to Keep You Covered 365 Days a Year!
I am proud to offer a wide selection of expertly-formulated sunscreens. Each provides sufficient, reliable UVA protection while helping to boost skin's environmental defenses with added antioxidants and other beneficial ingredients. Paula's Choice sunscreens are fragrance-free and thoroughly tested to ensure safety and effectiveness.

SPF 15:

Best for the Neck Down: Essential Non-Greasy Sunscreen SPF 15 or Pure Mineral Sunscreen SPF 15

Best for the Face: Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion with SPF 15 & Antioxidants or Skin Recovery Daily Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15 & Antioxidants

Foundation and Pressed Powder with Sun Protection (it all adds up!):

Foundation: All Bases Covered Foundation SPF 15, Best Face Forward Foundation SPF 15, or Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20

Pressed Powder: Healthy Finish Pressed Powder SPF 15

SPF 30:

Extra Care Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 30 or Ultra-Light Weightless Finish SPF 30 Spray

SPF 45 and Greater:

Extra Care Non-Greasy Sunscreen SPF 45 or Ultra-Light Sunscreen Spray Lotion SPF 55

Keep in mind: Regardless of the SPF rating no sunscreen can block 100% of the sun's rays. That's why you may still get a mild sunburn or begin to tan after spending a few hours in the sun, and why it's important to consider other sun-smart tips. Those tips include avoiding the sun during peak hours (10 a.m.- 2 p.m.), seeking shade when possible, and wearing protective clothing, including broad-brimmed hats and sunglasses.

$$$ FREDERIC FEKKAI Ageless Rejuvenating Shampoo ($35 for 6.7 ounces). The claims for this incredibly expensive shampoo are beyond belief! No shampoo can protect hair from oxidative damage or any of the other biological changes associated with aging. The backbone ingredients in this shampoo for normal to slightly dry hair of any thickness are the same ingredients that show up in hundreds of other shampoos. Adding keratin (a natural protein that is the major component of hair) and miscellaneous plants isn’t going to stop your hair from aging or combat free-radical damage. Adding keratin to hair is like adding ground-up nails to a nail polish and assuming that will help protect your nails!

The ingredient biotinoyl tripeptide-1 is said to facilitate cellular communication between collagen and other substances in hair, all in an effort to prevent the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from causing hair to thin and fall out. The only information about this ingredient comes from the companies that sell it or from patents for ingredients that contain it. Unfortunately, neither of these sources must prove efficacy, they just assert it as fact. There is no substantiated research that a tiny amount of this peptide in hair-care products can slow or stop age-related hair loss or thinning. Not to mention that even if this ingredient did work in that way, it is rinsed down the drain before it has a chance to work. This shampoo works to cleanse the hair and scalp and provides a light conditioning benefit, but that’s it. I can’t fault the formula’s efficacy as a shampoo, but all of the age-reversing claims are bogus.

Neutral face

$$$ LAURA MERCIER Flawless Skin Day Lotion SPF 15 ($95 for 1.7 ounces). It would be incredibly convenient if all it took to attain flawless skin was one product with sunscreen, but Mercier is simply capitalizing on a name that has worked well for her makeup line (not to mention that as a makeup artist Mercier is known for creating "the flawless face"). There are no active ingredients listed for this daytime moisturizer for normal to slightly dry or slightly oily skin, so it isn’t a sunscreen you can rely on. The formula contains three sunscreen agents (including a tiny amount of avobenzone, listed by its chemical name butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), but they don’t count because they’re not listed as active. Beyond the sunscreens, the base formula is quite good, even assuming that you know the powerful Deep Sea Water claim is just plain hokey. Although pricey, this contains some notable antioxidants, cell-communicating peptides, and a smattering of skin-identical ingredients. The silky texture and lighter finish are ideal when applied under makeup, so it’s that much more disappointing that the SPF 15 comes without active ingredients to support the rating and make this a daytime moisturizer I could recommend highly.

great

ZIA NATURAL Super Moisturizing Mask ($19.95 for 3.3 ounces). The shea butter, honey, and cucumber that serve as the main selling points for this moisturizing mask are not going to have much impact on dry skin, primarily because none of them are included in amounts deserving of top billing. Remember, a line with a "natural" angle isn’t going to sell products if they call out synthetic ingredients, like glyceryl stearate, so the shea butter and honey win. Although this mask has the potential to make dry skin look and feel better, it contains a range of fragrant plant oils whose detrimental effects on skin make this a mask to avoid.

For the latest new product reviews, reference Beautypedia.com, the completely searchable, continually updated version of my book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. It features over 40,000 detailed product reviews for only $24.95/year.

Dear Paula,

I have read that the Federal Trade Commission regulates "deceptive" and "unfair" advertising by cosmetics companies. However, in the past you have intimated that there is no regulation for deceptive advertising and that "companies do not have to substantiate claims or prove efficacy of any kind." From what I have read, the FDA does not regulate unproven claims, but the FTC does. The major hair-care companies have legal and claim departments that accumulate evidence to substantiate their claims in a scientific and legal manner. However, I don’t know if their information is based upon in vitro or in vivo data. Any further information you can provide would be helpful.

Trinity, via email

Dear Trinity,

Your comments are well taken. Yes, the FTC and the FDA do differ in their regulations, but that doesn’t necessarily help the consumer when it comes to claims about cosmetics. It is true that the FDA does not have efficacy or safety requirements for cosmetics, but neither does the FTC; they merely rely on information provided by the cosmetics company.

The purview of the FTC is to be concerned about deceptive or erroneous advertising claims. "When the substantiation claim is express (e.g., ‘tests prove,’ ‘doctors recommend,’ and ‘studies show’), the Commission expects the firm to have at least the advertised level of substantiation" (Source: FTC Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation, www.ftc.gov). That means all the FTC cares about is that some kind of "study" for claims does exist, but that doesn’t have to be a published study and it doesn’t have to meet any scientific standards; it just needs to comply with some level of "our studies show." A study showing a moisturizer reduces lines is often done by stripping the skin with alcohol and then applying the so-called astounding formulation. Any skin, after being dried up and irritated with alcohol, would look better when a moisturizer is applied. Or if a study states that skin looked 80% better, that is almost always the subjective opinion of the observer, who is someone hired by the company to conduct the study. That can pass the FTC standards for proof of claim, but it doesn’t help the consumer in any way, shape, or form.

Further, an advertising claim (skin looks younger, repairs hair, non-irritating, reduces free-radical damage, broad-spectrum protection, contains vitamins, lifts skin, fights gravity; is all natural, etc.) is not the same thing as whether or not a product is effective, worth the price, safe to use (whether or not it contains irritating or sensitizing ingredients), really can protect from the entire UVA spectrum, how it compares to other similar products, or how much of an ingredient a product contains.

Plus, exactly what deceptive means is up for debate, which is why the FTC doesn’t act on cosmetic advertising issues very often. For example, if a hair-care product claims to protect from sun damage, the FTC guidelines aren’t concerned about whether the product does or doesn’t contain an SPF, or whether the product only contains enough active ingredients to warrant an SPF of 2. When a hair-care product claims to repair hair or a skin-care product claims to repair skin, the FTC doesn’t take issue that the "repair" claim is a temporary or aesthetic comment and that the actual structure of hair or skin hasn’t really been changed. Even more to the point are claims that skin-care products can reduce fine lines or firm skin or that hair-care products can strengthen the hair. Exactly how firm, how reduced, or how much stronger is not enough to raise red flags for the FTC.

If major hair-care companies have legal and claim departments that accumulate evidence to substantiate their claims, I have yet to see any of that evidence. My team has called every cosmetics company whose products we’ve ever reviewed asking for proof of their claims, and over the years have received almost none (I can count on one hand the number of legitimate studies cosmetics companies have sent to me).

One more point: it is interesting to note that there are definitely times when the FTC has made companies alter their advertising claims (I read about these from time to time in the industry newsletter The Rose Sheet). However, by the time the ad is pulled or rewritten, the consumer has already been deluged with the frivolous claims, which are neatly planted in their thoughts before the reaction and retraction takes place.

I love your products!! I'm never buying anything else again. They truly do what you say they do. I'm using your Remarkable Skin lightening Lotion and Gel. I use the gel in the morning under my makeup and the lotion before I go to bed. The gel is so light you barely know its there. I've been getting so many compliments lately about my skin complexion and I'm definitely ordering more of your products.
—Kamar S.

I am 35 and have been dealing with melasma patches on both cheeks for at least the past 3 years. I have had IPL treatments (at $100 each) every 3-6 months for the past two years, but the little result didn't last. I am pleasantly surprised that these patches look less visible in the two weeks that I have been using the Clearly Remarkable Skin Lightening Gel (in the a.m.) and Lotion (in the p.m.) than they ever have. I am looking forward to how much more they will disappear by the 8-12 weeks that the product info said you should start to see results!!
—Jennie Baugher.

I'm very happy with this product. I was a "sun worshiper" when I was young, and now I'm paying the price. I tried diferent products and a myriad of brands with no results. Paula's lightener really works, some skin patches look smaller and some lighter. I recommend this wonderful lotion.
—Eseban