Saskya ask…Does any one know some about Juice Beauty? I’m looking for a new mosturizer, but I don’t really know what to buy I don’t want something extremely expensive.

The Left Beauty Brain replies
If you are looking for a new moisturizer but don’t want to spend a lot of money, then Juice Beauty is not the product for you. Based on the ingredient lists and the marketing story, Juice Beauty products appear to be a bit over-priced for what you get. Of course, this is true of most facial products. Truthfully, a facial moisturizer is not much different than a moisturizer you might use on your hands.

Juice Beauty Moisturizer

At $36 for 2 ounces of product Juice Beauty moisturizer is only about 50% more expensive than a store brand like Olay or Neutragena. But is it 50% better? To figure this out we need to look at the ingredients and the marketing story.

Juice Beauty Ingredients

Here is the ingredient list for their nutrient moisturizer.

organic juices of vitis vinifera (white grape) juice, daucus carota sativa (carrot) juice & aloe barbadensis leaf juice, organic botanical extracts of calendula officinalis flower, matricaria chamomilla flower, tilia europea (linden) leaf & rose canina (rosehip) fruit, glycerin, organic plant oils of butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) & simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed, organic essential fatty acids of oenothera biennis (evening primrose), linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed & borago officinali (borage) seed, organic honey, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, organic algae extract, squalane, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), panthenol (vitamin B5), hyaluronic acid, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, glyceryl stearate, potassium sorbate, phospholipids, beta carotene, palmitic acid, stearic acid, cetearyl glucoside, xanthan gum, disodium edta, sodium hydroxide, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, litsea cubeba (may chang), cananga odorata (ylang ylang), boswellia carterii (frankincense) & commiphora myrrha pure essential oils.

I have to give them credit, they sure pack a lot of ingredients into their formulas. But this is the first red flag. In fact, it could be a basic Beauty Brains belief.

“BEWARE OF LONG INGREDIENT LISTS”

You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a good moisturizer so when you see a long list you can be fairly certain that the company is trying to trick you. Why have carrots, aloe, grape juice, rose hip, jojoba, linseed, ylang ylang and more? Is this a martini, a salad or a moisturizer?

Of the nearly 40 ingredients in the formula, only about 12 of them are actually making the product work. Those are the thickeners (hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, xanthan gum), and the “fatty/oily/moisturizing” materials (palmitic acid, stearic acid, cetearyl glucoside, glycerin). Other cosmetic ingredients like sodium hydroxide, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol & disodium EDTA are for preservation and formula adjustment. All of these ingredients can be found in less expensive store brands.

The rest of the ingredients are marketing fluff to make you think the product is worth more.

Juice Beauty story

On their website, Juice Beauty has the quote “Buy it because it’s organic…use it because it works.” They then go on to explain why “organic” is better than “non-organic” in an interesting Question and Answer section. In reality, no one has ever shown proof that using “organic” ingredients in skin care products will make them work any better or be any safer for you. It’s one of those things that might feel better even though it’s not.

Brain’s Bottom line

Juice Beauty moisturizer contains ingredients proven to help moisturize your dried out skin. But these ingredients are the same ones you’ll find in less expensive store brands so you might want to try those products first. While Juice Beauty moisturizer is 50% more expensive, it’s not 50% better.

Do you use Juice Beauty products?  What do you think of them?  Are they worth the expense?

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Here’s a round up of articles from some of the other beauty blogs that we found interesting.

• BellaSugar tells you why you should be wearing sunscreen every day. Non-melanoma skin cancer is up 77% since 1992.

And the Dermatology blog further explains the link between sun exposure and cancer. How much more proof do you need that you should wear sunscreen?

• Wow, the 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic takes you through the beauty product bags she packs for a trip. You won’t believe how many products she brings.

Wonder what it’s like to get acupuncture?  Afrobella tells about her acupuncture experience. Of course, this is more proof of the powerful placebo effect that acupuncture has. Still no good scientific evidence to back up it’s effectiveness.

• StyleTips 101 tries to figure out if Tea Tree oil will help clear up her acne. The Beauty Brains are skeptical.

Kiss & Makeup tells us about a Cheetos flavored Lip Balm. Yum?

• And finally, you don’t want to miss the Beauty Brains article about whether sunscreen pills work.

Do you have a beauty blog that the Beauty Brains should be reading? Leave a comment below so we can add you to our RSS.

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Sere says…Hi Brains! I’m an Italian girl who’s trying to do her best to understand something in the complicated world of skin care. I read Paula Begoun’s opinion about fragrance, and from what I could understand, she’s quite severe. I mean she says we should definitely go for truly fragrance-free cosmetics, since fragrance, both synthetic and organic, cause irritation. Even when we cannot actually see skin reactions (like redness etc..), still it’s taking place underneath the skin’s surface, leading to long-term skin damage. So..that is what i wanted to know from you..is it true we should avoid fragrance in cosmetics such as face creams etc, even if we’re not allergic to any of the components of fragrance?

Left Brain smells something fishy
While we love the Cosmetic Cop, I think in this case Paula is overstating the fragrance problem here. You can safely use products with fragrance as long as you are not allergic / sensitive to the components.

What’s wrong with fragrance?

The truth is many people are sensitive to different ingredients found in fragrances. Fragrances can be made up of from 75 to over 100 ingredients so manufacturers aren’t required to list all the component materials. However, they are supposed to list the ingredients that most commonly cause allergic reaction. Here is that list.

Most common fragrance allergens

1. Amyl cinnamal
2. Amylcinnamyl alcohol
3. Benzyl alcohol
4. Benzyl salicylate
5. Cinnamyl alcohol
6. Cinnamal
7. Citral
8. Coumarin
9. Eugenol
10. Geraniol
11. Hydroxycitronellal
12. Hydroxymethylpentylcyclohexenecarboxaldehyde
13. Isoeugenol
14. Anisyl alcohol
15. Benzyl benzoate
16. Benzyl cinnamate
17. Citronellol
18. Farnesol
19. Hexylcinnamaldehyde
20. Lilial
21. d-Limonene
22. Linalool
23. Methyl heptine carbonate
24. g-Methylionone

If you happen to be allergic to one of these ingredients and it is in your product, then you may experience inflammation at the skin surface and below. This isn’t because the ingredient is penetrating the surface, rather it is triggering a chemical response at the surface of your skin.

However, most people are not allergic to the ingredients in fragrances at the levels they are used. So, if the fragrance doesn’t contain an ingredient to which you are sensitive, then there is no proof that it will cause you problems.

Marketing Strategy

It certainly isn’t wrong to tell people that they should buy products that are fragrance free because even if you are not allergic to a particular compound, less exposure to chemicals is better. Sometimes repeated exposure to a compound can cause you to become allergic.

However, the advice for everyone to avoid all fragrances is not based on science. It’s being overly cautious. It’s a bit like when doctors tell pregnant women they shouldn’t drink any alcohol even though there is no proof that drinking a small amount is in any way harmful.

It also seems strangely coincidental that one of the marketing claims for Paula’s Choice products is that they are “100% fragrance free”.

Beauty Brains bottom line

While many people are allergic to fragrance ingredients and would do well to avoid products with fragrances in them, there is no reason that everyone should avoid fragranced products. Fragrances make the product experience more enjoyable and if they don’t bother your skin, feel free to keep using them.

Are you allergic or sensitive to fragrances? How do you feel about them in your beauty products? Leave a message and tell us what you think.

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ibteachnu asks…I can no longer afford Arbonne. What drugstore brands are comparable to their hydrating wash, balancing toner, facial serum, and day creme? I’ve already replaced their RE-9 foaming body wash with Olay’s age defying body wash. What are your thoughts on that product?

Right Brain responds
After that big battle about Arbonne, we no longer let Left Brain answer questions about Arbonne, so this one is mine.

Arbonne Hydrating Wash

At almost $40 for a 3 ounce bottle of the Arbonne Hydrating Wash, it’s no wonder you can’t afford Arbonne anymore. No cleanser is worth that expense. Cleansers are put on and then rinsed away. Unless the skin is specially prepared before-hand, cleansers have limited ability to deliver anything to the skin. They simply remove things.

Arbonne does make it challenging to find ingredient lists, but with enough Google searching you can usually find them. The basic ingredient list for the Hydrating wash is as follows.

Sodium Cocoyl Sulfate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Lauroamphoacetate

This isn’t a complete list but it’s enough to get the general gist of the product. Basically, they are using standard but more gentle surfactants.

Olay alternative?

Oil of Olay is always a good choice. It is made by P&G and is one of the most thoroughly tested skin care lines available. It also has the most cosmetic chemists and scientists behind its development.

The ingredients in this particular product are different than the ones found in Arbonne. Here’s the ingredient list.

Water, Petrolatum, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauric Acid, Fragrance, Trihydroxystearin, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Butyrospermum (Shea Butter) Extract (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, PEG 14M

ALES & ALS are typically harsh detergents but the harshness is more than off-set by the fact that a moisturizing ingredient (Petrolatum) is the second ingredient. The Petrolatum will protect skin from the harshness of the detergents so overall, the Olay product should be more gentle than the Arbonne product.

Closer Drugstore Alternative

The Olay product and Arbonne products should behave similarly but if you are looking for something even closer, consider trying some of the following.

Johnsons Soothing Naturals Hair and Body Wash – hair and body wash. Contains PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate as the primary surfactant.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash – Contains three of the primary surfactants found in Arbonne

Beauty Brains bottom line

Everyone has different skin and you need to experiment to figure out which type of cleansing product works best for you. However, there is no need to spend a lot on a cleansing wash. Go to your local drugstore and find a product that will work for you. It will be good for your skin and wallet too.

How much do you spend on skin cleansing products? Do you think it is worth it? Leave a comment below.

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Kalisa’s Question…What can you tell me about Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser/Mask? Specifically, is there any additional benefit to my skin of using it as mask (leaving it on for three minutes) as opposed to merely washing my face with it?

The Right Brain’s Answer:
To our surprise, Neutrogena does indeed recommend that this cleanser can be left on and used as a mask. We quote:

This revolutionary formula works as a daily cleanser or 3-minute mask. It foams instantly to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup. Skin tingles as the cooling lather deep cleans to leave skin feeling energized and shine-free for hours. For more intensive cleansing, use it as a mask. As it dries, you’ll feel it working deep within the skin’s surface to absorb shine-causing oil and pore-clogging impurities.

Why do we find this surprising? Let’s look at the ingredients, ignoring preservatives, fragrance, etc., and just focusing on the functional ingredients:

Ingredients that clean your skin:
Methyl Gluceth 20, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, Polyquaternium-7

Ingredients that form a film on your skin and feel like a mask:
Polyethylene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax

Based on the presence of the mask type ingredients, this does look different than a typical cleanser – it appears to be designed to have a mask like feel to it. But how good of a mask is this? Typical masks contain clay or some kind of film forming polymer that really tighten the skin as it dries. Becaus this formula is different and because it contains so many cleansing ingredientes that will tend to soften the film so we doubt formula one would give you that strong tightening effect. Based on looking at the formula, our guess is this product would be a really good cleanser but it wouldn’t be a great mask.

But our real concern is about leaving this much surfactant on your face for so long. Surfactants, even relatively mild ones like this formula uses, can irritate skin. This product also contains menthol which is a known irritant.

The Beauty Brain’s bottom line:

Based on looking at the ingredients, we think that the risk of drying out your skin would outweigh any potential benefits. That’s our opinion without doing any testing so take it with the proverbial grain of salt. If anyone has tried this, let us know.

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Lefty and Righty will say we’ve got to be skeptical about beauty products and do research before spending a lot of money blah blah blah. I don’t disagree, but whether you research or not, at some point you’re going to buy new stuff. So, when you do make a decision to buy, there are two ways you can help support the Beauty Brains.

Super sponsors

One, is to buy from our sponsors. Those are the featured ads in our header and on the sidebar to the right of this post.

But you can also support our site by making your next purchase through an amazon link on our site. The best part is, it doesn’t matter WHAT you buy after clicking on our Amazon ads. We still get a portion of the sale and that helps us cover our expenses. That’s right, you can buy ANYTHING on Amazon. To make my point, I found another ridiculous item from Amazon to use as an ad in today’s post. I present to you: the Face-Butt Soap Bar!

Face or Butt?

Yes, that’s right. It’s a dual sided bar of face labeled to help you tell which part of your body to wash. I’m guessing this product will appeal more to guys. But go ahead and click on it anyway. And after you’ve enjoyed a good laugh, and you’re ready to do some serious shopping, go ahead and buy something else. ANYTHING else. If you’re shopping online anyway you can help us out at the same time with no extra cost to you. (If it helps, you can think of it as doing your little part to support the Sarah Bellum Sephora Fund.)

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