7 Beauty Myths Debunked

Updated May 2020

1. Alcohol is such a common ingredient so it can't be that bad. False! There are some good alcohols like stearyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol which are great for the skin, particularly dry skin because they are emollient (moisturising.) These alcohols are also used as a thickener to improve the texture of a product and to keep the ingredients stable. 

However it is denatured alcohol otherwise known as SD alcohol, isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol which is a problematic ingredient, especially if it's listed in top three on an ingredient list because that means there's a large amount of it in the product. Denatured alcohol is used in cosmetics for a quick-drying feel or to immediately degrease skin for a matte finish while feeling weightless on skin. While it sounds like a hero ingredient for oily skin types looking for ways to control oil, denatured alcohol can actually cause enlarged pores and bumps and dry out the skin because it's too harsh. It can strip the skin of essential lipids, proteins and fats which maintain the skin barrier resulting in a weak skin barrier that's prone to inflammation and irritation.  It can also create even more oiliness because the immediate de-greasing effect is eventually counteracted, leaving your skin looking even more shiny. It's also been said that alcohol helps other ingredients such as retinol and Vitamin C absorb into the skin more efficiently. While it does enhance absorption of ingredients, the alcohol also destroys the skin barrier and it's not worth the negative effect it has on the skin.

2. Mineral Oil is bad for the skin- Not always! If you have acne prone skin you may want to  avoid it but it's good for dry or sensitive skin types*

Mineral oil is a transparent, odorless oil derived from petroleum. It’s then purified to become cosmetic grade mineral oil. Mineral oils are used in cosmetic products for it's moisturising properties.  Mineral oil contain large molecules making it difficult to penetrated the layers of skin and instead will sit on top of the skin. This enables it to trap moisture and prevent it from leaving your body, so that the skin feels more moisturised and less dry. This protective layer on the skin creates a barrier against environment stressors such as wind and pollution. Some people do use products that contains mineral oil to form an 'occulsive barrier' that seals all their nightime products underneath while they sleep.

Another reason why mineral oil is al used in cosmetics is because of the low likelihood of causing a skin reaction (making it a good choice for sensitive skin) and the fact that it doesn't spoil in hot, humid climates. It’s completely safe, soothing and non-sensitising. Mineral oil is actually classed as as low on the comedogenic scale (0-2) which means that by itself it's not pore clogging. However mineral oil can trap other ingredients onto the top layer of the epidermis which can lead to clogged pores if that ingredient is known to clog pores. Heavier products such as face balms and ointment tend to be heavy and are more occulsive  which may make some acne and rosea prone skin worse. In this case choose lighter formulas or perhaps avoid using this ingredient.

Conclusion- It is safe to use. It's good for dry skin but may aggrate acne prone skin or those with rosea espeically if it's a balm testure. It's best when used by itself eg vaseline or in a product that contains other ingredients that are low on the comedogenic scale. 

Photo by Becky Fantham on Unsplash

3. The Natural is better fallacy. Natural Skin and body care products are often claimed to be better for you as they don't contain 'chemicals.' However natural does not equal better. Arsenic is a natural chemical but it's posionous and fatal to us even if it's just rubbed onto the skin. It's better to look at the ingredients lists for common irritants like essential oils particularly lavender.  Mint essential oils can also be irritating if you have sensitive or acne prone skin so avoid using peppermint, eucalyptus and spearmint. Citrus essential oils are also irritants, they include lemon, orange, bergamot and lemongrass. 

4. Do not assume that expensive products will work better. Yes high end brands will have more money to invest in the latest technology and invest in quality ingredients but it is possible to find something that works and doesn't cost the earth. For example award winning brand The Ordinary was a game changer by making skincare products such as oils, AHAs and BHA's at affordable prices. Skincare brand Garden of Wisdom and The Inky List rival The Ordinary with their affordable pricing, although I haven't tried any of  their products yet I've read lots of good reviews. I love Simple skincare because they cater to my sensitive skin, their products are often fragrance free and they can be found in any drugstore. I also like Aveeno because I've never reacted to their products and they're fairly gentle on the skin. In fact in the Eve Lom cleansing Balm is the main ingredient is mineral oil which is quite inexpensive and yet the product retails at £55.

5. Oily Skin does not need moisturising and you shouldn't use oil on oily skin -Wrong!

Your skin still needs hydration whatever the type. With oily skin you will find that the oil lubricates the skin but does not provide moisture. (This is why dehydrated skin and dry skin also get mixed up. Dehydrated skin lacks water not oil. Dry skin types just lacks oil.) A common mistake is to avoid oils and just use cleansers that end up removing the natural oil (sebum) in the skin. Unfortunately this will just prompt the skin to overcompensate for this dryness and produce more oil! The Oil Cleansing Method is based on the idea that like disolves like-  meaning that oil is able to dissolve and remove excess oil/sebum, clear out clogged pores and remove waterproof makeup and dead skin. Oil cleansing can help regulate oil production by balancing the skin and maintaing hydration. For oily skin types jojoba oil is supposed to be good balancing oils and reducing acne.

6.  The SPF in my foundation is all I need- Wrong! While it's great that some foundations have SPF, often they're too low to adequately protect your skin against the sun (e.g. SPF15, SPF20.) While foundations with higher SPF of 30 and above are better they still need to be liberally applied on the face but we don't tend to apply foundation this way so we apply too little.

So what should you do instead? Either apply sunscreen underneath your foundation or try layering products with SPF in them. Layering products means that the layer will become thick enough to protect your face from the sun. To layer products, one of them must be at least SPF30 and applied liberally all over the face. Choose products for your skin type and layer them by texture. For example if you have oily skin, a lightweight, matte finish moisturiser with SPF 30 can be generously applied first, then a primer with sunscreen and finally a liquid or powder foundation with sunscreen. If you want to add an eye cream with SPF, apply it after your SPF moisturiser and then put on makeup.

Note: Beware of SPF maths! Applying an moisturiser with SPF 30, and then a primer with SPF 15, and then a foundation with SPF 25 doesn’t add up to SPF 70 but it does give more sun protection which is the most important thing.


7. The white specks under your nails means you have a calcium deficiency-Wrong!

Credit Almay

These white blotches are called Leukonychia punctata. They are caused by damage to the base of the nail also known as the matrix. Nails consist of cells containing large amount of sturdy protein called keratin. These cells grow outwards to form fingernails and toenails. Any damage to the matrix will stop any newly formed keratin filled cells from bonding together properly. This resuts in a small white blotch  at the bottom of the nail. The blotch moves upwards as it begins to grow. The damage or trauma to the nail can be from excessive tapping, chewing nails, smacking a table, even a vigorious manicure or slamming a finger in the door. We don't tend to make the connection as to what caused the white blotch because our nails take so long to grow. It can take up to 6 weeks for the damage in the matrix to grow and manifest itself as a white spot in the nail. By then we've forgotton about the time we smacked the table in frustration or tapped our fingers in impatience or nervously chewed our nails at an interview or had a vigorius manicure. These blotches are like nail bruises. Simple white blotches on the nails aren't harmful and they will grow out but it can take up to 8 months. However if the nail is completely white it could be sign of someting serious such as liver cirrhosis, kidney failure or heart disease, so it's best to go and see a doctor.

Refrences
2. *Brydie Dermatologists settle the mineral oil debate. / Paula's Choice Ingredients Dictory /Dr Dray The Truth about mineral oil in skincare
5.Healthline Oil Cleansing Method How it Works Healthline Jojoba Oil & Acne Does it Work? / Bustle Beauty Myths we need to leave behind. 
7. The Naked Scientist Myth: why we get white spots on our nails / Wikipedia Leukonychia/ The Sun Do you have white marks on your nails?

The Ordinary & Hylamide Skincare Review

The Ordinary describes their products as 'clinical formulations with integrity' and I think it's an accurate description of their branding and philosophy. They seemed to have named the brand 'The Ordinary' to represent a no frills skincare range that is 'effective...at honourable prices.' The scientific language isn't really user friendly but since the demand for the brand has exploded there are lots of reviews that tell you what a particular product is and how to use it. Like The Ordinary, Hylamide is another brand by Deciem. They have a core essential range as well as serums and primers.

The Ordinary and Hylamide ranges are cruelty free, they do not test on animals and most of their products are vegan. The Ordinary skincare range is free of irritating ingredients such as parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury and oxybenzone.

For my dehydrated combination skin I have been using Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi Depth & Rehydration Booster (serum) and Natural Moisturising Factors + HA (moisturiser) in the morning.
In the evening I've been using Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi Depth & Rehydration Booster (Serum) and 100% Plant derived Squalane (moisturiser.)

Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi Depth & Re hydration Booster (Vegan, alcohol & silicone free.)
The Hylamide Low Molecular HA Booster comes in a 30ml frosted glass bottle with a pipette which means you have more control over the serum and won't waste any product. The frosted glass helps somewhat to protect the serum from breaking down under sunlight while still being able to see how much product there is. It also makes it looks very sophisticated!

The Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi Depth & Re-hydration Booster is basically a serum that claims to give both short and longer term below surface re- hydration and a plump and youthful appearance. They key ingredient is Hyaluronic acid (HA) which is known for it's excellent moisturising properties. This serum contains 5 forms of hyaluronic Acid (HA) compounds that target different layers of skin and each have a different moisturising function. You apply it once or twice a day (AM or AM &PM) before a moisturiser and under any makeup. It's also fragrance free.

My skin is dehydrated and I had dry patches on my forehead which started to flake which looked awful with foundation. I've been applying this to my forehead and bridge of my nose for the last 3 or 4 months. Initially this was amazing I no longer had any flakiness and my forehead felt smooth and hydrated. However I feel like it got rid of the flakes and moisturised my skin but only to a certain extent because I still have dry patches on my forehead so I probably need a chemical exfoliator. Recently I've been using it for my whole face and it does moisturise well and does not irritate my sensitive skin.
£18 Deciem / Beauty Bay/  ASOS/

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors +HA  (Vegan, alcohol free, oil free, silicone free) 
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA comes in a tube which is more hygienic and airtight than jar packaging but the tube was smaller than I expected (30ml.) The 'Natural Moisturising Factors' consists of 11 amino acids, fatty acids, triglycerides, urea, ceramides, phospholipids, glycerin, saccharides, sodium PCA and hyaluronic acid. They all help to keep the outer layer of the skin protected and hydrated.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors +HA promises non-greasy immediate hydration and lasting results with continued use. I usually use E45 cream which is like a lotion and this is definitely thicker, like a cream and I'd say more creamy rather than greasy. It's not scented and doesn't really smell like anything. It takes about 2-3 minutes to absorb into the skin and dries to a matte finish. It works well under my makeup. It offers a light to medium level of hydration and made my skin feel soft. However I have dry and sore patches skin on either side of my nose and this sometimes makes these areas feel sore and it didn't really hydrate those areas. It's good as a basic moisturiser, but it doesn't offer as much 'immediate hydration' compared to Ren's Vita Mineral Moisturiser which my skin drank up. I don't think that this moisturiser has any long lasting moisturising results with continued use either.
£4.90 Deciem / Beauty Bay

The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Squalane (Vegan, nut free, oil free, alcohol free)
The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Squalane is basically a solution that moisturises the skin and prevents ongoing loss of hydration. It contains 100% pure plant-derived Squalane that is ECOCERT approved and is a USDA Certified Bio-based Product.  It is greasy despite claiming to be oil free and it seems to sit on the skin for a long time before it absorbs. However it seems to be working leaving my skin moisturised and plump by morning.  I would recommend using this at night because I think it would leave the skin too oily to apply makeup afterwards.  You do only need a few of drops of this so a little will go along way especially if you use it once a day. The bottle is brown to help prevent UV rays from breaking down the product inside and it has a pipette so you can control how much to use.

The Ordinary recommend using this as the last step in their blemish skincare guide because it offers surface hydration and it is non-comedogenic meaning that it that won't block pores. However recently I have noticed that I have had more spots on and under my chin and a couple of red flat spots on my forehead. I'm not sure if it's due to this but it's been the only changes I've made in my skincare routine. Since then I have been adding just one drop into my moisturiser (The Ordinary's Moisturising Factors/E45) and the spots have decreased. I think you could probably use this under makeup if you had dry skin and just added one drop into your foundation. This is multi purpose as it can be used on the hair to increase heat protection, add shine and reduce breakage. My hair is naturally very shiny but gets greasy quickly so I would just use this as a heat protector.
£5.50 The Ordinary Deciem, ASOS

The Ordinary Rosehip Seed Oil (Vegan, nut free, alcohol free, silicone free.)
I use this to give my moisturiser a boost. I have been adding one drop to my E45 moisturiser for a more nourishing night cream. Rosehip Seed oil does tend to smell very fishy so I'm not sure if I want it all over my face for a night cream or a day cream. I have also used it on my nails after removing nail polish and it made them less dry.
£9 The Ordinary/ ASOS

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (Vegan, alcohol free, oil free, silicone free.)
This is a high strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula. Niacinamide is supposed to shrink pores and help fade red blemishes while the Zinc helps to balance oily skin. The ingredient list is fairly short with only 10 ingredients which suggests that only the most essential ingredients have been chosen. This is good because it means that the product isn't bulked up by irritating fragrance, colour or unnecessary ingredients. The Ordinary says not to use this at the same time as using vitamin C because it will reduce it's effectiveness. You apply this over the entire face morning and evening before heavier creams such as a rich night cream. This works more like spot cream/serum or a short term solution rather than a treatment for acne (there aren't any acids in the formula which help to treat acne.)

I have been using this on my forehead where I have big pores and to the blemish on my right cheek which has been there for a month and nothing seems to get rid of it. My skin usually reacts well with Niacinamide so I was surprised that this didn't have any effect on my skin. It didn't shrink any of the pores on my forehead and the blemish went with the help of tea tree oil. I think it can work on blemishes but very slowly. I also noticed that if you don't follow up with moisturiser it leaves a sticky film on the skin. To be honest I won't be buying this again.
£5 Deciem / Beauty Bay ASOS 

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution (contains witch hazel) (Vegan, Alcohol free, oil free)
I was choosing between this and Paula's Choice Salicylic acid and chose this because it was cheaper.  However when I applied this to my spots I expected it to have got rid of them or for them to reduce in size in 24 hours and they looked the same. I know that expecting results in 24 hours may be setting the bar too high but I have used other products where I have seen dramatic results within 24 hours. I found this very slow to work it took around 10-14 days to eliminate any spots. However when I used this in conjunction with The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Mask and Simple Cleansing Oil it did decrease some of the blackheads around my nose so i'll keep it around.
£4.25 The Ordinary/ Beauty Bay 

In my opinion I feel that The Ordinary Moisturising Factors + HA is a basic moisturiser and nothing special, it will do the job but because of the inclusion of Hyaluronic acid (HA) I expected it to be more moisturising than it is. I think there are more nourishing moisturisers out there so I wouldn't repurchase. I will probably buy the Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi-depth re-hydration Booster again because I could tell it was working and it's fairly affordable for a serum. I might repurchase The Ordinary Rosehip Seed Oil, it's good value for money being one of the cheapest rosehip seed oils around while being of good quality. For me the rosehip seed oil and The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Squalane seemed interchangeable so I would probably just buy one of them. I have a bottle of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant which I want to compare to The Ordinary's as they both have the same percentage of salicylic acid. If they work exactly the same then I would buy The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution because it's much cheaper. Finally I won't be buying The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + zinc 1% as it didn't seem to do anything for me.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Zest Beauty

I feel that the buzz around The Ordinary is how affordable their oils, AHAs, BHAs and retinol products are compared to other brands. As well as being affordable their oils are also pure and 100% cold pressed. The Ordinary is a no frills brand that is very knowledgeable about skin care but I think some of their products are just average (like their Natural Moisturising Factors +HA) which is fine because The Ordinary doesn't pretend to be a luxury brand but a brand that provides the basics. It's a good brand to start with if you're just getting into skincare (like me) and you can try out products such as serums, oils, retinoids and AHA's which tend to be expensive, without losing much money. The Ordinary does have a large range of skincare products to choose from and you can mix and match according to your skincare needs. The hype around The Ordinary has introduced me to Deciem and their other brand ranges such as Hylamide and I also can't wait to try NIOD's Non Acid Precursor. Although Deciem and Hylamide are more expensive I have a feeling that they would produce quicker and better results. I chose to buy the Hylamide Low Molecular HA Multi Depth Hydration Booster serum over The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% +B5  because I read reviews that said it worked quicker. However I am eagerly anticipating the launch of The Ordinary's Invisible UV Filters SPF 35 with Antioxidants which I want to try out next.

So which Ordinary & Hylamide Products do you recommend trying?