PHTHALATES - HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

New York Times has a timely write-up by Gretchen Reynolds today on the adverse impact of environmental chemicals on health.

Gretchen has tried to explain the health risks of Phthalates (THAL-ates) that are a class of chemicals used as solvents and fixatives. Found today in a boggling array of everyday products, from food containers to shampoos and perfume, cosmetics and other personal-care products, they are virtually ubiquitous in the environment and in our bloodstreams.

In 2003, researchers at the US Center for Disease Control documented widespread exposure to a high level of phthalates across the general American public. The chemicals act as binding agents.

Both because of their ubiquitous usage and because they are not listed on product labels, phthalates are next to impossible to avoid. They are in household items (vinyl flooring), personal care products (hair care, body wash, cosmetics), fragrance, household cleaners, and food.

While promoting natural organic skin care products and cosmetics, Herbally Radiant has been raising awareness about the harmful chemical ingredients used in most of the cosmetics. Unfortunately, the labels or packaging of most of these products do not display the harsh chemicals which pose health risks.

There have also been misleading marketing campaigns which do not help consumers to exercise right choice.  Consumers can take matters into their own hands by avoiding products packaged and labeled with attractive claims of instant beautifying effect, without naming their chemical ingredients, or with vague ingredients like “fragrance” or “wrinkle repairer” and so on.

More and more chemical varieties are being experimented with by leading cosmetic manufacturers. Due to lax regulations, the focus of the industry is on capturing wider share of the market even by deceptive unverifiable claims, and less on the health aspect. The R&D team of Herbally Radiant has been monitoring such “new” products, and has yet to find a safe chemical formulation that could enhance beauty, or transform skin overnight.

The herbal organic skin care and cosmetic products being manufactured by Herbally Radiant, since 2010, contain only USDA certified organic ingredients which do create amazing effect on young or mature and dry or oily skin, as the reviews left by satisfied customers on its website would confirm.  

MORE WOMEN GOING IN FOR NATURAL ANTI-AGING FORMULATIONS

Recent market surveys and reports in consumer publications, along with the latest research study by Mintel, confirm that more and more women are showing awareness about long term health of their skin.  The share of natural beauty products is therefore growing as reflected in all the market surveys conducted in recent years.

Mintel team reveals that it is mild, natural and anti-pollution products that are gaining more ground. It says that trusted and easily recognizably ingredients greatly alleviate health concerns of consumers about harsh and potentially harmful chemicals and polluting elements.

Confirmed by other surveys it is evident that more and more consumers are embracing healthy and holistic living. This trend is boosting the growth of anti-aging facial skin care market as well.  The demand for formulations with organic ingredients has shown steady rise over the past many years. This is in line with the positive response of the customers to Herbally Radiant’s products that are manufactured with USDA certified organic ingredients.  The number of women consumers, who have settled  for its amazingly skin-friendly organic anti-aging formulations: Rejuvenating and Radiant range, has grown steadily. The Mintel report shows that 85% consumers are keen to use products formulated with Vitamin ‘C’, 78% are interested in fruit based ingredients while 76% would prefer honey based ingredients.

Another marketing trend that we at Herbally Radiant feel happy about is that more than 82% women prefer to follow social media trend. Earlier, it was left to the celebrities to influence choice of consumers - more a marketing strategy than of real benefit to the consumers. Women now are more discerning; they will learn about the ingredients and try out different products before finding something that works for them.

In the recession-proof beauty industry, the skin care segment has 24% market share; the total market is estimated at $ 56.2 billion. In immediate future, the skin care segment of the industry is estimated to grow to about $ 11 billion by 2018.

MEDITATION FOR LASTING BEAUTY

Meditation is now widely regarded to be the safe and effective technique for overcoming variety of hurdles.  Meditation in combination with yogic exercises offers considerable health benefits – both physical and mental.

We at Herbally Radiant have been highlighting the benefit of meditation for enhancing one’s beautiful appearance. Good inner health is reflected in calmness and destressed facial appearance. A disturbed mind will reflect  agitated facial features, and the skin will also begin to look stressed out.  Inner peace showing stable emotions and serene smile is quite important in preventing premature aging process. One can easily point out any facial skin that has suffered under stressful living.

There are several effective meditation techniques to help one to learn to control one’s mind and to develop positivity of thoughts. There are many breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques that one can follow as a routine to maintain inner balance.  Due to space limitation, it is not possible to detail these techniques here. One can, however, look into any good book guiding meditation practices. Those who are ultimately able to exercise control over their thoughts and emotions, even in adverse situations,  display harmony with everything in their surroundings.

This state of calmness and control over one’s emotions leads to higher state of consciousness, a broader sense of happiness and a benevolent attitude toward all.  Meditation, which teaches you how to rest your mind, thereby causes the vital energies within your body to become unleashed and blossom in full flower, clearing your skin from blemishes and spots.

In the matter of losing weight and getting rid of various stresses too, meditation offers more opportunities. In the case of women who are seeking to develop a more beautiful shape and complexion that exudes a fresh vitality, the use of herbal natural beauty products can give a very powerful boost. At Herbally Radiant we have tested the efficacy and long lasting effect of many formulations with USDA certified organic ingredients. To create more calming and regenerative effect, Herbally Radiant uses a special blend of Essential Oils which supplement the other herbal ingredients. The result has been superb, especially the anti-aging formulations (Rejuvenating andRadiant range) where special blend of Essential Oils in right ratio creates amazing result.

In brief, meditation is beneficial not only for mental and physical health, but also for creating the image that a woman wishes, exuding freshness, calmness and real beauty.

GREEN TEA FOR HEALTH AND BEAUTY

In earlier blogs, Herbally Radiant has tried to create awareness about the benefits that its R&D team has discovered in green tea extracts in the beauty care regime. Herbally Radiant therefore welcomed the latest blog by Vlad Ninov that has highlighted the benefits of green tea. We at Herbally Radiant have learnt many curative properties of tea and tea leave extracts in beauty enhancing formulations.

As VN adds, over the past two decades the western world has been exploring the healing attributes of this amazing herb. The gentle leaf processing technique is responsible for the high levels of polyphenols and antioxidants. These substances prevent the formation of free radicals. Lab studies have shown that green tea is a better source of antioxidants than foods rich in vitamins E and C.

The extracts of buds and leaves of tea make very effective ingredient in Herbally Radiant’s organic beauty products. Green teas have the highest concentration of antioxidant properties (polyphenol and flavonoid content). Green and white teas thus have anticancer and antimutagenic properties which provide excellent skin nourishment.

Green tea protects against free-radical-induced diseases. The antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is the source of green tea’s healing power. Multiple studies reveal that green tea significantly reduces the risk of developing stomach cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer in women. It can effectively alleviate menopause hot flashes and stabilize estrogen levels.

Herbally Radiant has used green tea extracts for its anti-aging properties.  Its  top  products, namely, Rejuvenating and Radiant  range (cleanser, Toner, Serum and Moisturizer), also contain a combination of essential oils which work in tandem with tea extracts and herbal ingredients to create a rejuvenated and radiant facial skin. These formulations have been very popular with customers who have experienced reduction in appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The Rejuvenating and Radiant Cleansers have been specially launched by Herbally Radiant to help eliminate very gently all impurities, including make-up marks, without stripping skin of its natural oils. This helps skin to absorb rich nutrients from specially prepared serums and moisturizers.  The net result is a fine revitalized skin looking extremely soft, smooth, supple and well nourished skin.

BEAUTY INTEGRAL TO HEALTH AND HEALTHY DIET

New York Times (June 16) has another good write up on the benefits of physical work out for brain. It explains how runners’ brains contain high levels of ketones, which are a byproduct of the breakdown of fat, thus highlighting that physical work out is good food for the brain.

MNT in one of its latest bulletins also underlines the importance of daily workout, even for 15 minutes, especially for the elderly. Fifteen minutes of daily exercise is associated with a 22% lower risk of death and may be a reasonable target for older adults, according to Dr David Hupin, a physician in the Department of Clinical and Exercise Physiology, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne in Saint-Etienne, France.

Earlier MNT had quoted one  research, carried out at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts, supporting the findings regarding the benefits of whole grains and its positive impact on lifespan.

According to the Whole Grains Council, whole grain food contains "all the essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed." Examples of whole grains include barley, corn, quinoa, rice, rye, and wheat. Whole grains naturally contain complex carbohydrates and a raft of beneficial vitamins and minerals, including selenium potassium, and magnesium; also, whole grains have minimal fat content.

From the point of beautiful appearance, Herbally Radiant has been promoting healthy food and regular workout for everyone, This is as important for maintaining good looks and overall impressive appearance as use of natural skin care products in lieu of products made from harsh chemical ingredients.

Although  we get most of our nutrition orally, the skin ingests nutrients as well.  In fact, unlike the food we chew and swallow, which is broken down in the stomach before it is absorbed, creams and lotions applied to the skin bypass the digestive process, and go full strength directly into the bloodstream. Like all ingested substances, they become raw material for building new body tissue – or they become potent toxic waste.  HerballyRadiant therefore always advises its customers : Think of your beauty products not as cosmetics, but as food. If you cannot eat it, do not impose it on your skin.

Thus, beauty and brain in a healthy body go together. Therefore, healthy balanced diet, regular work out and going in for the skin-friendly beauty products should be an integrated approach in any beauty care regime.

'ANTIBACTERIAL' SOAP AND TRUTH BEHIND IT

Being in the business of manufacturing and retailing genuine natural skin care products, made with USDA certified organic ingredients, Herbally Radiant has been trying to create awareness among its customers about the growing misleading marketing campaigns, especially when it comes to cosmetics or other beauty enhancing products. These trick consumers into making uninformed decisions. They may waste money on a product or service that can't provide what they are looking for, or they might be unaware of the pitfalls involved in the product or service. Harmful, deceptive ads may involve apparent guarantees that are contradicted in fine print, false warranties, hidden costs or serious health risks.

We at Herbally Radiant also have organic bath soaps that make face or body washing a far more healthy routine than what is conveyed by soaps or cleaning agents with harsh chemical ingredients with ‘promises’ of great beauty benefits. A recent write up by Botanie Soap, manufactures of excellent natural soaps, was quite informative on the issue of subtly deceptive marketing tricks that try to exploit the emotional factors. It said, “just as cable TV ads will suggest you’re being selfish for not buying more insurance to cover “final expenses,” big soap companies will accuse you of not loving your family if you don’t buy the right product to protect them from the illness in the world.

We’re not in the insurance business, or cable television, but we can tell you there is no one skincare product to make your family bullet-proof. There are products advertised as doing just that, but the truth is, they don’t do what they say, and companies touting these products are the last ones you should listen to.

Marketers want to touch you where you live. The point of marketing is not to appeal to reason, but to emotions. Love of family – and the corresponding fear of never being able to do enough to keep them safe – are among the most powerful. And so, if a company is making a product that will kill all germs that could ever make your children sick, how could you not buy it? Knowing this product is out there, could you say you really love your family if you don’t? Just to be safe?

Describing the fallacy of the other marketing claims, Botanie Soap adds, “we tell customers that organic soap isn’t medicine, cautioning them not to be fooled by the claims of ‘antibacterial’ soap makers. Beyond the fact that antibacterial soap doesn’t do what it says, the marketing chooses, rather dishonorably, to exploit two specific things: 1) consumers’ general lack of science knowledge, and 2) consumers’s fear they’re missing something.”

We hear all the time such claims skincare advertising: Kills Germs. Keeps Your Family Safe From Germs. The pivotal word in these claims is germs – it’s what’s being killed, and what you’re being saved from. But germs are what, exactly?

The R&D team of Herbally Radiant agrees with Botanie Soap that actually germs aren’t one thing; it’s an inclusive phrase for microorganisms that can cause disease, also known as pathogens. Included in this category are the terms actually used in contemporary science –bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. It doesn’t take much knowledge of any of these to realize nothing as innocuous as soap is capable of complete protection.

Even if Dial or Bristol-Meyers were able to find the magic ingredients to kill all bacteria and viruses, fungi and protozoa – magic ingredients that don’t exist – the very nature of washing would nullify them. And, unlike creams or lotions, known as leave-on products, soap is usually rinsed off. Whatever active ingredients it contains don’t stay on the skin very long and the minuscule amount that’s left behind isn’t enough to have an effect. Corporate marketing isn’t concerned, though, that their products do what they say, only that you believe they do.”

 

 

BRITISH LOVE FOR TEA HAS BEAUTIFYING FEATURES TOO

Veronique Greenwood tells in BBC today some interesting facts about the British love for tea. Apart from being a refreshing drink, it has become a way of life and acquired a social status, just as Japanese have developed beautiful tea drinking ceremony.

On average British yearly consumption of tea comes to 60 billion, or more than 900 cups a year for every person.

Given how much tea people drink, there's more interest in understanding whether this habit has any medical benefits. It appears that molecules found in tea can protect cells in a dish from some kinds of damage, but despite copious research, there might be conflicting evidence whether tea-drinking provides benefits beyond warm hands and an alert mind.

Brewed tea has roughly half the caffeine of an equivalent volume of coffee, but it is still plenty for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. You might have heard that caffeine in tea gives a different high from the caffeine in coffee. Many experts feel that in this case, it’s because of an amino acid called theanine, which occurs in tea. When volunteers consume both caffeine and theanine – versus caffeine and other tea molecules – they show moderately more alertness and better ability to switch between tasks than with caffeine alone.

Being in the business of manufacturing herbal organic skin and hair care products, Herbally Radiant finds more benefits of tea. Among its beauty ingredients, green tea is special; it is not oxidized (fermented) during processing, and so its buds and leaves retain much of their essence.

Among other benefits, tea contains a high concentration of polyphenols, with potent antioxidant properties. They scavenge free radicals and cell damaging compounds that alter DNA molecules in the chromosomes, inducing harmful mutations, possibly leading to skin cancer.

Several factors causing premature aging, are due to a build-up of free radicals in the body, damaging skin cells.  Free radicals do occur naturally, but their concentrations rise due to exposure to pollution, too much sunlight and some types of chemicals.  Chemicals called catechins in green tea significantly improve the activity of SOD – a body of chemicals that mops up free radicals.

Also, a cup of green tea contains upto 200 mg of catechins with antioxidant properties, inhibiting production of a key enzyme (gyrase) needed by bacteria, thus reducing the chance of any bacterial infection.  The CLEAN range of Cleanser, Toner, Serum and Scrub being made by Herbally Radiant derive best healing and beautifying properties with the use of Tea Tree Essential Oil, made especially for acne-prone or sensitive skin types.

Please note: Benefits of green tea, occur after drinking it for extended time - months or years, as an integral health diet, not as an immediate fix.

HOW GUT HEALTH AFFECTS THE HEALTH OF YOUR SKIN

Carrie Dennett offered important tip in Washington Post last evening on the need to maintain healthy guts.

Scientists looking for roots of chronic disease as well connection between nutrition and health, might find the answer in your gut, and what they are fed. One reason that the state of your intestinal ecosystem has a profound effect on your health is that one layer of cells is all that separates your immune system from the contents of your gut, and inflammation is our immune system’s main weapon against foreign invaders.

As she and other scientists point out, a healthy, balanced gut microbiota promotes a strong immune system and lower levels of chronic inflammation. An unhealthy microbiota has been linked to obesity, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disorders. 

Because everything we eat comes into contact with our microbiota, a diet high in refined, heavily processed foods will send our microbiota out of balance. The relationship between food and the microbiota is a two-way street: The food we eat affects the composition of our microbiota, and the composition of our microbiota affects how we digest and absorb our food.

It is therefore advisable to choose  a plant-based diet with lots of fiber and regular consumption of fermented foods that nourish and stimulate beneficial bacteria, which over time can shift the balance of your microbiota in a healthier direction. Although many plant foods contain fermentable, prebiotic fiber, some of the richest sources are : artichokes, asparagus, bananas, plantains, barley, rye, wheat, alliums (garlic, leeks, onion), brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts), jicama, lentils, chickpeas, red beans and soy products.

From the point of health of skin, Herbally Radiant has also been promoting organic diet and skin care products made out of natural organic ingredients. All Herbally Radiant products are, therefore, made with USDA certified organic ingredients.  These are most skin-friendly and help maintain the elasticity of skin, prevent premature aging signs and rejuvenate skin cells. We  also advise antioxidant rich foods that fight disease and premature aging by reducing inflammation, latter is the leading cause of wrinkle formation. Some of the best sources of antioxidants are : Blueberries, Pomegranates, Acai berries, Goji berries, Spinach, Raspberries, Nuts, Seeds, Purple grapes, green tea, etc.

Free radicals form in our bodies and cause major damage to our cell structures. The different nutrient-rich foods we eat neutralize them.  In order to fight off the different kinds of free radicals, you need to consume the widest variety of antioxidants.

Of course, adequate drinking of water to keep skin well hydrated and keeping skin well moisturized and nourished with healthy nutrients are the usual essential steps for a supple and revitalized skin.