NATURAL INGREDIENTS TO FIGHT ACNE - CLEAN BRAND FROM HERBALLY RADIANT EFFECTIVE

In a recent article by Rachel Nall in 'Medical News Today', a suggestion has been considered whether honey and cinnamon can help treat acne.

The author has highlighted the benefits to skin from honey and cinnamon. Honey has been used for centuries as it contains proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties that help to shrink pores which make the skin appear smoother and even.

The author clarifies:  “The benefits of using honey and cinnamon together as a face mask haven’t really been studied. The two have been separately studied, but the research is mixed on whether or not they are effective.”

Of late, there are several ‘do-it-yourself’ recipes being circulated in social media which claim relief from acne. The cosmetics industry is also coming up frequently with ‘new’ formula for acne relief.  However, none of these have proven record of certain relief, nor are they backed by clinical tests.

Before using the ‘DIY’ formulations, one must understand the causes. Main acne factors are : oil production, dead skin cells, clogged pores, bacteria and hormonal imbalance.  Acne typically appears on face, neck, chest, back and shoulders that have most oil (sebaceous) glands. Acne occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells.

Hair follicles are connected to oil glands. These glands secrete an oily substance (sebum) to lubricate your hair and skin. Sebum normally travels along the hair shafts and through the openings of the hair follicles onto the surface of our skin. When body produces excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can build up in hair follicles, and form a soft plug, creating an environment where bacteria can thrive. If the clogged pore becomes infected with bacteria, inflammation results.

The plugged pore may cause the follicle wall to bulge and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and may darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead may look like dirt stuck in pores. But actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns brown when it's exposed to the air.

Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside hair follicles produce cyst-like lumps beneath the surface of your skin.

After extensive testing powerful natural ingredients, Herbally Radiant launched its most popular brand: CLEAN – Cleanser, Toner, Serum and Scrub. Aloe vera based, CLEAN products contain witch hazel, cranberry extract, black willow-bark, glycolic acid, billberry, activated charcoal, vegetable glycerin, orange-lemon extract, roman chamomile, rosemary, Pro-Vitamin B5, rooibos tree extract together with essential oils like tea tree, neem, jojoba and avocado.

Large number of customers have got relief from acne with the help of CLEAN products.

"NATURAL INSPIRED" NOT NECESSARILY NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCT

The market research company Kline Group has highlighted how manufacturers of natural beauty products are proving efficacy of their formulations by showing "before" and "after" pictures of the skin.  This marketing ploy was being practiced mostly for non-natural cosmetics, often leading to further doubts.

The report highlights the fact that natural beauty brands face many challenges. A major one is that they have to compete with conventional brands that make natural claims. Currently, there is no regulation that sets the standards on what natural claims can be made on product packaging. Some are being marketed as "natural inspired". These brands have done a lot to confuse the consumers over what is really natural brand.

However, there is welcome trend now that consumers are increasingly aware of natural brands and ingredients and retailers are playing their part by storing truly natural products.

Having noticed harmful effects of toxic chemical ingredients in many beauty products, Herbally Radiant has been promoting herbal natural skin care formulations. These take care of the health of the skin by providing richest nutrients to it that have no adverse effect of any kind, and help maintain bright skin by reducing premature aging of it.

MORE FAKE NEWS AND DECEPTIVE CLAIMS IN BEAUTY INDUSTRY

As highlighted by Claudia Hammond of BBC this week, fake news is invading all areas. In cosmetics and beauty care products, the fake news, research studies, too-good-to-be true claims, “newly discovered African herb” and many more are jostling to grab consumers’ attention.  

As Claudia Hammond says, “When the Independent UK newspaper, analysed the 20 most shared stories in the past year with cancer in the headline, more than half included claims which health authorities or doctors had discredited. Yet many millions of people had considered them interesting enough to share on social media. If fake news stories about politics can influence voting patterns, then could health stories about unproven treatments result in people eschewing their current medical treatment in favour of the latest recommendation in an article they see? Some fear these articles could be dangerous.”

People need to be wary of what they read, but how are they supposed to know whether something they see on Facebook or Twitter is based on good science?  Simple precautions are: look for the source of the fake news or news article, does it look too good to be true, is it described as “the secret that even doctors won’t tell you” (then be wary), the bigger the claim the more evidence one would need to see that it’s true. Search for journalist’s name, do online search for the story’s details, plus the word “myth” or “hoax”.

Instances of mislabeling and deceptive marketing of cosmetic products are rising exponentially. Being in the business of natural skin care products, Herbally Radiant has been highlighting the harm to the skin that most of the aggressively marketed products can cause. In one recently reported case, Avalon Organics and Jason Brand Cosmetics agreed to settle a class action law suit filed by Lexington Law Group in a California court, which alleged that the two cosmetic companies were misleading the customers with unethical advertising and deceptive packaging labels on the products. The cosmetics sold by them during the period May 2007-May 2011 had misled the consumers to think that the products bought by them were mostly, or wholly organic.

SKIN REJUVENATION WITH EPIGENETIC SCIENCE EXPERIMENTAL

A new scientific concept being highlighted by some sections of beauty industry is being debated by the researchers who are engaged in the stem cell work.  It is well known that environmental and lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking and amount of sleep influence our health as well as our appearance. A novel field of science – epigenetics – explains this phenomenon

Some businesses are referring to ‘new studies’ to claim that some elements accelerate skin regeneration, improve skin smoothness and firmness for a refined skin texture.  Among other unverifiable claims are : -Eepidermal regeneration for a smooth skin; -Cellular Cleaning process and -Delay in cell aging.

All such claims are not independently verifiable. Although the effects of epigenetics are obvious in nature, the exact mechanisms through which genes are regulated are still being unraveled in this relatively new field. Epigenetic modifications of our DNA keep our genetic code intact but influence the way our genes are read and interpreted, activating certain regions of the genome while silencing others. This leads to a changed production profile of proteins, which then in turn influences the state of the cell and, on a macroscopic level, the look and behavior of the whole organism.

Scientists are still debating the reliability of the new techniques of epigenetic science, especially for the purpose of rejuvenating skin. Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, Prof of Neurology at Stanford, explains that the “aging clock” is more of a metaphor for the changes that occur in our cells and tissues with the passage of time. Aging seems to involve a gradual deterioration of function as cells and tissues are exposed to stresses either from outside the body, such as chemicals we ingest or irradiation from the sun, or from inside the body, such as free radicals, produced every moment when cells are making energy.

However, he confirms that “some aspects of cellular aging … would be difficult to ‘reset” and adds that “understanding the epigenetic features that make a cell young or old opens the door to the possibility of being able to control the age of a cell by controlling the processes that set up and maintain the epigenetic state. Would this translate into changes in longevity of the organisms? We don’t know.”

A great deal of stem cell research is on for years, but what could be of concern is that some businesses might create a myth that a “new” substance or “technique”  based on epigenetic science might rejuvenate skin and restore full youthfulness to it. At Herbally Radiant we have been testing several natural ingredients and essential oils that have amazing effect in repairing and reducing appearance of wrinkles from aging skin. It has not come across any finding which could confirm discovery of any magic ingredient or stem cell research technique which could magically change the texture of the skin.

Herbally Radiant has experimented with combinations of USDA certified natural ingredients and essential oils to offer to its customers the best in the anti-aging treatment. Its top of the range RADIANT and REJUVENATING range anti-aging products are the result of repeated tests that have shown amazing results. Therefore, till the stem cell research has advanced into verifiable results, consumers might prefer using the safe and reliable formulations for their skin rejuvenation regimen.

MORE CONSUMERS OPTING FOR ANTI-AGING FORMULATIONS

The changing life and work styles have given strong boost to the wellness economy.  The Global Wellness Institute, a global non-profit organization, which organized an event in New York last week, released its data on the size of the wellness economy.

Out of the $ 3.7 trillion wellness economy, it has estimated that the largest share goes to the beauty and anti-aging formulations, $ 999 billion. This is closely followed by the weight loss segment at $ 648 billion. The wellness segment of global economy is showing huge potential for growth in the coming years.

Being part of the beauty and anti-aging segment of the wellness industry, Herbally Radiant feels encouraged by the emerging trend showing greater awareness among consumers with regard to their fitness and appearance. Herbally Radiant has found a new way of manufacturing and marketing the most skin-friendly products that create amazing anti-aging effect. These formulations that contain USDA certified organic ingredients have proven to be the most effective products for those seeking anti-aging treatment.

Among the most popular anti-aging products developed by Herbally Radiant are Radiant and Rejuvenating range, according to the skin type of the consumer.

The Wellness Institute has forecast exciting challenges in coming years, and more and more consumers are expected to opt for the safe and effective anti-aging products that have lasting effect, as the skin is able to absorb the rich nutrients that plants and herbs offer.

CANADIANS WANT INGREDIENTS OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS LISTED ON LABELS

The good news is that there is now increasing awareness about the risks to health due to the toxins and harmful chemical ingredients in the skin care products. Sensing the growing public choice for safer cosmetics and skin care products, Wall Mart and Target recently announced that they would be banning certain chemicals from their branded products.

The Canadian group “Environmental Defense”, in its latest report “Full Disclosure” has also highlighted the fact that the consumers in Canada would be more receptive to complete ingredient listings on cosmetic and household products.  The group’s initiative is aimed at ensuring that consumer products do not contain toxins.  It recommends more stringent product labeling because the Canadians deserve stronger labeling rules that enable them to avoid toxic chemicals.

Most people in the U.S. are not aware of the pervasiveness of hazardous or potentially hazardous chemicals in consumer products and the general lack of adequate government oversight of products and their ingredients. Some companies capitalize on this through use of undefined or misleading labels and claims – such as “green” and “organic” that don’t necessarily reflect actual reduced toxic chemical use in personal care and other fragranced products.

Average consumer often finds it hard to know if products advertised with safer ingredient claims are actually safer, given that many chemicals have not been thoroughly studied and hazardous chemicals are often replaced with structurally similar or other untested alternatives. This isn’t of course to say that the marketplace shouldn’t be targeting for removal of chemicals of known concern (that’s a good thing!), but as those chemicals are removed, their replacements need to be demonstrably safer.

FDA should consider revising the packaging labels of the skin care products so that manufacturers are obliged to avoid potentially hazardous ingredients, and the consumers provided with reliable information to enable them to determine the nature of the ingredients in the personal care products.

HARMFUL STEROIDS AND TOXIC METALS IN SKIN WHITENING CREAMS

The beauty and health industry in Pakistan is finding alarming levels of skin diseases as a result of prolonged use of skin whitening creams. Most of these have been found to contain steroids and toxic metals. Media reports are urging quality control to safeguard public health.

Few months back it was reported that Clarins of US was going to focus on Asian consumers for its skin whitening cream. Unfortunately, there is less awareness among Asian consumers of the potentially serious harm that can be caused to skin as a result of many skin whitening creams.

 Most skin whitening creams contain hydroquinone that reduces melanin production in skin. In some mainstream products it is used to help reduce the appearance of various types of hyperpigmentation problems like sun spots, age spots and acne markings.

Many studies on skin whitening creams have shown that consistent and widespread use of hydroquinone can result in some pretty serious skin problems, as well as more serious health problems. One researcher found that whilst hydroquinone will initially lighten the skin as it is meant to, over time and with prolonged use an oxidation process can start to take place – due to a reaction between the chemicals and sunlight. This results in the skin becoming darker; leading a person to use even more hydroquinone based products to counter the side effects.

Another serious aspect emerged over time the skin began to appear weaker and thus, the hydroquinone was able to go into the bloodstream more readily, thereby reaching the organs (such as the liver and kidneys) easily.

One study by TJ Kooyers and W. Westerhof on “Toxicology and health risks of hydroquinone in skin lightening” stated “that possible long-term effects like carcinogenesis may be expected.”

US FDA considers hydroquinone a potentially dangerous substance, though many dermatologists feel that the ingredient is safe in small amounts when not used for the purpose of bleaching the skin all over the face, neck and body. EU has banned hydroquinone for over the counter sales.

Due to the health risks, many companies have turned to other ingredients, like arbutin with kojic acid, in place of hydroquinonebut there are no reliable studies on the safety of these, especially arbutin that is a derivative of hydroquinone.

Echoing health concerns, New York Times had earlier highlighted the concern of dermatologists who were noticing side effects from the frequent use of skin whitening creams like Fair & White and other stuff sold by beauty shops and online sites.

Due to attractive profit margins on such products, many unscrupulous suppliers, especially through online sites, have started selling counterfeit versions with undisclosed ingredients – such counterfeit versions have also turned up in stores.

Herbally Radiant has been highlighting the risks from whitening creams, and has found that its natural organic beauty formulations have safer and effective results.