Mac makeup ewg skin deep12/18/2023 ![]() I did a full-day wear test for every foundation and used the same base products under each one: serum, moisturizer, and my all-time favorite SPF 50 primer by Charlotte Tilbury. Since all good experiments need a control variable (it’s called science, people!), I kept the process consistent. I tried foundations with different finishes (matte, natural, and dewy) and coverage levels (light, medium, full, and buildable), as well as drugstore favorites, mid-price options that are available at Sephora and Ulta, and high-end formulas that are infused with luxury skin-care ingredients. The most probable scenario for the Alge Extract is that it works as a moisturizer and emollient and it might have some additional anti-aging properties.As a dry-skin girl myself, I put the most reliable foundations in my beauty cabinet - along with several new-to-market formulas and a few cult classics that have been sitting in my shopping cart for months - to the test. Unless the brand tells you what they use, it's impossible to know for sure. These were just three random examples from three manufacturers all called Algae extract even though they all come from different algae with different claims.Īnyhow, the point is this there are tons of different types of Algae Extracts out there. Here is a brown algae extract (the most common type, about 59% of macroalgae), also just called Algae Extract on the product label that is simply claimed to be a free radical scavenger, aka antioxidant. There is another algae extract from another manufacturer that comes from red algae (much more common, about 40% of total macroalgae worldwide) and is claimed to have not only moisturizing but also skin smoothing and densifying effects. reduce wrinkles, smooth skin) but without the side effects (though it seems now that the INCI name of Lanablue was changed to Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract). There is, for example, an algae extract trade-named Lanablue that comes from blue-green algae (green algae is rare, less than 1% of the total macroalgae in the world) and is claimed to have retinoid like effects (i.e. We have also browsed through Prospector to see what manufacturers say about their algae. Currently, algae extracts are mostly used as moisturizing and thickening agents, but algae also have great potential to combat skin aging, pigmentation as well as working as an antimicrobial. Even though some of its effects are more hyped up than backed up, it is still a nice to have on many ingredient lists.Ī 2015 research paper on the potential of uses of algae in cosmetics summarizes that algae are rich sources of biologically active metabolites including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, alginates, polysaccharides, and carotenoids. Overall, we think that caffeine is a very versatile and biologically active ingredient. ![]() ![]() A 2017 study compared a 0.2% caffeine liquid with a 5% Minoxidil (an FDA approved active to treat baldness) solution and found that " a caffeine-based topical liquid should be considered as not inferior to minoxidil 5% solution in men with androgenetic alopecia", or English translation means that the caffeine liquid was pretty much as good as the FDA-approved Minoxidil stuff. We have found some recent and promising research to back this up. The theory is that it can inhibit the activity of the 5-α-reductase enzyme that plays an important role in hair loss and allows a renewed growth phase of the hair. Last, but not least, we have to write about caffeine and hair growth. ![]() But here again, the evidence that it actually makes a measurable, let alone visible, improvement on actual human beings is limited (we could find only some animal skin studies or caffeine being combined with other actives). In theory, it can speed up the lipolysis process (the "fat burning" by our cells) and stimulate the draining lymph system that might lead to the improvement of cellulite. Though conventional wisdom and anecdotal evidence says that this property is helpful for dark under-eye circles and puffy eyes, we have to mention that the double-blind research we have found about a 3% caffeine gel concluded that " the overall efficacy of the selected caffeine gel in reducing puffy eyes was not significantly different from that of its gel base." But you know, the proof is in the pudding.Īnother thing Caffeine is used for in body care products is its anti-cellulite effects. A well-known thing about Caffeine is that it improves the microcirculation of the blood vessels. ![]()
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