Provincial URBAN

Today's entry post was supposed to be contemplative, pensive in nature, reflecting on another crossroads of my life. But all plans have been hijacked by URBAN, that weekly pull-out from Straits Times.

Yes, it's about the main article discussing about "modern guys do more than cleanse, tone and moisturise". (Of course, my personal bias against URBAN has been well-established ever since they claim that "idebenone is scientifically proven to be the most powerful oxidant" and erroneous information about using salicylic acid of 5-20%. But I digress...)

Back to the article, by the fourth paragraph, I was already cringing when writer, Karen Tee quoted advertising executive Chan Yuan Kuang using a facial wash "with antioxidants". (Sounds like washing $$ to the drain.)

Without getting too distracted, my main point of contention is "Face Saving Aids", a "handy chart to point you in the right direction", namely a list of recommended products.

Karen categorized the products by the type/use and the associated age group: Below 25, 25-45, Above 45.

Bad move. Dr Leslie Baumann, author of New York Times Bestseller "The Skin Type Solution" would advocate that it is the skin type that should determine the product and treatment choice. Ironically, just one page before, under the FAQ section, Karen already acknowledge that "it is more important to choose products suited to your skin type..."

Instead of letting age choose your product, it should only play as one of the numerous contributing factors in determining one's skin type. Put it in another way, if we followed the stipulated age group strictly, one would have to dump all his/her skin products upon reaching his/her 25th birthday. It is as if the skin metamorphosized into another form in less than 24hours of that fateful day.

Okay, rambling on...

So what about the products that she recommended? A quick research yielded this...

1. MenScience Acne Spot Repair, $55
Key Ingredients: Benzoyl Peroxide 10%, Allantoin, Green Tea, Vitamins A, E

Review: $55 for 10% benzoyl peroxide?! An utter ripoff. And that's not considering that 10% BP can be excessively irritating to the skin, and not neccessarily superior in terms of efficacy when compared to 2.5% BP. The inclusion of antioxidants is seriously extraneous. Allantoin is considered to be an anti-irritant though.


2. Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Spot Treatment, $38
Ingredients: Active: Salicylic Acid (1.5%), Other: Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Triethanolamine, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylates Crosspolymer, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Zinc Gluconate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Poterium Officinale Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Camphor, Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Menthol, Pentylene Glycol, Boswellia Serrata Extract, Hexylene Glycol

Review: LOL. Pay 38 bucks for less than 15ml of irritating ingredients such as alcohol, menthol, camphor, witch hazel, cinnamon, and ginger... Talk about naturally irritating.

3. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Combination Antioxidant Treatment, $159
Ingredients: Water, Ethoxydiglycol, L Ascorbic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Laureth 23, Alpha Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Ferulic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate

Review: Contains potent antioxidants L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha tocopherol(Vitamin E) and ferulic acid. Theoretically efficacious but the packaging is the huge letdown. I personally never understand why do cosmetic companies like using a stupid dropper to suck out serum. Not only does the dropper in container packaging really 麻烦 (troublesome) to use, it lets in all the air and can render the expensive antioxidant packed serum oxidized! If it's trying to be pseudo scientific, they should consider using real pipettes.

4. 4VOO Dynamic Lift Treatment, $184
Ingredients: Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Cetearyl Olivate (Olive Oil), Sorbitan Olivate (Olive Oil), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Algae (Seaweed), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit), Echinacea Purpurea (Coneflower), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle), Malaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree), Serica Powder (Silk Powder), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed), Xanthan Gum, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Polysorbate 20, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Parfum

Review: Wah lau eh. Got too much money to spend right? It does have quite a few antioxidants such as grape seed extract, green tea extracts; cell-communicating ingredient niacinamide; moisturizing agents such as olive oil and hyaluronic acid; and their star ingredients: Palmitoyl Oligopeptide and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7.

Though it's interesting to note from Nicki Zevola for FutureDerm.com

Palmitoyl oligopeptide is a sequence of peptides that reads valine-glycine-valine-alanine-proline-glycine combined with a palmitic acid in order to increase penetration through the epidermis. A 2007 study in Dermatologic Therapy suggests that palmitoyl oligopeptide significantly stimulates human skin collagen production in fibroblasts, which may slow the degradation of collagen over time. On the other hand, palmitoyl oligopeptide has been found to down-regulate elastin expression. From one point of view, this is not a bad thing - as stated in Cosmetic Dermatology, elastin expression naturally increases with age, but the elastin cross-fibers grow in a less organized pattern than in individuals at a younger age, so down-regulating unorganized elastin expression may be a good thing. On the other hand, products that stimulate elastin production have been found to increase the firmness of the skin, so down-regulating elastin expression may not be a good thing, either.

Excellent airless-pump packaging would preserve it better than SkinCeuticals' product.

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I stand corrected, but none of the products recommended contain vitamin A derivatives (eg. retinol, tretinoin, retinyl palmitate) of substantial concentrations, or proven skin-lightening ingredients such as kojic acid or hydroquinone. Only two product contain alpha/beta hydroxy acids, MenScience Advanced Face Tonic toner and the laughable Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment.

And more blatantly, is the lack of prominence given to aspirin or hydrocortisone-based skin relief treatments. This is unique for men's skin care products especially if one were to shave daily. I'm speculating this was missed out as the writer, Karen, is not a guy. Duh...

Of course, some of the products recommended seem to hold its weight despite its hefty price but on a whole, what I observe from the list is a mish-mash of stuff put together to cover as many brands as possible.

Not surprisingly, my prejudice against URBAN's review on skin products will continue unabated. If you want products with real scientific basis, you're better off researching on the net than relying on URBAN. But if you're feeling lazy, consult your friendly dermatologists but avoid the "beauty adviser at a counter of your choice" at all costs.

The last thing you would want is to be bombared by unqualified sale personnel more keen in closing a sale purchase.