February 2011
Get free access to Beautypedia.com this month – just head over to the website to access all of the reviews. Sorry for the late notice on this! Normally the site costs $15 a year to become a member, but there are usually coupon codes you can use to get 50% off. After February, the coupon code: BP50 should give you the 50% off discount. If not, you can probably find a code on retailmenot.com – just search for Beautypedia.

Beautypedia
On the site you can search for your favorite products, or sort through a large list of brands or categories. You can even use your iPhone or Android phone to view the site, which makes it convenient if you’re out shopping. Paula Begoun and the Cosmetics Cop team review whether or not a product does what it claims, based on the ingredients, packaging, and ph level (when applicable). A lot of products are pure hype that don’t work at all – the site helps you avoid getting ripped off. Paula also warns you about potential irritants and safety issues. The site lists the ingredients of every product, which is helpful since some companies seem to hide their ingredient list at all costs. It also tells you if a product is tested on animals.

One thing Paula doesn’t mention much, though, is whether a product is safe for acne, which is a big concern for me. That’s why I cross-reference ingredients with my cosmetic acne list. The site also doesn’t list reviews on a lot of shampoos – I don’t think any of the SLS free shampoos I have tried are reviewed on Beautypedia. For makeup reviews, Beautypedia is more subjective (Paula hates blue eyeshadow, which I think is awesome, at least on some people), but makeup is judged on application, texture, and color selection.

Finally, Paula Begoun and I both agree that you don’t have to necessarily spend a lot of money on skin care and beauty products, so she also takes price into account with her reviews. She tells you when a product is an over-priced ripoff, and sometimes she mentions a cheaper, better alternative.

Check out Beautypedia. Do you have a membership, or have you taken advantage of the free access? What do you think?

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1. Anti-Aging Superstars
2. Shampoo Ingredients To Avoid
3. Bar Soap Can Clog Pores

The report includes info about glycolic acid, salicylic acid, retinol, vitamin c, sunscreen, antioxidants, and even Botox – all of my favorite anti-aging and skin care ingredients!

The only thing Paula Begoun advocates, which I personally don’t like, is the use of avobenzene in sunscreen. I much prefer zinc oxide-based sunscreens, so I don’t agree with all of her sunscreen recommendations. I also like sunscreens that are as effective as possible, so I look for ones with a high percentage of zinc oxide, that are SPF 30+. Also, Paula’s product reviews don’t state whether or not a product contains pore-clogging ingredients, which is a big issue for acne sufferers. Finally, I agree with her that retinol-based products are key in your anti-aging skin care routine, but she doesn’t list how much retinol is in the products she recommends.

Paula Begoun also has a new site called Beautypedia, which is an extension of her book Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me (a book I highly recommend). The site has over 35,000 product reviews, and it gets updated as new products come out on the market. The site costs $24.95 a year to join, and I’m cheap right now, so I haven’t joined yet. I think you can get a free trial membership though, so I should look into that. Has anyone joined Beautypedia? What do you think?

Related posts:

1. Beautypedia
2. Dr. Oz On Oprah – Great Anti-aging Advice
3. Anti-Aging Skin Care Checklist

Since four years have lapsed between book versions, I didn’t have the luxury of referencing the book before I’d buy new products that hit the market after 2004. I still absolutely stand by every product I’ve mentioned I love here on my blog, even if Paula Begoun doesn’t necessarily agree.

Edit: Now the 8th edition of the book is out!
Get “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me”

I always reference Paula’s book before I buy new products. However, on several occasions, I’ve received free samples of a product, and then ended up loving it. As long as the product is not harmful, I continue to use it, even if she doesn’t give it her approval.

My original post from September:
I was just reading on Paula Begoun’s Free Beauty Bulletin that she’s coming out with a 7th edition of her popular book “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me”. I am surprised to learn this, because I remember she wrote, either in her book, or on her beauty bulletin, that the last version of the book was the last. Anyway, good news for me and her other fans – the book should be out in January 2008. The book is massive, so I don’t know how she compiles so many skin care and beauty product reviews. I know a lot of people find the book overwhelming, but I found it to be a great source when I was looking for products that would actually work for my acne and wrinkles. Before I had either of those afflictions, I could have cared less about beauty and skin care products, but now I’m obsessed!

Related posts:

1. Free Beauty Bulletin
2. Beautypedia
3. Do You Need A High SPF Sunscreen?

If you are concerned about hair care, and what you are cleansing and styling with, check out this book: Don’t Go Shopping For Hair-Care Products Without Me – Paula Begoun. It’s a few years old, but it’s still a good resource to learn more about hair care, and a lot of the products reviewed are still on the market today.

Shampoo Cleansing Ingredients To Avoid:

Extremely common ingredients
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
TEA Lauryl Sulfate
Sulfur (in dandruff shampoos)
Selenium Sulfide (in dandruff shampoos)

Less common ingredients
Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Alkyl Sodium Sulfate
Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate
TEA-Dodecylbenzene
Sodium C12-15 Alkyl Sulfate
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate

At the drugstore, a lot of the cheap shampoo brands like Suave, Dove, VO5, and Pert Plus contain these “bad” ingredients and I would suggest staying away from them. I’m sorry to say, even Pantene is a shampoo that is on the “bad” list.

Good Shampoos
Currently I use mostly drugstore shampoos that only cost a few dollars, and they work great and do not contain the “bad” ingredients. I’ve been using L’Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Shampoo, and Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo, and from Ulta I buy Back To Basics Citrus Clarifying Sage Shampoo. At the store today, I noticed cheapo Sunsilk also makes the “okay” list. Most of the higher-end drugstore shampoos, or more expensive shampoos from Ulta or hair salons don’t contain the bad ingredients, but you should still read the labels to make sure. I’ve used expensive shampoos, and don’t think they work better than cheap ones, which is why, even with my hair loss issues, I’m okay with $3 shampoos if they contain the right ingredients.

Is there ever a time when it’s good to use “bad” shampoos?
Several years ago, I dyed my hair with a semi-permanent color, and for some reason my hair turned black, and it was all goopy and sticky, even after washing it 3 times! I was desperate and bought the cheapest, crappiest sounding shampoo I could find, hoping that it would be super harsh. I believe I bought Prell. Well, let me tell you, that Prell got all the goop out of my hair and it worked wonders to strip all the nastiness right out of there!

If you have “perfect” hair and are using Pantene, or some other shampoo that contains the “bad” ingredients, then by all means keep using it. But if you are experiencing any problems at all – hair loss, dandruff, dry hair, frizzy hair, then I would recommend switching.

What about Sodium Laureth Sulfate?
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the gentler version of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. A lot has been written about the evils of SLS, and how it is extremely irritating and possibly carcinogenic. At this point, I personally feel comfortable using Sodium Laureth Sulfate, but stay away from its harsher Sodium Lauryl Sulfate cousin.

What about “natural” shampoos?
If you go to Whole Foods, or even some drugstores, there are shampoos that are SLS-free. This is good if you are sensitive to SLS, or are afraid of it. However, natural shampoos aren’t necessarily and better than regular ones, nor are they really all that “natural.” A lot of natural shampoos also contain a lot of ingredients that Paula Begoun deems irriting, which is why I stick with regular shampoos. Below is a list of more ingredients to avoid. I usually don’t bother searching labels for these ingredients since these aren’t usually in regular shampoos.

Shampoo Additive Ingredients To Avoid:
Balm Mint
Balsam
Certain Essential Oils
Eucalyptus
Grapefruit
Horseradish
Lavender Oil
Lemon
Lime
Menthol
Orange
Papaya
Peppermint
Rose
Sage
Thyme

Update: I also wrote a recent post about sulfate-free shampoos - SLS Free Shampoo and a reader told me about this website – Tightly Curly Hair Care Products Ingredients List, where there is a very long list of shampoo ingredients to use, and to avoid (you can search there alphabetically).

Related posts:

1. SLS Free Shampoo
2. Tresemme Dry Shampoo
3. How To Prevent Cosmetic Acne

My personal experience with mineral makeup is limited. At my Medical Spa, we sold the Jane Iredale line, so I’ve tried the pressed powder several times. The good thing about it is that it comes in a pressed form, so it’s not as messy as loose minerals, and it has an SPF 18 if you apply enough coverage. I didn’t like it because it dried out my skin out and accentuated my wrinkles, thus making my face feel tight and look older. I’ve tried a few other mineral makeups, including liquid foundations, but none of them looked good on my skin, and I can’t be bothered with loose powder since it makes a mess everywhere.

Can mineral makeup cause your skin to breakout or become irritated?
Until recently, I thought that mineral makeup would not cause cosmetic acne, nor would it be irritating to skin. Even though I didn’t like the way it looked on my skin, I thought it was always a good choice for acne-prone or sensitive skin. Lately, however, I’ve been reading a lot about one of the main ingredients in most mineral makeups: Bismuth Oxychloride. This is what gives mineral makeup its shimmer, and the ingredient adheres well to skin. It turns out a lot of people report skin irritation and breakouts after using mineral makeup with this ingredient! I haven’t added Bismuth Oxychloride to my cosmetic acne list of ingredients to avoid yet, since I don’t know “how” irritating or pore-clogging it is. However, if you are using mineral makeup with this ingredient and you are feeling your skin is irritated or breaking out, I would stop using the product for now, and switch to something that doesn’t contain pore-clogging, or irritating ingredients.

Paula Begoun has excellent articles about mineral makeup. She talks in detail about the ingredients in mineral makeup, and gives you a report on all the common mineral makeup brands. In the article, she dispels the belief that mineral makeup is all-natural, nor is it “healing” to skin. The good thing about mineral makeup, though, is that it usually contains fewer ingredients than most makeup, and it’s normally fragrance-free, so as long as the Bismuth Oxychloride doesn’t bother your skin, you will have less chance of having a reaction than with a makeup with long ingredient list. I’ve never had any breakouts or adverse reactions from mineral makeup, and I am very acne-prone.

Most mineral makeups are also composed of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, which is what gives them their SPF. These are excellent ingredients for sun protection, however I would still wear a sunscreen under mineral makeup to boost my SPF.  In the mineral makeup report, Paula Begoun says that Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide can possibly be pore-clogging! I’ve heard that Titanium Dioxide can be slightly pore-clogging (not enough to make my cosmetic acne list), but I’ve never ever heard anything bad about Zinc Oxide. I’m a huge fan of Zinc Oxide-based sunscreen, and have never had a problem with it clogging my pores. It actually has anti-inflammatory properties as well. Mineral makeup contains higher concentrations of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide than regular sunscreens, though.

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals
I’ve had someone ask me about this product and didn’t know much about it til now. It’s an expensive mineral-based “skin care” product you put on at night, and it’s supposed to help reduce pores and wrinkles. In her mineral makeup report, Paula calls this product shocking, because you’re essentially wearing makeup to bed, which is never a good idea. Plus it will get all over your pillowcase. One of its main ingredients is jurassic, virgin soil, or as Paula refers to it – dirt! Ha! I bet this product was invented for those women that like to wear makeup to bed, but always felt guilty about it before. This product sounds ridiculous to me.

The bottom line is that if you’re using mineral makeup and love it and haven’t had any bad reactions to it, then obviously keep wearing it! It still can be a good option for a lot of people, and I wouldn’t be afraid to try it if you’ve been curious about it. Just know that it’s not a miracle makeup, and it’s probably no better for your skin than most makeup on the market.

Related posts:

1. Mineral Fusion Mineral Makeup At Whole Foods Market
2. Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation
3. Anti-Aging Superstars

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Recently, I purchased my fave Clinique Moisture On-line, and got the lotion as a free gift with purchase. It turns out I like it! I still prefer the Moisture On-line, but sometimes use the Lotion at night, since it was free, but it’s also cheaper than the Moisture On-line. It has a nice smooth feeling on my skin. If you check out the reviews of the lotion on MakeupAlley.com, you will see tons of people hate it. I can see why, because I live in the super dry desert of Las Vegas, but my face looks shiny after I apply the moisturizer! That’s quite a feat, since I think this is the only moisturizer I’ve found that actually makes my skin shiny (which is fine with me, cause I like the “dewy” look). I haven’t tried it yet in a humid climate, but I am sure I would look like an oil-slick. On my skin, the lotion works similar to Moisture On-line in that it sort of acts as a barrier, to protect the hydration of my skin, and it prevents it from getting super dried out. I would wear an antioxidant serum under it, if I was using it in the day time, and sunscreen over it.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion contains Mineral Oil, which is also why I say it’s “controversial.” I’ll write more about Mineral Oil later, but as I wrote in my how to prevent Cosmetic Acne post, Mineral Oil doesn’t clog pores. The other ingredients seem cosmetic-acne safe as well. Here’s the complete list of the lotion’s ingredients: Water Purified, Mineral Oil, Sesame Oil, Propylene Glycol, Tea Stearate, Gylceryl Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Petrolatum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

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I found several sites that listed ingredients that could clog your pores or irritate your skin. I cross-referenced the ingredients to the products I was currently using and found almost every single one of them had either extremely pore-clogging (comedogenic) ingredients, or irritating ingredients. Even “acne” products had both irritating ingredients, and pore-cloggers, thus making my skin extra dry, and extra breakout-prone. From my estimate, 75% of the products on the market could potentially clog my pores. Now some people can use any product they want and they won’t have problems, but I can’t, and neither can anyone that is prone to acne. Here are the fabulous websites I found, from which I compiled a spreadsheet of ingredients to avoid:  Zero Zits – become an acne detective, Comedogenic effects of cosmetic raw materials, DERMADoctor – Comedogenicity, Skin care ingredients to avoid, and there was one other site I referenced that is now gone. After checking out all my products for their ingredients, I threw them all out, except for maybe one or two, and I started over. Some of the sites contradict themselves a little bit, and not every bad ingredient out there is on the list, but below is the list I compiled. Here is how to read it: An ingredient is based on a scale of 0 (meaning it won’t clog your pores at all) to 5 (meaning it will clog your pores a lot). Anything that is a 3, 4, or 5 is an ingredient to avoid, if it’s listed as one of the first 8 or so ingredients in a product. I have listed a few ingredients that will not clog your pores, however their names are similar to ingredients that will, so they are just there for reference. When I first went over the Zero Zits list, I tried not to buy any products that were even listed with a 2 for comedogenicity, but it was nearly impossible to find anything that met that criteria. If there is a second number listed by an ingredient, that is the number for how much the ingredient will irritate your skin. 0 (meaning not irritating at all) and 5 (extremely irritating). Again, avoid all ingredients listed 3, 4, or 5 for irritation.

Skin care ingredients to avoid if you have acne-prone skin:

0…5 Acetone
4 Acetylated Lanolin
4 Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
0…5 Alcohol
0…5 Alcohol Denat.
5 Algae Extract
4 Algin
3 Butyl Stearate
2…3 Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
2…4 Cajeput Oil
1…3 Caprylic Acid
5 Carrageenan
4 Ceteareth 20
4 Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20
4 Cetyl Acetate
4 Cocoa Butter
4 Coconut Butter
4 Coconut Oil
3…4 Colloidal Sulfur
3 Cotton Awws Oil
3 Cotton Seed Oil
3 Crisco
3 D & C Red # 17
3 D & C Red # 21
3 D & C Red # 3
3 D & C Red # 30
3 D & C Red # 36
4 Decaglyceryl decaoleate
3 Decyl Oleate
3 Dioctyl Succinate
4 Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2-Sulfo
0…4 Ethanol
3 Ethoxylated Lanolin
0…4 Ethyl Alcohol
4 Ethylhexyl Palmitate
0…3 Flowers of Sulfur
2 Glyceryl Stearate
3 Glyceryl Stearate SE (NSE ok)
4 Glyceryl-3-Diisostearate
4 Grape seed oil
5 Hexadecyl Alcohol
3 Hexylene glycol
3 Hybrid safflower oil
4 Hydrogenated lanolin
3 Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
4 Isocetyl Alcohol
5 Isocetyl Stearate
4 Isodecyl Oleate
3 Isoparaffin C13-16
3 Isoparaffin C9-11
0…4 Isopropyl Alcohol
5 Isopropyl Isostearate
4 Isopropyl lanolate 
5 Isopropyl Linolate
5 Isopropyl Myristate
4 Isopropyl Palmitate
4 Isostearic acid
3 Isostearyl alcohol 
4 Isostearyl Isostearate
3 Isostearyl Neopentanoate
3 Laneth-10 acetate
5 Lanolic acid 
2 Lanolin
2 Lanolin Alcohols
1 Lanolin Oil or Wax
3 Laureth -23
5 Laureth 4
4 Lauric Acid
0…4 Menthol
0…4 Methanol
3 Mink Oil
5 Myreth 3 myristate
3 Myristic Acid
4 Myristyl Lactate
5 Myristyl Myristate
5 Myristyl propionate
3 Octyl dodecanol 
4 Octyl Palmitate
5 Octyl Stearate
5 Oleic Acid
5 Oleth-3
4 Oleyl Alcohol
4 Peach kernel oil 
4 PEG 16 Lanolin
3 PEG 200 Dilaurate
3 PEG 8 Stearate
3 PG Monostearate
4 Polyglyceryl-3-Diisostearate
5 Potassium Chloride
4 PPG 15 stearyl ether
4 PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate
4 PPG 5 Ceteth 19 Phosphate
4 Propylene Glycol Monostearate
2 Propylene glycol stearate
0 Propylene glycol 
5 Red Algae
0…5 SD Alcohol 40
3 Shark Liver Oil
0…4 Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
5 Sodium Chloride (Salt)
3 Sodium Laureth Sulfate
5 Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
4 Solulan 16
3 Sorbitan Oleate
4 Sorbitan Sesquinoleate
3 Soybean Oil
4 Steareth 10
2 Stearic acid
3 Stearic Acid Tea
4 Stearyl Heptanoate
3 Sulfated Castor Oil
3 Sulfated Jojoba Oil
3 Sweet Almond Oil
4 Syearyl Heptanoate
0…3 Tridectyl Neopentanoate
3 Wheat Germ Glyceride
5 Wheat Germ Oil
4 Xylene

 I know it’s a long list, but I printed it out, and would actually carry it around to the store with me. I’d also try to find the list of ingredients in a product I was interested in before I’d even go to the store to save time. Notice anything missing from the list? How about Mineral Oil. That ranks a 0 for being pore-clogging. Now there is all sorts of controversy about Mineral Oil, but I am not afraid to use it on my skin. On the list, you will find Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Those are usually the main ingredients in shampoo, and I know some people use shampoo to wash their face. SD Alcohol 40, also known as Alcohol or Alcohol Denat, is a huge irritant, but it’s in most toners, and a lot of acne products. Isoproply Palmitate and Isopropyl Myristate are the main ingredients in a lot of moisturizers, and they are also huge pore-cloggers. There is a website that freaks me out because it claims that just about every ingredient in skin care products will give you cancer or cause some sort of horrible toxic reaction in your body: Environmental Working Group . At this point, I’m more worried about the harm from pollution, global warming, and second-hand smoke than I am about all the ingredients in products, but I should look more into what the EWG has to say.

 Despite this list, I’ve still bought products I thought were “safe” that totally made my face breakout – La Roche-Posay Anthelios W Gel SPF 40 comes to mind. I have to assume it’s the actual sunscreen ingredient – Mexoryl XL – that causes the problem, but I don’t know for sure, which is why I didn’t put Mexoryl XL on the list. Finally, before I buy a product, I read reviews about it on MakeupAlley.com to see if a ton of people say something has made them breakout. I take reviews with a grain of salt, since every product listed will have at least one person say it gave them cystic acne. Overall, the great thing about this “list” is that it’s saved me a lot of skin problems and money in the long run since I don’t really have acne anymore, I’m now happy with most of the products I use, and most new wrinkle creams have pore-clogging ingredients, so there are few new products I even want to try.

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