Sulphate Free Is The New Soap Free (And Other Thoughts)

It occurred to me recently that it was about time I did a review series on sulphate free products here on My Funny Valentine, and as I was getting ready to write my reviews I thought it would be a good idea to preface the series with a quick rundown on why I prefer my skin care without sulphates.

What are Sulphates?

Sulphates are a class of relatively harsh surfactant (surface active) cleaning agents commonly to emulsify oils, degrease surfaces, and create foam. They are cheap and very effective at cutting through grease, which is why they are commonly used in dishwashing detergents, hand wash, floor cleaners, as well as in skin/hair care. Within the sulphate family you have Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate (ALS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES). SLS and ALS are the harshest of the group and are well known to be highly irritating to the skin and eyes – in irritancy testing for research, SLS is usually used as the ‘model irritant’ [1,2,3] . Sodium Laureth Sulphate is not quite as rough on the skin as the other two- but still one of the most irritating surfactants used in skin care.

Ever since I’ve taken an interest in skin care ingredients I’ve stayed away from harsh surfactants in my cleansers. There’s a great deal of research in dermatology showing how harsh surfactants can cause damage to the skin barrier, disrupt skin lipids and proteins, dry out the skin, and cause irritation – without necessarily doing a better job cleansing the skin than gentler agents. [1] This applies to all skin types, but particularly effects dry and eczema prone skin (that’s me- always so lucky in life.).

Is ‘Sulphate Free’ the New ‘Soap Free’?

For many years, we’ve known about how soap strips the skin of natural oils and compromises the skin’s barrier [1,2,3] – when sulphates were introduced into the market we started to see a lot of cleansing products becoming ‘soap free’. These days we have more options and slowly we are seeing more and more cleansers that are formulated to be ‘sulphate free’ as a result of increased public awareness of skin care ingredients.

Lies, lies, and marketing.

On a side note: one of my pet peeves when it comes to marketing is when brands market a moisturiser or hair conditioner as ‘sulphate free’. Sulphates are a cleansing/surfactant agent that have no role in moisturisers, serums, or conditioners- and to tell us that a moisturiser is ‘sulphate free’ is like marketing cotton candy as ‘fat free’. It’s marketing that assumes ignorance, and usually turns me into the Incredible Hulk right in the middle of the personal care (and candy) aisles in Coles.

Keep reading after the jump!

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Posted by myfunnyvalentine on May 30th, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments.

Manicare Cuticle Care Review: Cuticle Remover and Cuticle Therapy

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The colder months are never very kind to my nails, and we’re heading straight into hand nail and ouchy torn cuticle season. This year I’ve decided my fingers (and toes) deserved a little bit of TLC so when I received the press release for the Manicare Cuticle Therapy and Cuticle Remover I thought it would be a great thing to test drive.

I’ve been diligently using the Manicare Cuticle Therapy (which is basically a cuticle oil) twice a day for the past few weeks. It’s fast absorbing, and once massaged into the nail area my cuticles has the immediate effect of giving me ‘nail blogger cuticles‘. I like that.

The Cuticle Remover I’ve been using mostly for my pedicures- my toe cuticles are really hard to push back and this helps soften them (there’s really no elegant way of phrasing that is there?). From what I’ve read, the active ingredient in this product is sodium hydroxide which breaks down dead skin- I assume that different cuticle remover products will have different concentrations of NaOH and therefore different efficacies. The Manicare Cuticle Remover is on the milder side and softens cuticles rather than dissolving or ‘removing’.

Keep reading after the jump!

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Posted by myfunnyvalentine on May 27th, 2013 in Nail Polish, Reviews, Skincare | 0 comments.

Beauty Blog Link Love: 25/05/13

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What does bacteria in your gut have to do with your skin? Musicalhouses finds out in her review of Lancome’s Advanced Génifique Youth Activator!

Phyrra brings you the best in cruelty-free beauty brands! She includes her favorite products and international shipping information.

Love Rihanna? FabDiva20 is loving RiRi Woo. Check out her MAC RiRi Woo lipstick review and swatches!

Ombre hair: in or out? Sophie from Melovemakeup says in! Here is her how-to and review on Schwarzkopf Live Colour XXL.

What’s green and green and… green all over? The Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year collection, of course! Check out theNotice’s review of this year’s Emerald collection, with swatches of some seriously gorgeous greens.

If you’re stuck on a new spring/summer fragrance for yourself or your beau, Kim suggests Le Labo Santal 33. Check her post to see why.

Project Best Face Primer – Bun Bun Makeup Tips investigates how the Monistat Chafing Relief Gel face primer performs after one year.

Cindy over at Prime Beauty shows you how to stay to cool and look fab at those pool/beach parties this summer with the new Make Up For Ever Summer 2013 Collection!

Looking for eyeliner inspiration? Gouldylox picks out some must have liners for summer.

Krasey Beauty competed again, and in her latest post she shares her beauty prep!

Beauty Reflections has fallen in love with another bronzer! This time it’s the Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact. Are you a bronzer fiend too?

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shows off RiRi Woo, the perfect matte red lipstick for every skin tone.

Ready for heat and humidity? Need waterproof makeup? Beauty Info Zone has some favorites from Tarte, MUFE and Anastasia to help you manage the heat.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out the latest and greatest from Clinique – A Different Nail Enamel For Sensitive Skins. Have a look at her swatches and think twice the next time you go to rub your eyes with freshly manicured nails!

Jenny creates a purply smoky eye with a caramel crease featuring Urban Decay’s Naked Palette and MAC over at My Funny Valentine.

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Win it!! Enter Pammy Blogs Beauty’s Conair Styling Tools Giveaway!

Posted by myfunnyvalentine on May 26th, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments.

FOTD: Purple Smoky Eye Caramel Crease Feat. Urban Decay Naked Palette and MAC Uninterrupted

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Hi everyone,

I did a quick day time smoky eye last Sunday before heading off for (yet another) round of apartment hunting. I’ve been loving the combination of a warm matte crease with a cool lid colour lately- I think it’s very autumn appropriate and a nice change from my usual dove grey crease.

FOTD makeup breakdown:

Eyes:

- Two Faced Shadow Insurance to prime

- MAC Uninterrupted Pro Longwear eyeshadow blended all over the lid and just past the crease.

- Inglot Matte dark brown matte 329 (top left corner of my Inglot freedom palette pictured below) applied to the mobile lid. I’ve swatched matte 329 in this post.

- Urban Decay Hustle eyeshadow from the Naked Palette (third from the right) blended on top of the Inglot. I also blended Hustle under the bottom lashline.

- Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink to line upper lashline and bottom waterline.

- L’Oreal Color Riche Le Khol in Immaculate Snow applied to the inner corners of the eyes and blended with a pencil brush

- Bobbi Brown Shimmer Eyeshadow in Champagne applied on top

Cheeks:

- MAC Fleur Power blush on apples of the cheeks

- L’Oreal Glam Bronze in La Terra to contour

Lips:

NARS Tzigane lipstick

Urban Decay Naked Palette Inglot Freedom Palette FOTD