As skincare continues to become an important aspect of our daily life, many of us still have some unanswered questions. let`s consider what questions would you ask the doctor to know more about the care of your facial skin. The following questions are the most popular when selecting a skincare routine strategy for different skin types. This blog will answer 31 of the most asked skincare questions.
The most common skin types are dry, combination, and oily. Commonly, dry skin causes feelings of tightness around the eyes and mouth, as well as patches of flaky skin around the cheek area. Combination skin presents a shine on the nose and forehead and also includes dry patches on the cheek area. Whereas oily skin is generally soft and greasy to the touch and gives the cheeks an overly shiny surface.
Yes, you should wash your face twice daily, preferably with a gentle cleanser. This is because bacteria builds up in your skin overnight, so it is important to wash it off in the morning. Washing your face in the morning also acts as a great primer before applying your morning skincare routine. An effective gentle cleanser is Osmosis' Cleanse. It works to remove impurities, makeup, and dirt without damaging the skin barrier.
More importantly, you should always wash your face before you go to bed! Dirt, makeup, and environmental toxins accumulate on your face throughout the day. Washing your face at night removes these impurities and stops pores from becoming clogged.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a change in our environments, such as spending more time indoors. It is a good idea to create a new skincare routine to accommodate those changes. For example, if you are using a lot of central heating whilst working from home, you should incorporate a high-quality moisturiser into your skincare routine in order to combat excessive dryness. The Collagen Hydrator from PCA Skin is great for this as it has remarkable hydrating qualities. It works to instantly revive dehydrated skin and maintain healthy moisture levels.
Vitamin C is a nutrient found in the body that has advantageous effects when consumed as part of a balanced diet. Many people also apply it topically. Vitamin C has incredible anti-aging effects, as it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As well as this, due to its powerful antioxidant properties, it protects the skin from free radical damage. This means it prevents premature skin aging. Furthermore, vitamin C enhances collagen production and helps to create tighter and younger looking skin overall.
More often than not, retinol appears in night-time skincare routines. This is because this powerful substance removes dead skin cells from the upper layer of the skin’s surface. This resultantly makes skin more vulnerable to sun damage. Moreover, you should begin by applying retinol 3 times a week and then gradually increase the frequency. This is due to the strength of retinol. By increasing the frequency gradually, you allow your skin to become familiar with the product, therefore minimising irritation.
It's also important that you apply a high-quality moisturiser after using retinol to help soothe potential dryness or irritation. As well as this, in the morning, make sure to apply SPF30+. This will protect your skin from the potential sun damage that retinol can lead to.
Over time, sleep can change the shape and appearance of your skin. This is because your face is compressed into your pillow every night for multiple hours. Ultimately, this can flatten the surface of your skin and cause wrinkles to form. Therefore, it is important to change your pillows every 1-2 years to help enhance the support for your skin.
Moisturiser should always be applied first. As a result, this allows the moisturiser to penetrate into the skin before SPF application. Also, SPF should always be the final step in your skincare routine as it is a thicker consistency, so it must not overshadow the thinner products.
As mentioned previously, SPF is a vital part of any skincare routine and should be the last step. It's even important on days when the sun is not as abrasive. Even in the winter months, dangerous UV rays can still penetrate through clouds, and even windows, making you vulnerable to harsh skin damage. This is especially the case if your skin is not fully protected. Sun damage can lead to dark spots, wrinkles and in some cases, skin cancer. SPF needs to be applied daily!
Anxiety-induced breakouts are very common and are often caused by excess oil secretion brought on by our body’s stress response. As well as learning psychological techniques to cope with stress and anxiety, you may also benefit from using BHAs, such as salicylic acid. These help break down the excess oil found in inflamed or clogged pores. Additionally, using products containing benzoyl peroxide is a great way to fight against the bacteria that causes acne. This helps to keep future breakouts at bay.
Dark circles are very common and are usually a sign of aging and/or a loss of collagen in the eye area. To remove them permanently, try a combination of clinical and natural remedies. For example, try undergoing a light chemical peel that uses glycolic acid, to help stimulate collagen production and give the skin a glowing complexion. At home, apply a cold compress to the affected area for 10 minutes, both in the morning and the evening.
There are a variety of different treatments and products that help to improve the skin’s elasticity and tighten the overall surface. For example, ingredients such as aloe vera contain malic acid, which helps to create plumper and younger looking skin. Moreover, techniques such as lymphatic massage, use specialist tools to increase blood circulation around affected areas, creating firmer skin. Lastly, products such as retinol serums offer incredible anti-aging results, helping more attractive skin to form over time.
Blackheads form when excess hair and oil become clogged in an open pore. The most effective way to remove blackheads is by getting a high-quality facial treatment.
A great example is a chemical peel. This is because chemical peels, especially those that use salicylic acid, help to exfoliate the skin and unclog affected pores, giving you a clearer and blemish-free complexion.
Acne scars are extremely common but luckily usually require little to no treatment. However, if you suffer from serious acne, or have a compulsion to pick your spots, acne scarring can occur more intensely.
There's a range of treatments which help to reduce and remove acne scars, as well as things you can do to help get rid of them yourself. These include using salicylic acid and lactic acid which help to exfoliate the skin. Retinol products are also a great way to increase skin cell turnover, helping to reduce scarring.
One of the most uncertain skincare questions is the purpose of toners and whether they're necessary. Essentially, toners are products that are used to remove excess oil, makeup and dirt. In reality, toners are not necessary, especially if you are using an effective cleanser. This is because they can often lead to dryness or irritation. However, toners do help to shrink the size of enlarged pores, which is helpful for those with an oily skin type or acne-prone skin.
Dry skin is a common skin concern which is easily treatable at home. All you need to do is improve your skincare routine. For example, try using a natural moisturiser that contains no irritants. An example of a good natural moisturiser is pure aloe vera gel. Adding on to this, wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser to help wash away any dirt or unwanted dead skin. Finally, make sure to exfoliate once a week to help remove excess dry skin and encourage increased cell turnover.
Often acne sufferers complain about having dry patches that accompany their breakouts. Luckily, dermoi offers the perfect solution. The Osmosis Acne Healing Treatment uses a 2% vitamin A infusion to restore the quality of the epidermis and allow for complete hydro-lipid balance. As a result, this treatment reduces harsh inflammation and leaves you with a clearer and brighter complexion.
Vitamin C serums offer a multitude of benefits when incorporated into both your morning and evening skincare routine.
Using a vitamin C serum as part of your morning skincare routine means that your skin is better able to neutralise harmful free radicals. These can build up throughout the day and tear down much-needed skin collagen. On the other hand, when using vitamin C serums as part of your evening routine, you can avoid the risk of dangerous photosensitivity. This is because vitamin C can make skin more sensitive to sunlight.
Unfortunately, aging skin is a natural part of getting older, but there are some things you can do to help stop your skin from aging prematurely. First of all, apply sunscreen every day to protect your skin against harmful sun damage. Sun damage can lead to the formation of wrinkles and dark spots. It is also recommended that you use gentle cleansers to avoid unnecessary dryness or irritation, which can cause the skin to become inflamed.
Collagen supplements, such as Skinade, are another great way to combat skin aging. As we age, collagen production decreases at a rate of 1% per year. Resultantly, this causes signs of aging including sagging skin, dullness, wrinkles, and dryness. Collagen supplements target and reverse these effects.
This is one of the most common skincare questions. Many experts advise that you begin using anti-aging products in your 20s and continue to incorporate them as part of your daily skincare routine. This is because your skin stops producing collagen in your 20s. Resultantly, anti-aging products offer preventative measures against the visible signs of aging.
It`s one of the common skincare questions. When it comes to hormonal acne, a complex approach is needed. The best solution includes a complex of measures aimed at stabilizing the hormonal background. This approach implies the use of proper skincare products, sticking to a healthy diet, and curing existing physical disorders.
Here`s one of the most asked skincare questions. Yes, stress can affect acne appearance indirectly. In general, being under stress causes your physical and hormonal state. As a result, pimples and breakouts may appear.
When looking through popular questions about skin health, this one is topical. To keep the derma healthy and good-looking, it`s vital to nourish cells with essential nutrients. Vitamins, C, B, E are important since they possess antioxidant properties and enhance a protective barrier. Besides, other nutrients are essential. These include Omega fatty acids, Collagen, Selenium, and Zinc.
Pregnant women tend to consider such skincare questions and answers. For them, it`s important to exclude retinoids, salicylic acid, and some essential oils. Cosmetics for pregnant women should not contain benzoyl peroxide hydroquinone, aluminum chloride, parabens, tetracycline, dihydroxyacetone, oxybenzone, phthalates, formaldehyde, and thioglycolic acid.
Definitely. It`s advisable to exclude alcohol-containing skincare products from your routine since the product tends to make the epidermis dry. While most people need to moisturize cells additionally to maintain the hydro level, alcohol has the opposite effect.
On the Dermoi online store, we offer a varied selection of high-quality skincare from an abundance of successful brands. All of the products on Dermoi have been independently selected and reviewed by our expert team of scientists to ensure that we only stock the highest quality of products. Our scientific team is constantly on the look out for the next game-changing skincare line. Some of our favourites are Osmosis Skinade and PCA Skin
Now that we have answered some of your most pressing skincare questions, we hope that you will be better equipped to care and nourish your skin.
If you want to find out more, or have anymore skincare questions, you can book a free 15 minute skin consultation. Our Chief Scientific Officer Eve Casha is on call to answer any questions you may have. To schedule a free skin consultation, call 0203 9639 920.
Below are frequently asked questions and our answers to them. We have also provided links to learn more information about each of the specific topics identified below. Feel free to contact the FDA - CFSAN - Outreach and Information Center (salesforce-sites.com) for general cosmetic questions or for specific questions regarding Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), please contact QuestionsAboutMoCRA@fda.hhs.gov.
1. Does FDA regulate cosmetics?
2. How do I know if my products are regulated as cosmetics, and not as drugs or some other product category?
3. Do I need to have my cosmetic products or ingredients approved by FDA?
4. What do I need to know about using color additives in cosmetics?
5. Do I need to register my cosmetic product facility or list products with FDA?
6. Can I manufacture cosmetics in my home or salon?
7. Can I label my cosmetics “natural” or “organic”?
8. Must I test my products and ingredients?
9. Using available safety data
10. Doing additional testing
11. Can I use a Post Office (P.O.) box or website for the address on the label?
12. Where can I learn more about labeling requirements?
13. What are the local requirements for starting a cosmetics business?
14. Do I need to get a license from FDA to manufacture or market cosmetics?
15. Where can I find more information on FDA requirements I need to know about?
Yes. FDA regulates cosmetics under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Under MoCRA, which expanded FDA’s authority under the FD&C Act law, cosmetics must not be adulterated or misbranded. For example, they must be safe for consumers under labeled or customary conditions of use, and they must be properly labeled. Any color additives they contain must be approved for the intended use, and some must be from batches certified in FDA’s own labs. Packaging and labeling must not be deceptive. If you manufacture or market cosmetics, you have a legal responsibility for the safety and labeling of your products.
To learn more, see “Resources for You: Industry” and “Cosmetics: Guidance and Regulations,” where you will find overviews of the laws, links to the laws and regulations themselves, and more.
A product’s intended use is determined by factors such as product claims, consumer expectations, and certain ingredients. A product is a cosmetic if it is intended for uses such as cleansing the human body, making a person more attractive, or changing a person’s appearance. Here are some examples of products marketed as cosmetics:
If a product is intended to affect the way a person’s body works, or to treat or prevent disease, it’s a drug, but sometimes it is both a cosmetic and a drug depending on its claims. Drugs must meet different requirements.
Some “personal care products” are regulated by FDA as medical devices or as dietary supplements, while others, including some soaps, are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). To learn more about these product categories, including how FDA determines a product’s intended use, see Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?).
Here are some more resources:
The law does not require cosmetic products and ingredients, except for color additives, to be approved by FDA before they go on the market. However, cosmetics must not be adulterated or misbranded. This means that they must be safe for consumers when used according to the labeling, or as people customarily use them, and they must be properly labeled. To learn more, see Key Legal Concepts: Interstate Commerce, Adulterated, and Misbranded.
With the exception of color additives and ingredients that are prohibited or restricted by FDA regulations, you may use any ingredient in your cosmetic, as long as it does not cause the product to be adulterated in any way. You are legally responsible for making sure your cosmetics are safe and properly labeled, in compliance with all the laws and regulations that apply to them.
Remember, however, that not all “personal care products” are regulated as cosmetics under U.S. law. For example, some are regulated as drugs. If your product is a drug under U.S. law, it must meet the requirements for drugs, such as premarket approval. For more information about how some “personal care products” are regulated by FDA as medical devices, while others are regulated by the CPSC, see #2 above.
A color additive, other than coloring materials intended for use as coal-tar hair dyes, must be approved by FDA for the intended use. These color additives are listed in regulations called “listing regulations.” Some may be used only if they are from batches certified in FDA’s own labs. Here are some resources to help you learn more:
Yes, you may need to register your facility and list your cosmetics products. Please see our Draft Guidance that describes the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) requirements for facility registration and product listing, and the exemptions under MoCRA for certain small businesses.
MoCRA exempts certain small businesses from facility registration and product listing.
However, such exemptions do not apply to manufacturers or facilities that manufacture or process the following cosmetic products:
Exemptions also exist for certain products and facilities that are subject to requirements for drugs and devices (For ex. Class 1 and Class II Device Exemptions).
If, however, your products are drugs, or both cosmetics and drugs, they must meet the requirements for drug registration. Similarly, importers of cosmetic ingredients that are also classified as food products must meet the registration requirements of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002.
It’s not against the law to manufacture cosmetics in your home. Keep in mind, however, that it’s your responsibility to manufacture products in an environment that will not cause them to become adulterated.
Here are some of the ways in which a cosmetic can become adulterated:
FDA intends to conduct rulemaking as part of the implementation of MoCRA, which requires FDA to establish good manufacturing practices (GMP) that, to the extent practicable and appropriate, are consistent with national and international standards. If you manufacture homemade cosmetics or own a salon, exemption from GMP requirements may apply. For more information on GMP, please see:
The same requirements for safety and labeling apply to all cosmetics, no matter what their source. This includes, for example, making sure that all your labeling is truthful and not misleading.
FDA has not defined the term “natural” and has not established a regulatory definition for this term in cosmetic labeling.
FDA also does not have regulations for the term "organic" for cosmetics. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the use of the term “organic” for agricultural products under the National Organic Program (NOP). If you have questions about the use of the term “organic,” contact USDA. Answers to some common questions about "organic" cosmetics are available on our website under “‘Organic’ Cosmetics.”
Don’t use terms such as “natural” as part of an ingredient statement, because ingredients must be listed by their common or usual names, without additional description.
And remember, choosing ingredients from sources you consider “organic” or “natural” is no guarantee that they are safe. You are still responsible for making sure your ingredients are safe when used according to the labeling, or as they are customarily used, no matter what kinds of ingredients you use.
In general, a manufacturer, packer or distributor whose name appears on the label of a cosmetic product is required to ensure adequate substantiation of safety of their cosmetic product and to maintain records that support substantiation. Adequate substantiation of safety means tests or studies, research, analyses, or other evidence or information that is considered, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety of cosmetic products and their ingredients, sufficient to support a reasonable certainty that a cosmetic product is safe. Animal testing is not a requirement. It’s important, however, that all data used to support the safety are derived from scientifically robust methods.
FDA does not require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual cosmetic products or ingredients. Nor does FDA require cosmetic companies to share their safety information with FDA prior to marketing of their products. However, if certain conditions are met, FDA can access and copy records, including safety substantiation data for cosmetic products and their ingredients.
FDA has consistently advised manufacturers to use whatever testing is necessary to ensure the safety of their products and ingredients. Firms may substantiate safety in a number of ways. FDA has stated that "the safety of a product can be adequately substantiated through:
Additionally, there are regulations that prohibit or restrict the use of several ingredients in cosmetic products. (See 21 CFR 700.11-700.35.)
For more resources on cosmetics safety substantiation, please see Product Testing of Cosmetics.
Manufacturers can use relevant safety data that is already available to support the safety of their products.
Here are some examples:
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) website has information on the safety of cosmetic ingredients that they have reviewed. (CIR is an industry-funded panel of scientific and medical experts who review the safety of cosmetic ingredients. FDA participates in CIR meetings, but does not vote, and we may agree or disagree with CIR conclusions. However, we do take CIR reviews into consideration when we evaluate cosmetic ingredient safety.)
You may also need to do toxicological testing to fill in any gaps in the information that’s available. Toxicology or other testing methods may be necessary to determine the safety of each ingredient and the finished product. And don’t forget microbiological safety. Cosmetics do not have to be sterile, but they must not contain any harmful microorganisms, and the number of aerobic microorganisms per gram must be low. To learn more, see “Microbiological Methods for Cosmetics.”
Many factors can affect how your product may become contaminated, including use by consumers, such as dipping one’s fingers into a jar. If you do not have the technical expertise to determine the best way to ensure that your product is protected from contamination, you may want to work with a consultant.
For more resources on cosmetics safety substantiation, please see Product Testing of Cosmetics.
A post office box or website address is not adequate for this labeling requirement.
The FD&C Act requires cosmetic labels to identify the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. By regulation, this includes the street address, city, state, and ZIP code, although you may omit the street address if your firm is listed in a current city or telephone directory. You may use the main place of business instead of the actual place where the cosmetic was manufactured, packed, or distributed, unless such a statement would be misleading.
If you use the distributor’s address, you must use a phrase such as "Distributed by" or "Manufactured for," followed by that firm's name and place of business. The name of the firm must be the corporate name. See the regulation on name and place of business at 21 CFR 701.12.
Cosmetic labeling is not subject to premarket approval by FDA. It’s your responsibility to make sure your labeling meets all requirements. For specific labeling questions, please contact the FDA - CFSAN - Outreach and Information Center (salesforce-sites.com) or for specific questions regarding Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), please contact QuestionsAboutMoCRA@fda.hhs.gov.
Here are some useful resources:
Some cosmetic labeling requirements are regulated by other federal agencies. For example, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regulates claims of “Made in USA.” Other country of origin labeling is regulated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (see “Chapter 13-Country of Origin Marking”).
You may wish to work with a labeling consultant. FDA, as a government agency, does not provide referrals to private consultants.
You will need to contact your state and local authorities for that information. The Small Business Administration can also help.
FDA does not license cosmetics firms. However, state or local authorities may require licensing or have other requirements you need to know about. You will need to contact your state or local authorities directly. Again, the Small Business Administration may be able to help.
See “ Resources for You: Industry" for a list of resources for members of the cosmetics industry, large and small. You will find information on labeling, color additives, imports, exports, other agencies you need to know about, links to the laws and regulations, and more.