The Good, The Bad, The Oddly Shimmering And The Scary- Mario Badescu Summer Shine Body Lotion

This was supposed to be a simple and easy post, telling you how I've been testing the Summer Shine Body Lotion from Mario Badescu for weeks and how well it works for me despite the very icky plastic coconut smell (it's unpleasant for 5-10 minutes before disappearing completely). I was also going to discuss the tiny shimmering particles in it, that are pretty tame and only show up under direct sunlight or strong artificial light.

I also wanted to mention how the lotion has the perfect weight and texture even for more humid days, isn't sticky and keeps my legs supple. I was very impressed with its performance and was fully willing to forgive the scent.

But those shiny particles got me curious, as they look like mica, an ingredient that doesn't appear on the label (it's not the first time I'm questioning the truth behind Badescu labels). This got me into research mood. Now, I truly dislike it when people declare themselves experts on a subject based on their googling skills, and I especially detest those who act like they've earned a PhD from the Wikipedia School of Chemistry. I'm also aware that similar chemicals can be found in many other products in my (and your) cabinets, and have been there for years. It's important to remember that while the skin is our largest organ, it's the most effective filter and barrier. Otherwise we'd be dead long ago because of all the crap we come across. The skin keeps it outside our bodies.

Still, I'm a bit disturbed.

Here's the ingredient list, as found both online and on the bottle:
Deionized Water, Peanut Oil, Octyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Myristyl Myristate, Dimethicone, Beeswax, Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Myristate, Sodium Benzoate, Quaternium-15, Diazolidinyl Urea.

Water, peanut oil and beeswax are self-explanatory. Let's google the rest:

Octyl palmitate- An emollient amplifying ester commonly used as a mineral oil replacement.
So far so good. My skin doesn't do well under a coat of mineral oil.

Retinyl palmitate- vitamin A, a skin normalizer helping to balance all skin types by penetrating the skin. A powerful anti-oxidant that increases skin elasticity, yielding younger looking skin.
Cool. No wonder my skin is happy.

Myristyl Myristate- Ester of myristyl alcohol and myristic acid. Esters are light oils used as cosmetic emollients.
Ok, emollient is nice.

Dimethicone- The most widely used silicon-based organic polymer, and is particularly known for its unusual rheological (or flow) properties. Its applications range from contact lenses and medical devices to elastomers, in shampoos (as dimethicone makes hair shiny and slippery), caulking, lubricating oils and heat resistant tiles.
I can live with that. There was a long list of common uses, from filling breast implants to treating head lice. I guess it's safe (unless you're the head lice).

Stearic acid - Stearic acid is a saturated fat that's mainly in animal products. It's also in some plant foods like chocolate. It's very stable in storage and during frying. A relatively large percentage of stearic acid consumed is converted to oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat). Stearic acid is used to form margarines, shortenings, spreads, and as a cream base for baked products. Even though stearic acid is a saturated fat, studies have suggested that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, because such a high proportion is converted to oleic acid.
I'm not too crazy about it being an animal product, but I shouldn't be a hypocrite, considering the content of many of my favorite products. Besides, I'm not eating it.

Isopropyl Myristate is derived from vegetable fatty acid from coconut oil, acts as a thickening agent. Used as an emollient and lubricant in preshaves, aftershaves, shampoos, bath oils, antiperspirants, deodorants, and various creams and lotions. More than 5 percent in a formulation can cause skin irritation and clog pores.
Note to self: Keep far far away from face.

Sodium benzoate-is a type of salt that may occur naturally in some foods but is more likely to be chemically produced and added as a preservative to foods. There have been some health concerns about the combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or vitamin C. When the two are mixed, they can form the chemical benzene, which is carcinogenic. However, sodium benzoate on its own is not considered a carcinogen, and you would have to consume a huge amount of it in order to have toxic levels in your body.
Umm, couldn't they find something that hasn't had any carciogenic connections?

Quaternium-15 is a quaternary ammonium salt used as a preservative in many cosmetics and industrial substances. It acts as a formaldehyde releaser. It can cause contact dermatitis, a symptom of an allergic reaction, especially in those with sensitive skin, on an infant's skin, or on sensitive areas such as the genitals. Quaternium-15 is an allergen, and can cause contact dermatitis in susceptible individuals. Many of those with an allergy to quaternium-15 are also allergic to formaldehyde. Allergic sensitivity to quaternium-15 can be detected using a patch test. It is the single most often found cause of allergic contact dermatitis of the hands (16.5% in 959 cases).
Seriously, who puts such strong allergens in a skincare product?

Diazolidinyl urea is derived from plants. It is a formaldehyde donor, but NOT formaldehyde in the gaseous state. Only formaldehyde gas has been linked to breast or other cancers. Diazolidinyl urea is considered safe even at high ambient temperatures, and has been extensively evaluated by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board. It is considered safe for both leave-on and rinse-off products. Nonetheless, there is a statistically significant number of people (1 in about 1000) whose skin may be irritated by this preservative. It was recently re-classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer to its highest toxic class, IARC 1 (known human carcinogen). Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some studies concluded that effects can result in: carcinogen, causes allergic reactions and contact dermatitis; headaches; irritates mucous membranes; damaging to eyes; linked to joint and chest pain; depression; headaches; fatigue; dizziness and immune dysfunction.
Say what? I'd rather go with a good old fashioned parabens, thank you very much.

So there you have it, controversy in a bottle.

Mario Badescu products are available at your local Nordstrom and from the comapny's website, which is where I bought my bottle. $10 for 6 oz, $22 for 16 oz.

A Non-Update On Mario Badescu Cleanser (or: How To Annoy A Blogger)

Remember when I contacted Mario Badescu for some clarifications regarding the ingredients in their green (and apparently edible) Enzyme Cleansing Gel?

The next day, my hit counter showed a visit from someone at Mario Badescu. How did they get here? Not from the link in my email signature. The person did a search on monomides, probably trying to find the answer to my little chemistry question, but only found my blog. A nice Google page rank would do that. But apparently, the answer wasn't found in my original post, and the customer service rep must have given up on the issue, because I never got a reply.

What I receive instead is spam. I never asked to have Mario Badescu newsletter sent to my blog email address (I'm not talking about press releases, what they send me is the regular pushy stuff that I already get in my other email). I am not amused.

The case of the mysterious ingredients: Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

My original plan for today was a review of another cleanser. A pretty good one, actually. But the list of ingredients ended up annoying me, and besides, lately I've gone back to using an old standby, Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel. I've been using it on and off for nearly four years and it never disappoints. It removes layers of makeup, sweat and city gunk, doesn't make my skin feel stripped or parched and has a short and sweet list of ingredients, if you don't mind a little paraben with your papaya. From the Mario Badescu web site:

Deionized Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Papaya (Carica Papaya Fruit) Extract,
Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis Fruit) Extract, Monomide, Triethanolamine,
Methylparaben

They don't list which monomide is used here (monomides are stabilizers for detergents that are water-based and contain over 10% of materials that tend to decompose. In other words: a preservative, just like our friend, methylparaben). The other chemical here is used to balance the gel's pH.

Something that isn't listed here is fragrance. However, what I smell from my bottle is neither papaya nor grapefruit. I like this cleanser a lot, but I'm beginning to suspect that the gel contains a bit more than meets the eye, and it bothers me. I sent an inquiry to the Mario Badescu people, so hopefully I'll know more soon, and so will you.

Mario Badescu is a NYC salon and spa. Their products are available at Nordstrom, Henri Bendel and Fred Segal and several locations worldwide. I originally got some free samples years ago, long before starting this blog and have kept buying from them ever since.

Nothing's Perfect

I've been using Carol's Daughter Hair Milk for the last three weeks, and my hair has never been happier. I needed to learn just how much product (how little, actually) should be used, because this stuff, despite it's milky consistency, is very rich and moisturizing. The old cliche- a little goes a long way- is very true in this case. I'm used to loading my hair with leave-in conditioners, but if I do the same thing here I'd get s super greasy and limp hair. It's amazing, but a dollop of this is all that my extremely long and thick hair needs to stay soft and frizz free.

Because of its weight, my hair is more wavy than curly. It needs lots of moisture. Hair Milk gives it exactly that, keeps it shiny, doesn't let it puff up, but still retains the shape of the long waves and ringlets, something that most products simply can't do.

It smells better than most creams and conditioners. I love the light lemongrass scent.

However, like many other hair products, I must keep it away from my hairline. Last week I wasn't paying attention and let a little lotion contact my skin. The result was a breakout along my hair line. Three unsightly pimples that required the return of my trusty pals- Laboratoire Remède Double Oxygenating Booster and Mario Badescu Healing Cream. As far as I'm concerned, those two are miracle workers. The former kills zits like nothing else I've ever come across, without the nasty drying and flaking that accompany most drugstore products. It might take more than a single application to eliminate a really bad one, but the first results are visible after one night.

The Healing Cream does exactly what it says. It takes care of the redness and heals the skin quickly, even after a really bad pimple. Results are quick and despite its sulfuric base it doesn't stink. While I replaced most of my Badescu cleansing products with a simpler routine, followed by my favorite moisturizer, the Healing Cream is something I must have on hand. It's a skin saver.

The bottom line is that I'm going to be much more careful from now on. Carol's Daughter Hair Milk is an excellent product and does exactly what it promises. It's a great solution for anyone with thick and curly hair, and a tiny amount would solve any dryness problem. However, its side effect for those of us with more sensitive skin can be unpleasant. Not a reason enough to give it up, just apply it v-e-r-y carefully.

Not That Anyone Has Asked, But...

The bloggers that were featured in August's Allure were asked for their list of ten favorite products. Apparently, some of those lists were slightly altered (read this post by the Beauty Addict), but they did get to name their absolute favorites. So I've been trying to compile mine. It's not as easy it seems. I'm sort of cheating, as in certain places I picked a whole product range. But, it's my list so I make the rules...

1. Leave-in conditioners. There are several on the market and I alternate between a few. It doesn't really matter which one I use, as long as my hair gets its moisture fix. My favorites are Aveda Elixir and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch.

2. Body washes and creams from L'Occitane. I love everything that they make, in every fragrance and line. The shea butter products are wonderful in winter, mimosa is a dreamy summer scent and I also adore the Honey Harvest line. Their web site is horrible, though. You need to know exactly what you're looking for, otherwise you'll miss most of the products. So I highly recommend a trip to their nearest store.


3. Bliss Sole Train set. Everything one needs for feet (except for polish). The Diamancel Buffer is amazing (they also sell it on Drugstore.com, and their lotions and potions are wonderful. I only wish it all smelled like Rosy Toes. What's better than having your feet smell like roses?

4. Mario Badescu's seaweed night cream. I've talked about it before and can't say enough good things about this product. They sell the entire line in Nordstrom, and I also recommend taking their consultation online, because in a few weeks you will receive an envelope full of samples of products recommended for you. That's how I became a fan of their products.

5. Lancome eye liners. If I had to choose only one eye makeup product, it would have been eye liner, and if I had to narrow it to one brand it would be Lancome. The pencils and liquid in a pen are all beautiful, durable and easy to use.


6. Chanel Vitalumier foundation. I haven't succumbed to the mineral trend. I like the silky feeling of a liquid foundation and the fool-proof application. Vitalumier is semi-sheer. You get more coverage if you use more product. It blends well with my skin and has a lovely, natural finish. My color of choice is beige, and it's the best match for my skin out of the many products I've ever tried.

7. Dallas by Benefit. It's a blush and a bronzer. It gives my skin the perfect natural-looking glow and I have no idea what I used before discovering it. Well, I do know, but now I can't picture myself without it.

8. Besame Cosmetics Enchanting Lipstick in Chocolate Kiss. I've already declared it as my holy grail lip color. The more I use this reddish brown lipstick, the more I love it. It's very pigmented, the texture is perfect and the color is neutral enough to be wearable for either day or night, but still bold enough to be noticed and make a difference in my look.

9. O.P.I Start to Finish base & top coat. I've tried so many nail products. From the ubiquitous drugstore products to the top notch Lippman Collection. This is the best I've found. It's a 2-in-1 product that gives outstanding results. It makes applying polish a breeze and the manicure lasts for well over a week.

10. Perfume. My mother has taught me that you should never leave the house without putting on some perfume. I also wear it at home. It makes everything prettier and finishes off the look. I don't think that it really matters what anyone is using, as long as it's something they love and feel good wearing. I'm always looking for new ones, not as a holy grail thing, just building my fragrance wardrobe.

Invigorate My Foot

In the nearly two years since I've discovered Mario Badescu's products, I've given very little thought to skin care products. I use several of the moisturizers, according to my skin's needs and alternate between cleansing products with the change of weather and activity. The one thing that MB's line hasn't been able to provide me is the perfect scrub. I tried, but wasn't smitten with any of their offerings.

Before my love affair with Mario Badescu I was a Clinique devotee for years, but even then I never liked their scrubs and found them too harsh and not effective. So I've been using Lancôme's Exfolliance Confort on and off for many years now. It's a good scrub, not too drying, unless my skin is having an über-sensitive day, and it usually gets the work done and leaves a soft skin behind.

A few weeks ago I felt like changing something and getting a deeper scrubbing. I was at my local Target and picked two Neutogena products: Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub and Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. I tried both over the following days, and the results were such that I needed to apply my trusted MB seaweed cream a few times a day to rectify the situation.
Both scrubs were very abrasive and drying. There was no gentle exfoliating. More like full-force flaying, that left me with a dry and flaky skin. I didn't see much difference between the two, except that the Invigorating scrub also feels tingly, has a stronger grapefruit smell and it's blue. After a few days of the horror, both tubes were exiled to the land of forgotten beauty products, the Siberia in my utility closet. I returned to my tried-and-true Lancôme, at least for now.

The other day, while giving myself a pedicure I decided that I could use a scrubbing cream or gel. I love Bliss foot froducts, but they don't have a specific foot exfoliator. So I looked around and found the almost forgotten Neutrogena tubes. I used the blue one and it was good. The tingling was nice and the results were great- soft and smooth feet. I did feel the need for good misturizing right after using it, which makes sense. I already new that this product was drying.

Bottom line: I'd never use Neutrogena scrubs on my face again, but I now have two tubes of a pretty decent foot scrub.

In which I rave about Mario Badescu

A year and a half ago my skin got out of hand. It was a combination of hormonal crap and my trusted Clinique 1-2-3 (that I’ve been using for six years at that point) not working all of a sudden. So I tried other brands. I tried Lancôme, I tried Kiehl’s and every sample of any quality product I could get my paws on. Things (and my face) were getting really ugly, until a brown envelope landed in my mailbox.

Several months before I found myself on the Mario Badescu website filling their questionnaire and promptly forgetting about it. The envelope contained samples of products they recommended personally for me (with a handwritten consultation card and a personal letter). They sent me cleanser, toner, gentle scrub, calming mask, moisturizer and eye cream. Within a week of using that I could see dramatic results. My skin was beginning to clear and it felt like everything was on the mend. I made my order before the samples ran out and haven’t looked back (much) since.

I’m still using their enzyme cleanser and two of the toners: the aloe lotion and the glycolic lotion. The honey-almond scrub is nice, but not as effective as I’d like it to be. I’m still looking for the perfect one (that would be a separate post). I’m alternating between several of their masks, for cleaning, calming and hydrating (but also use something from Bliss every now and then).

As for moisturizers: The herbal eye cream is nice. It’s not very “active” and I’m starting to feel a need for something more dramatic. I might check their other offerings soon. The aloe moisturizer (SPF 15) is good and effective in the same way that my old Clinique DDML used to be- like letting my skin have a drink of water, which makes it a) feel good b) receptive to other creams and products I load on it. My husband likes it too.

The other creams I use are the Ginseng-moist cream (on the web site it hides inside the Protective Creams category).

But the really important point of this post is their Seaweed Night Cream. As far as I can tell this stuff is pure magic. It hydrates my skin even on the most parched winter days, it calms and it makes discomfort go away. I use it at night, for plain trips, after sun exposure and whenever I feel a need for something extra. One day I might graduate to La Mer or other heavy guns, but for now, this is the best cream I’ve come across.