919 replies to this topic

[The_Snow_Queen]

Cetaphil has sodium lauryl sulvate...why is that so bad if its supposed to be a gentle cleanser?

Sodium lauryl sulfate is worst when it's listed as the second ingredient on an ingredients list. In Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser, it is the fourth ingredient.

[Tsuku]

I am planning to overhaul my whole skin care system and a friend recommended Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, Original Formula SPF 15 and Burt's Bees Garden tomato toner, but I'm not sure if it's comedogenic or not.

Are any of these ingredients comedogenic?...

Neutrogena:

Active Ingredients: Enzulizole 1%, Octinoxate 6%

Inactive Ingredients: Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Retinol, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 20, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, BHT, Carbomer


Burt's Bees:

Filtered Water, SD Alcohol 40B from Yellow Corn, Vegetable Glycerin, Extracts Of Cucumber, Green Tea, Parsley, Tomato, Bilberry, Sugar Cane (sugar maple, orange and lemon), Above extracts are all natural sources of alpha-hydroxy acids, Fragrance

Please and thank you!

*edit: Also, my friend also recommended Burt's Bees French Clay pore refining mask which has;

French Green Clay, Bentonite (Natural Clay), Fragrance, Mentha Piperita Leaf (Peppermint), Shavegrass Herb, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf (Rosemary), Salvia Officinalis Leaf (Sage)

Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner;

Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40, Glycolic Acid, Witch Hazel, Sodium PCA, Salicylic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Extract, Peppermint Extract, Allantoin, Sodium Lactate, PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance

and Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream, but I can't find the ingredients for it. But I heard that Clinique is non-comedogenic. Is that true? If it's not, then are there any good make-up removers and cleansers like it?

((Sorry to be such a bother))

[matt0002]

hey i was just wondering what anyone thinks about the Cliniderm products, espcially snow queens opinion. lol
i use salicylic acid at night and during the day i cant seen to find a moisturizer that doesnt completely make my face blindingly shiny lol. I don't have dry skin just have unfortunately really oily but real sensitive skin . Also I hate finding/trying cleansers b/c when i use a gel (non-foaming) cleanser i have a bunch of dried up oil that i can see right in the pores that all just come out by brushing my face with my nail but it's annoying (dunno if that makes sense), and even gentle foaming ones are usually lil overdrying but i stick with them b/c they get he guck out

Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser - Aqua, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, glyceryl polymethacrylate, glycerin, polysorbate 20, sodium isostearoyl lactylate, citric acid, potassium sorbate

Cliniderm Soothing Lotion - (soothing my ass lol, i still kinda tingle during the day even though i dont put SA on during the day at all)
Aqua, cyclomethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, petrolatum, cyclopentasilozane, PEG/PPG-19/19 dimethicone, polysorbate 20, sodium chloride, disodium EDTA, sorbic acid

do these ingredients suck??? ive been using it for a couple months and they arent bad but i wanna try something matting and have tried Complex 15 lotion in the past and it wasn't hydrating/moisturizing enough.

I was thinking of switching to these: maybe these ingredients are better: if anyone could let me know that'd be awesome:
All marcelle products at this link and have all ingredients:
http://www.marcelle.com/English/skinCare/p...;scSubCat_id=71
either or all lol:
1) Moisture Lotion (maybe for night)
2) Aquarelle Aqua-Matte Hydrating Fluid (for day with a sunscreen on top - Neutro Ultra Sheer)
3) Oil-Free Multi-Defense Lotion SPF 15 (instead of the added sunscreen or maybe on top of #2 i dunno)

Thanks everyone for any suggestions and oh in Number 1 there is mineral oil, i dunno about it b/c it is an oil and obviously marks fear in ppl with acne lol

[maddy001]

I am planning to overhaul my whole skin care system and a friend recommended Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, Original Formula SPF 15 and Burt's Bees Garden tomato toner, but I'm not sure if it's comedogenic or not.

Are any of these ingredients comedogenic?...

Neutrogena:

Active Ingredients: Enzulizole 1%, Octinoxate 6%

Inactive Ingredients: Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Retinol, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 20, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, BHT, Carbomer


Burt's Bees:

Filtered Water, SD Alcohol 40B from Yellow Corn, Vegetable Glycerin, Extracts Of Cucumber, Green Tea, Parsley, Tomato, Bilberry, Sugar Cane (sugar maple, orange and lemon), Above extracts are all natural sources of alpha-hydroxy acids, Fragrance

Please and thank you!

*edit: Also, my friend also recommended Burt's Bees French Clay pore refining mask which has;

French Green Clay, Bentonite (Natural Clay), Fragrance, Mentha Piperita Leaf (Peppermint), Shavegrass Herb, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf (Rosemary), Salvia Officinalis Leaf (Sage)

Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner;

Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40, Glycolic Acid, Witch Hazel, Sodium PCA, Salicylic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Extract, Peppermint Extract, Allantoin, Sodium Lactate, PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance

and Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream, but I can't find the ingredients for it. But I heard that Clinique is non-comedogenic. Is that true? If it's not, then are there any good make-up removers and cleansers like it?

((Sorry to be such a bother))

I thought I might help out a bit seeing that she's not here. I'm not doing much, just pointing out the no-nos on SnowQueen's ingredient list. I think the Burt Bee's will be a an absolute no because of the SD alcohol, witch hazel and all the fruit juices are on the top of her NO list.

The Neurtogena toner wil be a no as well because of the SD alcohol again and it renders the AHA useless. Anyway it sucked! I know it because I used it before and it left my skin tight and dry and I have oily skin!

hey i was just wondering what anyone thinks about the Cliniderm products, espcially snow queens opinion. lol
i use salicylic acid at night and during the day i cant seen to find a moisturizer that doesnt completely make my face blindingly shiny lol. I don't have dry skin just have unfortunately really oily but real sensitive skin . Also I hate finding/trying cleansers b/c when i use a gel (non-foaming) cleanser i have a bunch of dried up oil that i can see right in the pores that all just come out by brushing my face with my nail but it's annoying (dunno if that makes sense), and even gentle foaming ones are usually lil overdrying but i stick with them b/c they get he guck out

Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser - Aqua, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, glyceryl polymethacrylate, glycerin, polysorbate 20, sodium isostearoyl lactylate, citric acid, potassium sorbate

Cliniderm Soothing Lotion - (soothing my ass lol, i still kinda tingle during the day even though i dont put SA on during the day at all)
Aqua, cyclomethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, petrolatum, cyclopentasilozane, PEG/PPG-19/19 dimethicone, polysorbate 20, sodium chloride, disodium EDTA, sorbic acid

do these ingredients suck??? ive been using it for a couple months and they arent bad but i wanna try something matting and have tried Complex 15 lotion in the past and it wasn't hydrating/moisturizing enough.

I was thinking of switching to these: maybe these ingredients are better: if anyone could let me know that'd be awesome:
All marcelle products at this link and have all ingredients:
http://www.marcelle.com/English/skinCare/p...;scSubCat_id=71
either or all lol:
1) Moisture Lotion (maybe for night)
2) Aquarelle Aqua-Matte Hydrating Fluid (for day with a sunscreen on top - Neutro Ultra Sheer)
3) Oil-Free Multi-Defense Lotion SPF 15 (instead of the added sunscreen or maybe on top of #2 i dunno)

Thanks everyone for any suggestions and oh in Number 1 there is mineral oil, i dunno about it b/c it is an oil and obviously marks fear in ppl with acne lol

I think Mineral oil is a No for all acne users and the top of SnowQueen's list again. I'm not too sure about the other moisturizers though but it seems that the ingredient list is very long, not too good I guess. Find something that has a shorter list.

I suggest you guys check out her list on the first page, it explains everything

[maddy001]

Need your help once again. This time with toning. I regretted raving about ACV earlier although it did help a bit with blackheads and redmarks it gave me flakey skin although I'm clear now. So now I'm in search of a good toner. I did wanted to go back to my old toner but the thought that it contains alcohol denatured prevented me from using it. I found 2 actually that made pass your irritation ingredient list and was wondering which you think might be better.

http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/browse...goryId=cat30014

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp16995_332828_s..._free_toner.htm

I personally pefer the body shop one because of its little ingredients.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

[crazygamar]

Hi there snowqueen. I hope you remember me . I just wanted to thank you for all your help. I am more grateful to you than I can even explain. I ordered all the products you reccommended from Paulas choice and also some from getthatglow. I got them very quickly and started right away.

I figured i would update you. I love the BHA gel, its amazing, goes on great and calms my redness even more than i expected it to. After that i apply the BP solution, its working awesome to. I never expected either of them to work for me but they work great. I use her one step cleanser to which feels good. I dont buy her moisturizers though, Id like to but i get a 12oz one for $12, so i need to save some money, haha.

The first week everything cleared up and stayed that way, now going into the second week looking at my face now i have a few breakouts. Nothing bad and they practically dissapear overnight. My face is all one color finally, the blotchy redness is going away and the few pimples i do get arent very red, they calm down after i apply my stuff.

I feel everything is going the way it should. I keep it up and let you know later on how im doing. I do have one question I thought of. They say the BHA has a drop off point. Will I still see good results or will it be less effective against my acne at that point?

I just wanted to thank you again. I really cant tell you how happy I am. I have NEVER seen my face this clear. Im so happy for once, Im more confident, I dont look at the ground when i talk to people, haha. Thank you for all your help, you are an amazing person.

[georgye]

I've heard of people using toothpaste on their blackheads... that cannot work, i wish people will start thinking on their own and not do all the stupid things written in idiotic magazines and sites...

[User15978]

hey Snow Queen, Could you plz check out this. This is the Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser in Australia:

purified water, PEG-200 hydrogenated glyceryl palmate (and) PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, acrylates/steareth-20 methacrylate copolymer, glycerol, sodium laureth sulfate, butylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, masking fragrance, dexpanthenol, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, disodium EDTA, methyl hydroxybenzoate

[IFeelBroken]

Hmm well since everyone is asking about their products I suppose I should ask about mine..hehe

Well anyways I am using a creamy facial cleanser and the ingredients are:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Methyl Gluceth-20, Steareth-21, Gelatin, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Steareth-2, DEA-Cetyl Phosphate, Disodium EDTA, Menthol, and Fragrance... It claims to be oil free, and I just love it becuz it doesn't dry me out... Is it safe?

And as a Moisturizer I use Ocean Potion 100% Aloe Ver Gel the ingredients are: Water, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Aurantium, Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Acrylates/C10-30, Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl (&) Propyl Parabens, Triethenalomine, FD&C Yellow No.5, FD&C Blue No. 1, Fragrance... The extra stuff other then the aloe vera is said to be necessary stabalizers and preservatives.

Please Help and tell me If I should try something new and or better... Thanks!

Arigatou Gozaimasu yo!

[Lexica]

Snow Queen -- you mention in the first post that Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Moisture Gel is a moisturizer worth considering. What do you think about her other moisturizers (the Hydrating Treatment Cream and the Skin Recovery Moisturizer)? Since my skin tends to be dry, I think the Moisture Gel is probably not the best choice for me.

Thanks!

[The Melodramatic Fool]

Thank you, that's really helpful.
I have a question:
Can Differin be used with sulfur? Or salicylic acid?

Thanks in advance.

According to the makers of Differin, salicylic acid and sulfur can be used with the treatment with caution. If you just started using any one of these treatments, you may not want to apply them separately until your skin has gotten used to the treatment(s), which should take a few weeks. Disinfectants like sulfur can be used as often as twice daily but must be used at least once daily. Salicylic acid can be used as often as twice daily and as little as once every other day, though you'll probably find that you get best results using it at least once daily. Differin is most effective when used once daily or once every other day, and the makers say that using it once daily is preferred. You can combine treatment applications, depending on how well your skin reacts, though I would probably not use all three treatments at once.

There are very few well-formulated salicylic acid products on the market. Most either have too high of a pH to act as exfoliants, contain skin irritants like drying alcohols, or both. Medicated cleansers are not effective because the medication gets rinsed away. In addition, these products usually have too high of a pH to allow the salicylic acid to exfoliate anyway. If you let the cleanser sit on your skin a few minutes in hopes of giving the treatment time to working, you are also giving the cleansing agents in the cleanser time to cause problematic irritation for your skin. The reason why many people say salicylic acid cleansers are harsh is because they typically use harsh surfectants like sodium C14-olefin sulfonate; the problem is not the salicylic acid, but rather the cleansing agent used. A great example of one such salicylic acid cleanser is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. And it is not just salicylic acid cleansers that have a reputation for being harsh, but salicylic acid products in general. Again, this is the fault of "inactive" ingredients like SD alcohol 40 or other common skin irritants. When in well-formulated products, salicylic acid is relatively gentle for most people. As mentioned before, though, there are very few well-formulated salicylic acid products availabe. If you're not using one of the salicylic acid product recommended in the first post to this thread, chances are it's not well-formulated and you shouldn't be using it (and especially not with Differin).

Sulfur itself has an alkaline pH, which may affect the effectiveness of your salicylic acid product and retinoids. When used as the active ingredient in disinfecting products, those products may have been formulated to have a neutral or acidic pH, meaning that they would not negatively impact the effectiveness of salicylic acid and prescription retinoids. Just to be safe, I would recommend waiting between fifteen minutes and a half hour prior to applying sulfur when using a pH-sensitive product, or testing the pH of your sulfur product so you know for sure.

Differin is considered a retinoid because of the way it interacts with retinoid receptors, but is not actually a vitamin A derivative. I think I remember reading online that Differin had a higher pH than other retinoids and is not pH-sensitive in the way that Retin-A is, but could not find the site again. I would still recommend waiting fifteen minutes and a half hour prior to using sulfur treatments as mentioned above, unless you know that your sulfur product does not have an alkaline pH. If nothing else, this will at least help lessen the amount of irritation you will experience from using such treatments.

Wow, thanks TONS for the extensive reply. As for skin irritations, I had none even when I started first using BP a few years back. I think I have really resistant oily skin, the only time it's irritated(dry/flaky) is when I'm sick and I blow my nose too much. Well, except for that one time when I went to Dollar General and bought a 10%BP treatment for a dollar, and that was very stupid.

[Choyobinshe]

Omg, never leave your pimples. If you can, pop them for sure. Those idiots who tell not to, don't listen. If you don't pop a pimple, they'll take like 3 times as long to go away.

[Meeeeeee]

When it comes to the reasons of acne. Is it mostly genetical or due to stress and hormonal imbalance....

[Lancome]

Are there any other moisturizer options that I can go for available in stores?

[happy2007]

All of the info posted can be found on www.paulaschoice.com for anyone who wants to know the source of the original post to look at all of the other really great advice Paula Begoun has. Even the product recommendations and the bad ingredient lists can be found on the website so it would be good for everyone to check it out to learn for themselves how to analyze products. To think I had been using pore clogging bar soap and a moisturizer with an ingredient that should only be used in rinse off products because it can cause alot of irritation if left on skin (Kathon CG in my Purpose Dual Treatment Moisturizer! This ingredient should even be left on skin for many people!) Anyway...check out the website, there is alot to learn there besides looking at her products.

One more thing, for anyone interested in the ingredients used in the products you are currently using, if you go to www.paulaschoice.com there is an ingredient dictionary located on the left toward the bottom of the page and you can look up all the ingredients for yourself! Its really helpful. She also explains why you want to avoid the irritating ingredients and explains what types of ingredients you DO want..(i believe someone else asked about this).

Torrey

[this-love-is-sirius]

What is the difference between BHA and AHA?

I've seen these terms a lot, and I don't really understand what they mean.

And would it be best to just go ahead and use all of the Paula's Choice products. But I'm afraid of doing too much, which I know is deadly for the skin.

And I know that PC has two versions for each skin type in the cleansers, toners, moisturizers, ect ect. I have normal to oily/combination skin type. Is one better than the other? For example: One Step Face Cleanser vs. Skin Balancing Cleaner. Both are for my skin type, but is one better than the other?

[this-love-is-sirius]

And back to the Paula's Choice, what is the difference between 1% and 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel (1%= pH level of 3.4, and 2%= pH level of 3.4 as well)? Or would the 2% BHA Liquid be better (it has a 3.2 pH level)?

But what does the 1% and 2% stand for? Help me please.

With the Blemish Fighting Solution: is the extra strength too much because it says it contains 5% BP. Would regular strength be better because it only contains 2.5%? And I know that Snow Queen said that 2.5% should be the highest level of BP used.

[this-love-is-sirius]

Omg, never leave your pimples. If you can, pop them for sure. Those idiots who tell not to, don't listen. If you don't pop a pimple, they'll take like 3 times as long to go away.

The reason why you aren't supposed to pop is because popping causes scarring. And also you should try not to touch your face as much as you can because touching your face a lot just adds more oil to your face (the oil from you finger tips and hands goes onto your face and clogs your pores). So don't pop the pimple, just wait it out. In the long run it is much better for your skin to just wait.

Snow Queen -- you mention in the first post that Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Moisture Gel is a moisturizer worth considering. What do you think about her other moisturizers (the Hydrating Treatment Cream and the Skin Recovery Moisturizer)? Since my skin tends to be dry, I think the Moisture Gel is probably not the best choice for me.

Thanks!

If you go to the FAQs on Paula's Choice. They talk about what is best for each skin type. The problem I'm having is that there are like 2 choices for each skin type. So that leaves me asking 'Which one of the two will work the best?'

When it comes to the reasons of acne. Is it mostly genetical or due to stress and hormonal imbalance....

In my experience it seems like it is hormonal. Neither of my parents, or grandparents have acne. My oldest sister doesn't either. Although my older sister and I do. So I think in my family's case it is stress and hormonal, and not genetical.

[k_chocolat]

hello!

i just have a very small question.

is it for certain (scientifically proven) that our skin can't become immune/get used to BHA and retinols and thus stop working?