Makeup Lineup

After working on this natural beauty blog for more than a year now, it occurs to me that this is the first post I'm doing about the stuff people probably actually think of when they hear the word "cosmetics" - you know, makeup - foundation, mascara, lipstick...

Although I haven't posted about it yet, I have been experimenting with safe, natural makeup all year, and finally think I've landed on some good, safe, effective products that are at least somewhat affordable.  So, without further ado, here is...

Vigorous Vixen's Makeup Lineup

Eyes

bareMinerals eyecolor and liner shadow

Although the initial investment may seem expensive - $14 for a 0.02 oz container - when you consider that one little container of this loose mineral eyeshadow will last for years, it's actually pretty thrifty.  I contacted bareMinerals customer service and was informed that the loose mineral eyecolors and liner shadows do not expire since they are composed of only inert ingredients.  The key is to keep your brushes clean.

The colors that I own are probably no longer available for purchase, but I did run a report using the "Build Your Own Report" tool on SkinDeep for a similar color that is currently available on the bareMinerals website, and came up with a hazard rating of 1, Low Hazard.  The most similar product I could find that was actually published on SkinDeep was a Snowflake Blue color - you can see how it stacks up here.  I would recommend checking the SkinDeep score for the particular color you are interested in before purchasing.  You can find bareMinerals at Ulta, Sephora, Bare Escentuals boutiques, and of course, online.  My local grocery store, HEB, even carries some of their products, although I don't necessarily recommend buying it there because it's locked up in a cabinet and you have to basically get a security clearance to make the purchase.

Another good thing about loose mineral eyecolor is the versatility.  You can add a little water to your brush and apply it wet for a more dramatic look, or if you add some water to your liner shadow, you can achieve a look pretty similar to liquid eyeliner.  The colors are very blendable, which helps you achieve great, professional looking results.  Plus there are so many beautiful colors available.

Since this stuff doesn't expire and pretty much lasts forever, I actually have not purchased eyeshadow at all since starting this blog.  I'm still using up what I already have on hand. There are plenty of other mineral eyeshadow brands out there that I'm interested in  trying, but I figure - why spend the money on it right now when I've already got something that works for me?

Gabriel Mascara

For the greater part of the past year, I was using Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara.  It's available in most drugstores, and at about $10 per tube, it's priced at least somewhat competitively with most drugstore brand mascaras.  It has a score of 1, Low Hazard on EWG's SkinDeep database, which is really good. I wanted so badly to love this mascara, but it smears and smudges like crazy. Within 30 minutes of application, I look like a football player wearing black grease under the eyes. Unfortunately, if the stuff doesn't work, that means it's a waste of money, no matter how safe and cheap and available it is.

So I did a little more research and decided to try Gabriel Mascara.  I bought a 0.25 ounce tube for $15.99 at Sprouts, but I believe it's available at Whole Foods as well.  I do think that $15.99 for a small tube of mascara is a bit on the expensive side, but for now, it's the best thing I have found.  Hey, you could always spend more!  Jane Iredale PureLash mascaras can run up to $33 per tube and Kjaer Weis Mascara costs $38 per tube, just to give a couple of examples.  

The good news about Gabriel Mascara is that has a rating of 2, low hazard, on SkinDeep.  And I've been using it for about 2 weeks now, and no more smudges!  Yay!  For now, the Gabriel mascara is the best value I have found.

Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner

Well, this is something I definitely love and plan to buy again.  Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner is also made by Gabriel Cosmetics, and available at Whole Foods.  It's also pretty expensive - $14.85 for a 0.1 ounce bottle, but I've kind of gotten into the winged eyeliner look lately, and Zuzu Luxe liquid eyeliner is helping me out with that.  I think it has great wear, and the SkinDeep rating is 2, low hazard.

Since products like liquid eyeliner and mascara need to be thrown out every two to four months, my plan is to continue using the Zuzu Luxe for about three months, or until I run out, whichever comes first, then switch back to using my bareMinerals liner shadow until I can save up enough to splurge on another bottle of Zuzu Luxe.  Perhaps the timing of my next purchase will coincide with a major event, say, my little sister's wedding in July, where I need to look presentable.  See how I can justify this as a worthy splurge?

Lips

Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

Chapped lips are a terrible problem for me, especially during the winter.  There are a lot of products out there, but I've noticed that the more natural products seem to work so much better for this problem compared to petroleum based products.  I've been researching this issue in an effort to figure out if there is a reason for this, but I can't seem to find any good studies explaining why this is.  My hypothesis is that natural ingredients such as cocoa butter and olive oil work better because they deliver beneficial vitamins and antioxidants to the skin, thereby working to heal the underlying problem.  Petroleum is very emollient and moisturizing, but doesn't contain the vitamins and antioxidants that can be found in plant based products.  Another possibility is that some lip balms (whether natural or synthetic), may contain ingredients that actually contribute to inflammation and irritation of the skin.  

Badger "Creamy Cocoa" Cocoa Butter Lip Balm has a rating of 0, Low Hazard on the SkinDeep database.  A 0.25 ounce tube is $4.99 and it's something I can pick up on the "healthy living" aisle at HEB.  For the most part, using this product once or twice a day helps keep my lips from getting chapped. Sometimes for an extra boost, I mix up a lip scrub made with one part honey and one part sugar.  Mix the two ingredients in the palm of the hand, gently massage onto lips, then rinse.  After rinsing, apply the Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm and problem solved.

Bella Mari Natural Cosmetics Lipstick

Bella Mari has some awesome products with good ratings on the EWG SkinDeep website, and they are made right here in San Antonio, by folks who know what real natural cosmetics should be made of.  I don't think they have a brick and mortar store, though, so I still have to order the stuff online.  The good thing is, their online store has some very customer friendly policies - free shipping for all orders over $50 (in the US), inexpensive trial sizes, free samples with every order, and they always have specials and coupons available.  The inexpensive trial sizes are key here.  I was able to order several trial size lipsticks and foundations in various colors so I could try them out first before ordering.  When it comes to lipstick and foundation, getting the shade just right is pretty important, but many online-only retailers do not provide trial sizes.  Bella Mari does, so that's super cool.

I ended up purchasing two full size, 0.16 ounce lipsticks for $15.95 each.  Yes, you can find cheaper lipstick at the drugstore, but I've found that most conventional lipsticks seem to contribute to my problem with dry, cracked, chapped lips.  Bella Mari lipsticks are made of natural, moisturizing ingredients that work for me. The colors I purchased are Jealousy, sort of an earthy reddish pink color, and Sentimental, which is my favorite, a shimmery nude color.

Most (if not all) of Bella Mari's lipsticks are rated 1, Low Hazard on Skin Deep. Oh yeah, and they actually make an effort to keep lead out of their lipstick, so that's nice.  You know, since the stuff you put on your lips sometimes ends up inside your body, and lead is bio-accumulative, and ain't exactly good for you...

Face

Bella Mari Moisturizing Foundation

Prior to this past year, I had been using bareMinerals loose mineral foundation for about seven or eight years, and although I really liked it, I've noticed that as I've gotten older, my skin has become drier, and while I was ordering my natural lipsticks, I decided to go ahead and try out Bella Mari's Talc Free SPF 30 Moisturizing Foundation.  I was able to order several free samples, and the "light honey" shade was a good match for my skin tone.  

While I wouldn't recommend using this foundation instead of a regular moisturizer, I have found that it definitely contributes moisture to the skin, rather than drying it out.  For people with oily skin, it could actually be a little too emollient, but for me, it works really well.  If you want a matte finish, you can follow up with a little finishing powder (Sally B's Skin Yummies has a Get Even Finishing Powder with a good rating on SkinDeep), but I've gotten to where I really like the "dewy" look, so I just apply the foundation over my two-step moisturizer and leave it alone.

On occassion, I do get pimples.  I think this is primarily caused by fluctuating hormones through my monthly cycle, but the emollient foundation could also be a factor.  When blemishes happen, I just zap them with some tea tree oil and switch over to my old standby, bareMinerals foundation for a while until the problem clears up.  

Although I'm one of those people who thinks it's important to get about 20 minutes of sunshine a day without using sunscreen when possible, I do think it's important to have a foundation with built-in SPF, since the sun is one of the biggest contributors to premature aging.  Also, I've been incorporating some at-home chemical peels into my regimen, which makes the skin even more sensitive to the sun.  So, the fact that this foundation has an SPF of 30 is very nice.

The cost of the Bella Mari moisturizing foundation is $24.95 for a 1.7 ounce pot, perhaps more than you would pay for a drugstore brand, but considering it's benefits, I think it's worth it.

   

  

Cetalox and Everclear: "Not" Not a Perfume

So, back in October, my friend Sam and I attended the Supernatural Sessions at the W3LL PEOPLE studio in Austin.  We had a great time, had a couple of local, natural cocktails, and scored a huge goodie bag full of awesome free samples.  Afterwards, we headed down the road to Barlata for tapas and another round of drinks, took a selfie, then went back to Sam's house where we split up that goodie bag like a poker pot.  :)

Image source:  Elizabeth Kertesz

I was planning to publish a blog post about the whole thing, but never got around to it.  Then by chance, I noticed that Crystal, from Clean Beauty Craze beat me to it.  Doh!  Seriously, she wrote up a great post about it - so here is the link - read all about it!

That was over a month ago, and in the meantime, I have been testing out some of those products from the goodie bag. A few of my favorites are the Resurrecting Wash and Rinse from Dear Clark, which smell heavenly, and a new product called Bio Tint that W3LL PEOPLE is planning to release soon. But interestingly enough, the thing that really caught my attention was a perfume.  A perfume called "Not A Perfume" made by Juliette Has a Gun.  

Now, for the past year or so, I've been researching all the ingredients in my beauty products, and one of the first things I learned was that the word "Fragrance" on an ingredient list denotes an undisclosed, proprietary blend of chemicals, often including phthalates and allergens, and EWG's Skin Deep database gives the ingredient "Fragrance" a score of 8 (High Hazard).  So I have been avoiding fragrance in general, and perfume in particular.  "Not A Perfume" got my attention though - I like the name, I got it in a goodie bag at a green beauty event, and even though the ingredient list includes the word fragrance, there was a note on the packaging that said it was allergen free. Also, it's made in a perfume house in Paris, which is kind of charming.

My first impression of the scent was that it smelled "clean and crisp".  It only has one fragrance component, called Cetalox, which is a synthetic form of ambergris.  I couldn't find much information on the safety of Cetalox in the Skin Deep database or elsewhere, but the MSDS states that there are no known health hazards associated with it.

After going so long without fragrance, I think I really missed smelling good, because I sort of fell in love with this product.  However, since the ingredient list contained the word "Fragrance", I had to make sure it was free of phthalates, parabens and formaldehyde, so I emailed Juliette Has a Gun, and at 3 a.m. my time (the following business day in Paris), I received an email from a lady named Ophélie Lagref confirming that it is indeed free of those nasties.  So, with the green light, I started using the sample, and now it's completely gone.  I wanted to buy a full bottle of the stuff, but even though it's called "Not A Perfume", it's still just as pricey as any nice eau de parfum, $80 for 50 mL.  So I couldn't justify buying it for myself, since part of my goal here is to stay on a low-cost budget.  I thought about asking my husband to give me a bottle of it for Christmas, but the poor guy lost his sense of smell a long time ago, so that just seemed cruel.

I read a couple of reviews, like this one from Beautiful With Brains, and noticed that one of the biggest criticisms of Not A Perfume is that it is simply Cetalox (also called Ambroxan) diluted in ethanol...and you know, that got those wheels turning in my head...  Could I make my own batch at home?  Before I knew what I was doing, a vial of white Cetalox crystals arrived in my mailbox.  I headed over to Craftiques, purchased a vintage perfume bottle for a great price, then swung by the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Everclear, and BAM! - I ended up with some sort of solution that smells an awful lot like Not A Perfume for a fraction of the price.

Image Source:  Elizabeth Kertesz

Honestly, I cannot recommend that my readers try this at home.  Everclear is extremely flammable, and the Cetalox MSDS says to keep it away from heat, but in order to get the crystals to dissolve, I ended up heating the mixture in a Pyrex measuring cup in a water bath on the stove, which was scary.  I didn't have the proper equipment or know-how to do this, so in retrospect, I think it was a little too dangerous.  Also, even though I eventually got most of the crystals to dissolve, there are still a few floating around in there - so I must have done something wrong.  And, yes, I feel kind of guilty for going out and making a knock-off version, especially after I told Ophélie that I was planning to purchase a bottle.

Still, my bootleg version of "Not" Not A Perfume smells great, and I wear it everyday. Something about dabbing on perfume everyday makes me feel so elegant. After conducting this little experiment, I want to learn more about the art of natural perfumery, so I've placed a couple of books on hold at the library, and hope to report back at a later date with better advice on the subject.


  

Two Ingredient Moisturizer

If you were sent to live on a desert island and could only bring one beauty product with you, what would it be?  I would probably pick soap.  But if I was allowed to bring two things, it would be soap and a good moisturizer.  Moisturizer helps to prevent and heal dry, cracked skin, and provides a protective barrier.  A good moisturizer will give your skin a healthy glow and is one of the most important aspects of any good beauty regimen.

Image Source:  iClipart

The Problem

At the beginning of the year, I was actually using three different moisturizers.  For my face, I was using Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with Sunscreen.  For my body I used Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.  And as a new mom, I had begun to notice a lot of little wrinkles developing around my eyes, so I decided I needed a specialized cream designed exclusively for the eye area.  The most affordable one I could find was L’oreal Eye Defense – priced around $15 for just half an ounce! 

One of the things I’ve learned this year is that all these different types of moisturizers contain basically the same types of ingredients, so paying up to (or above) $30 an ounce for a so-called specialized moisturizer is really just a rip off.  Especially when you consider that some of the ingredients may not be completely safe:

• Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with Sunscreen (SPF 15) has a rating of 6 (moderate hazard) in the EWG’s SkinDeep database. 

o   It includes Polyparaben and Oxybenzone, both of which are considered High Hazard ingredients, and have been linked to endocrine disruption. 

o   It also contains the questionable ingredients Octinoxate, Diazolydinyl Urea (a Formaldehyde Releaser), Triethanolamine, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, PEG-100 Stearate, and Dimethicone, all of which have been rated as Moderate Hazard ingredients for various reasons, including endocrine disruption, allergies, organ system toxicity, and ecotoxicology.

• Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion has a rating of 2 (low hazard), which is actually not too bad.  Still, it could be better, because it does contain some Moderate Hazard ingredients: Benzyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Distearyldimonium Chloride, and Dimethicone.

• And my $30 per ounce “affordable” eye cream, L’oreal Eye Defense, has a rating of 6 (moderate hazard), because it is chock full of parabens, which have been linked to endocrine disruption:  Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethyl Paraben, and Methylparaben.  It also contains Propylene Glycol, which is rated as a Moderate Hazard ingredient due to allergies, organ system toxicity, and enhanced skin absorption.

I decided to come up with a way to moisturize my face and body with as few ingredients as possible.  Almost all moisturizers contain at least two types of ingredients:  humectants and emollients (Gabriel 2008).  Humectants attract water into the skin and help it to “plump up”.  Emollients help prevent water from leaving the skin, and also help to maintain the skin barrier, heal cracked skin, etc.  

Since humectants are by definition water attractant, and emollients are typically oily, they don’t naturally mix together.  Therefore, in order to create a lotion containing both types of ingredients, emulsifiers are needed to blend the water loving and oil loving ingredients, and stabilizers need to be added to keep the formula at a uniform consistency.  

Water is almost always one of the first ingredients listed on any moisturizer.  It helps provide the proper texture and also acts as a penetration enhancer (Gabriel 2008).  Typically once water is added to any beauty product, it becomes necessary to either refrigerate the product or add preservatives, otherwise the water will breed harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi.  

Unfortunately, most of the preservatives that keep harmful microbes at bay (Making Cosmetics, Inc.)  are classified as Moderate to High Hazard ingredients in the EWG Skin Deep Database (see summary table below).  While there are some Low Hazard natural preservatives available, their antimicrobial activity is not as effective as most of the more widely used, broad spectrum synthetic preservatives (Making Cosmetics, Inc.).

   

Preservative	Skin Deep Rating	Hazard Level
Methylparaben	4, Limited	Moderate
Ethylparaben	4, Limited	Moderate
Propylparaben	10, Limited	High
Butylparaben	7, Limited	High
Imidazolidinyl Urea	6, Limited	Moderate
Diazolidinyl Urea	6, Limited	Moderate
Methylchloroisothiazolinone	5, Limited	Moderate
Methylisothiazolinone	5, Limited	Moderate
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate	4-6, Limited	Moderate
Methyldibromo Glutaronitrile	7, Limited	High
Sodium Benzoate	3, Fair	Moderate
Chloracetamide	8, Limited	High
EDTA	2, Fair	Low
Phenoxyethanol	4, Limited	Moderate
Triclosan	7, Fair	High
DMDM-Hydantoin	7, Limited	High
Quaternium-15	8, Limited	High
Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)	3, Limited	Moderate
Rosemary Extract	0, Limited	Low
Tea Tree Oil	0, Limited	Low
Neem Seed Oil	0, Limited	Low
Thyme Oil	0, Limited	Low
Vitamin E (Tocopherol)	1, Fair	Low
Vitamin C (Asorbic Acid)	0, Fair	Low

It's not that it's impossible to find a safe, effective, commercially prepared moisturizing lotion.  There are plenty listed in Skin Deep.  The problem is that most of them are a little pricey, and I feel like it's more cost effective just to purchase the raw ingredients myself.  

I could try making lotion at home and keep it in the fridge, but that requires an extra level of time and research that I'm not willing to invest at this time.  I’m already making my own hairspray, sunscreen, bodywash and laundry detergent.  I can’t stay in the kitchen all day whipping up cosmetics and household products.  :)

 

Instead, I use just two ingredients that don’t need to be preserved because I don’t emulsify them.  It’s a simple, two-step process.

The Solution

Step One – Glycerin

Glycerin is one of the most widely used cosmetic ingredients, and is a very effective humectant, which again, means that it attracts water into the skin.  It is rated 0 (Low Hazard) by Skin Deep.  I purchased a bottle of NOW Brand Vegetable Glycerin from Whole Foods ($8.99 for 16 oz).  There are a couple of different processes for making vegetable glycerin, and when purchasing, it’s best to get the kind that is not a byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing.  Vegetable Glycerin is very thick and syrupy, and needs to be diluted with water to achieve the desired effect.  Some people are allergic to it, so be careful and avoid it if you think you may be allergic.

Right after I get out of the shower, while my skin is still damp, I take a small amount of glycerin and mix it at least an equal part of water in the palm of my hand.  I begin by applying it on my face and neck, and then move on to the rest of the body, all the way down to the tips of my toes.  The beauty of mixing it with water immediately before applying is because my skin’s needs vary based on the weather, time of the month, body part, etc., and I can make it more diluted when my skin is oily or less diluted when my skin is dry and needs extra moisture.  As I apply the glycerin, I can literally feel my skin getting more plump as it soaks up the moisture.  The past couple of weeks, it has been extremely hot and humid, so there have been a few days when I just applied a light dilution of glycerin and left it at that.  But on most days, I feel like I also need an emollient to hold in the moisture.

Step Two – Plant Oil

All oils are emollients, but some are more emollient than others, and they all have slightly different properties.  The two oils most widely used in cosmetics are mineral oil and petrolatum.  Skin Deep has mineral oil rated as 1-3 (Low-Moderate Hazard), depending on usage.  From what I can tell based on the database results, it looks like there is only a concern with toxicity if mineral oil is used in aerosol form.  Petrolatum (also known as petroleum jelly), is rated 4 (Moderate Hazard), due to concerns that it can be contaminated with PAHS (a possible carcinogen and endocrine disruptor) and association with organ system toxicity.  So, based on the Skin Deep assessment, I would venture to say that mineral oil is usually pretty safe to use, but petroleum jelly, not so much. 

Mineral oil is also very inexpensive, which makes it a tempting option for someone like me who is looking to save money.  There are some who claim that mineral oil forms a thick occlusive film over the skin, trapping in dirt and grime and causing blocked pores (Gabriel 2008, Petty 2011), but there are other people who say that this simply isn’t true, and that mineral oil doesn’t block pores any more than plant oils do (Begoun 2009).  Quite frankly, I haven’t been able to find enough evidence to support either position.

Dimethicone is a silicone ingredient that is also widely used as an emollient ingredient in cosmetics.  It is a very lightweight moisturizer with a nice, non-greasy feel.  I’ve found that it is even used in many “green” and “natural” branded cosmetics, but Skin Deep has it rated at 3 (Moderate Hazard) due to concerns with organ system toxicity and ecotoxicity.  It’s not the worst ingredient I found in my beauty cabinet this year, and I really used to enjoy that “non-greasy” feeling of the dimethicone-based moisturizers I was using, but I think it’s better to avoid it if possible.

For now, I’ve decided to use natural plant oils. As long as you aren't allergic to them, they are safe to use.  The oils below each have a rating of 0, Low Hazard in the Skin Deep database.  Also, many plant oils contain antioxidants and vitamins that benefit the skin.  Here are my personal favorites:

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet Almond Oil is my favorite all-around emollient moisturizer.  It’s fairly inexpensive (about $9-$10 for a 16 oz. bottle) and available on the “healthy living” isle of my regular grocery store, HEB.  Sweet Almond Oil is nourishing enough to soften skin all over the body, but still lightweight enough that it can be used on the face.  It is also high in Vitamin E, an antioxidant which has been shown to protect against UV damage (Miles 2006)

Coconut Oil

I love the smell of coconut oil (although there are unscented varieties available).  It’s pretty inexpensive (about $9-$10) for a 28 oz. container, and is sold on the baking aisle at the grocery store.  Coconut oil is extremely emollient.  I’ve found that it causes breakouts when I use it on my face and back, but it works wonders for extremely dry skin and rough areas like knees, elbows, and heels.  I love using it during the winter to stave off dry flaky skin.  Coconut oil is full of fatty acids which plump up the skin (Nakhla 2011, Petty 2011)

Argan Oil

There seems to be a lot of buzz about argan oil lately.  Cosmetics companies are pitching it as an ancient Moroccan secret with miraculous anti-aging properties.  It does contain a large amount of tocopherols and other antioxidants which benefit the skin (Petty 2011).  However, other than that, the evidence that argan oil is a miraculous fountain of youth is a bit underwhelming.  That being said, I still wanted to try it, and I have to say, it was one of my favorites.

I found that it has a very nice lightweight texture, doesn't seem to cause breakouts, and gives the skin a warm glow.  Argan oil extraction is a labor intensive process, much of which must be done by hand.  The good thing about this is that it creates jobs and is an important source of income for Moroccan women.  The downside is that argan oil is very rare and expensive.  If you decide to try it, I recommend buying 100% pure argan oil in bulk for a good price.  I do not recommend paying top dollar for a commercially prepared moisturizer that contains a token amount of argan oil and the false promise of eternal youth.

Some other good moisturizing plant oils include olive oil, grapeseed oil and jojoba oil.  I tried all of these, but they weren’t my favorites for various reasons.  The olive oil seemed to be too heavy for the face, and while I love the smell of olive oil on my hands when I’m kneading pizza dough, I don’t necessarily want my entire body to smell like that on a regular basis.  Grapeseed oil is very lightweight, but I felt like it was a little bit too lightweight for my skin.  Jojoba oil was okay – the results were kind of similar to sweet almond oil, actually, but too expensive in my opinion.

After applying glycerin, I wash my hands, and apply a layer of whatever plant oil I happen to be using that day.  A little goes a long way.  I have to say, at first, it takes some time to get used to the feeling of the oil after using lightweight silicone based moisturizers for such a long time.  Now that I have gotten used to it, though, I love the way it gives my skin a healthy glow that lasts all day long.

References

Begoun, Paula.  (2009).  The Original Beauty Bible:  Unparalleled Information for      Beautiful and Younger Skin at Any Age.  Renton, WA:  Beginning Press.

Gabriel, Julie.  (2008).  The Green Beauty Guide:  Your Essential Resource to Organic  and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances.  Deerfield Beach, Florida:    Health Communications, Inc.

Making Cosmetics, Inc.  How to Use Preservatives in Cosmetics.  Renton, WA.   http://www.makingcosmetics.com/articles/01-how-to-use-preservatives-in-  cosmetics.pdf, last accessed October 3, 2014.

Miles, S. (2006). Topical antioxidants. Alive: Canada's Natural Health & Wellness  Magazine, (287), 146-147.

Nakhla, Tony.  (2011).  The skin commandments:  10 rules to healthy, beautiful  skin.  St. Louis, MO:  Reedy Press.

Petty, L. (2011). BOTANICAL BALMS: Plant oils for beautiful skin. Alive: Canada's  Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, (343), 35-38.