Nóra Sándor studied chemical engineering at the Budapest University of Technology, where she wrote her third-year thesis and her fifth-year master's thesis in the field of colloids , on the topic of foams. She then spent her doctoral scholarship in the Netherlands, where she researched polyurethane foam .
Nóra has been working in the cosmetics industry for over 25 years . Her previous jobs were in small and large cosmetic companies, where she worked as a quality assurance officer, developer, plant manager, and even participated in the development of technology. She is currently a freelancer and also takes on tasks in the developments of the CYCLE team.
In our interview with her, we explored the natural and unnatural ingredients in cosmetics, what we as consumers should look for when choosing cosmetics, and the parallels between various skin irritations and chemicals.
Nora Sandor
Nóra, with so much experience behind you, how do you test the naturalness of products?
A product can be examined from many perspectives.
One of the properties is the naturalness of the raw material , which is covered by the ISO 16128-2 standard. This category describes approaches to calculating the natural, naturally derived, bio-based and organic indices for the ingredient categories defined in ISO 16128-1. That is, it examines the percentage of carbon in a given compound that comes from natural or non-natural raw materials.
In addition, safety pictograms warn of possible eye or skin irritation.
This also includes the EWG ( Environmental Working Group – ed.), which conducts a very complex examination of whether a given product or ingredient meets their criteria, which follow toxin-free, healthy standards. When it comes to cosmetics, a green mark of 1-2 on the EWG scale means an absolutely acceptable ingredient, an orange mark of 3-6 on the scale is the swinging category, and ingredients with a value of 7 or higher are already banned in their system. But we also find double numbers, such as ethyl lauroyl arginate hcl, which has a value of 1-3 on this scale, and which makes the final value dependent on the method of use.
When using cleaning products, it is often expected that they will foam properly, even if this does not affect the result. Can you name some ingredients that are commonly found in foaming products?
One ingredient I would like to highlight is Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside , which is a plant-based surfactant derived from wheat, corn, potatoes, and coconut. It is a high-foaming ingredient that is 100% natural. It has one warning: it may cause eye irritation, but even that is only listed in a weaker category. The EWG rating is low: 2, suitable for cancer and skin irritation.
In contrast, for example, Cocamide DEA - which is produced from coconut oil, used as a cleanser, surfactant, and foaming agent in cosmetics; found in shower gels and soaps - has an EWG number of 7. Despite being 77% natural, its safety data sheet is full of warnings: skin irritant, eye irritant, harmful to water and the environment.
These two extreme examples illustrate how many opportunities and pitfalls there are in each ingredient. That is why it is very important to look at products in a complex way.
If I remember correctly, a large percentage of customers are looking for foaming products when it comes to shower gel, soap or even cleaning products. What other expectations can we encounter?
Yes, when it comes to foaming, it's hard to change people's perception that something doesn't work because it foams, and in fact ... In addition, a large percentage of natural surfactants foam less, which is always a challenge in our work.
I strongly support the line that CYCLE represents, which is to use as few chemicals as possible in a product. This way, only ingredients that are suitable for the required purpose are included in the products, and components that do not change the effect, only the sensory parameters, are not included.
Another such factor is consistency. Customers are mainly looking for liquid soaps and shower gels with a honey consistency . This is also a challenge for natural products. Non-ionic surfactants are better for the skin, but they are difficult to thicken. If we work with this, another raw material is required. However, if we use the general natural thickener, the end result will not have the usual consistency. That is why thickening materials have been developed, which often have a lower natural index.
The third problem is fragrance. Everyone expects both cleaning products and cosmetics to be scented. Manufacturers need to pay close attention to this, as contact dermatitis caused by fragrances already affects 1-9% of the European population. Fortunately, doctors have also started to deal with this and are examining skin problems from this perspective.
I think that of the three, fragrance is the hardest to break away from.
If you know that your skin is sensitive, the label is a big help. There you can read whether it contains artificial fragrance. In case of skin sensitivity, fragrance-free products help . Or there are floral waters: rose water, fruit waters. This can give the product a delicate, pleasant, natural scent.
When we think of creams, there are butters and oils , which also have a delicate base scent. Fortunately, there are more and more opportunities to create and purchase fragrance-free cosmetics that do not contain added fragrance.
You mentioned contact dermatitis. What symptoms can this cause?
Contact dermatitis is caused by substances that come into direct contact with the skin - chemical irritants or allergens. Most often, there is an internal, health problem that changes the skin's microbiome and immune system. After all, the skin also has a layer of microorganisms that should not be disturbed. For this reason, it is also important what we clean with.
Symptoms can include inflamed, red, dry patches, similar to eczema. It appears where you come into contact with the substance, as the word “contact” indicates in its name.
For example, if we use a new product and notice that our skin is acting strangely, we should stop using it immediately. The more often it is applied to our skin, the more sensitive we become to it.
Skin irritation is often accompanied by itching.
If someone is prone to skin irritation and therefore starts a complete lifestyle change: exercising, resting, paying attention to their diet, and supplementing this with using non-toxic cleaning products and cosmetics, can that contribute to their recovery?
Yes, properly selected natural ingredients can greatly contribute to healing . But it's worth taking a break to let your body regenerate and find out exactly what's causing the problem.
Take traditional soap, for example, which has become very fashionable recently. It is important to know that soap is alkaline, so it can shift the pH value of the skin. Cream soaps have appeared on the market, which are actually solid shower gels, they contain the same surfactant as in natural shower gels, and the solid result is due to different fats. The pH of these products can be adjusted to 5.5, which is favorable for the skin. However, this is no longer the most important parameter for a cleanser, because in order for it to clean well, it usually has to be acidic or alkaline.
The normal pH of the skin is slightly acidic. Therefore, when cleaning, either wear gloves or make sure to restore the skin's pH value when you're done . Use hand cream and toner, these help stabilize and restore the skin's pH value.
Do you think a cleaning product can be as safe as a cosmetic, so that we can even apply it to our skin?
Yes, you just have to pay attention to the pH value. We only put enough solubilizer in a cosmetic to keep the fragrance in or remove makeup. In a cleanser, however, you have to use multiples of that. But the solution here too is to stabilize and restore the skin's pH value.
As laypeople, it's not easy to navigate through the plethora of information and impulses. What can we look for to ensure we're buying a product that's truly made with natural ingredients?
Yes, unfortunately, determining this does require a certain level of training. But I can confirm that even as chemists, it is not easy! Especially with cosmetics, where all the ingredients in the product must be listed , in descending order up to 1%, and in any order below 1%. I usually use peptides (short chains made up of amino acids, which are significant active ingredients in cosmetics) as an example, which we can find in more and more skin care products these days. However, we can only speak of parts per thousand of this active ingredient, so little is needed for the desired effect. So it is definitely below the 1% limit. We can usually buy these active ingredients as raw materials in solutions. If a manufacturer uses the recommended 10% of the solution, or instead only 1%, which has minimal effect, it can still be listed in the same place in the list of ingredients. However, the difference is felt in the effect of the product. Therefore, sometimes even though we look at the list of ingredients, we may not be able to get complete information from it.
Fortunately, more and more applications are being developed - for example, the German Cosmile - that help you interpret ingredient lists and get information based on expert opinions. Ratings can also help a lot. However, it is worth keeping an open mind, because, for example, even behind the word "naturals" in the name, we sometimes encounter many synthetic substances. I think the EWG rating is the most complex and reliable.
Last but not least, a high level of trust is also needed. If we get to know a manufacturer and know that they are transparent, I think it is worth sticking with them.
The information in this interview is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have any health concerns, please consult a professional.