Nóra Sándor studied chemical engineering at the Budapest University of Technology, where she wrote her third-year thesis and her fifth postgraduate thesis on the topic of foams in the field of colloidics . She then spent her doctoral fellowship in the Netherlands, where she worked on polyurethane foam research.
Nóra has been working in the field of cosmetology for more than 25 years. Her previous jobs were in small and large cosmetic companies, where she worked as a quality manager, developer, plant manager and even participated in the development of technology. She is currently freelancing and is also involved in the development of the CYCLE team.
In our interview with her, we looked at the natural and non-natural ingredients in mainstream cosmetics and what we as shoppers look for when choosing cosmetics. We also touched on the parallels between different skin irritations and chemicals.
Nóra Sándor
Nora, with all this experience behind you, how do you test the naturalness of products?
There are so many aspects to look at a product.
One of the properties is the naturalness of the raw material, which is covered by the ISO 16128-2 standard. This category describes the approaches for calculating natural, natural origin, organic and ecological indices for the ingredient categories defined in ISO 16128-1. In other words, it examines the percentage of carbon in a given compound that is derived from natural or non-natural sources.
Safety pictograms also warn of possible eye or skin irritation.
There is also the EWG(Environmental Working Group - ed.) , who look at the complexity of whether a product or ingredient meets their criteria, which is a set of toxic-free, healthy standards. As far as cosmetics are concerned, on the EWG scale, 1-2 green is an absolutely acceptable ingredient, 3-6 orange is a wobbly category, and 7 or more is a banned ingredient in their range of ingredients.their end use. But we also find double numbers, such as ethyl lauroyl arginate hcl, which is 1-3 on this scale, which makes the final value dependent on the way it is used.
Cleaning products are often expected to foam properly, even if this does not affect the result. Can you mention any ingredients that are commonly found in foaming products?
One of the substances I would like to highlight is Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, a plant-derived surfactant extracted from wheat, corn, potatoes and coconut. It is a good foaming agent that is 100% natural. There is only one warning: it may cause eye irritation, but this is also only listed in a weaker category. It has a low EWG rating of 2, suitable for cancer and skin irritation.
In contrast, for example, Cocamide DEA - produced from coconut oil, used as a detergent, surfactant, foaming agent in cosmetics; found in shower gels, 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, harmful to the environment.
These two extreme examples illustrate how many possibilities and pitfalls there are in each component. It is therefore very important to look at products in a complex way.
I think a high percentage of consumers are looking for foaming products when it comes to shower gel, soap or even cleaning products. What other expectations are there?
Yes, it's hard to change people's minds about foaming, that it doesn't work, that something cleans well because it foams, but because it cleans. In addition, a high percentage of natural surfactants are less foaming, which is always a challenge in our work.
I am very much in favour of the CYCLE line of having as few chemicals as possible in a product. This way, only ingredients that are fit for purpose are included in the products, and no ingredients are included that do not change the effect, only the sensory parameters.
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 are difficult to thicken. If you're working with that, you need another ingredient. However, if you use the general natural thickener, the end result will not be the usual consistency. This is why thickening agents have been developed, but these have a much lower natural index.
The third problem is fragrancing. Everyone expects both cleaning products and cosmetics to be scented. This is something that manufacturers need to pay close attention to, as contact dermatitis caused by fragrances already affects 1-9% of the European population. Fortunately, doctors have started to address this issue and are also looking at skin problems from this angle.
Of the three, I think fragrance is really the hardest to get away from.
If you know your skin is sensitive, a label is a big help. You can tell if it contains artificial fragrances. For skin sensitivities, fragrance-free products can help. Or there are flower waters: rose water, fruit waters. This can give the product a subtle, pleasant, natural scent.
If you think of creams, there are butters, oils, which also have a subtle base scent. Fortunately, there are now more and more options for creating and sourcing fragrance-free cosmetics with no added fragrance.
You mentioned contact dermatitis. What are the symptoms of this?
Contact dermatitis is caused by substances that come into direct contact with the skin - chemical irritants or allergens. Most of the time there is an internal, health problem that changes the skin's microbiome and immune system. Because the skin also has a layer of micro-organisms that should not be disturbed. For this reason, it does not matter what we use to clean ourselves.
Symptoms can include inflamed, reddish, drying patches, such as eczema. It appears where you come into contact with the substance, it's in the name, the word "contact".
If you're using a new product, for example, and you notice your skin is behaving strangely, stop using it immediately. The more you put it on your skin, the more sensitive you become.
Skin irritation is often associated with itching
If someone is prone to skin irritation, so they start a complete lifestyle change: exercise, rest, watch their diet, and supplement this by using toxin-free cleansers and cosmetics, can this help their recovery?
Yes, the right choice of natural ingredients can make a big contribution to healing. But it is worth taking a break to allow the body to regenerate and find out what exactly is causing the problem.
Take traditional soap, for example, which is very much in fashion right now. It's important to know that soap is alkaline, so it can shift the pH of the skin. Cream soaps have appeared on the market, which are actually solid shower gels, with the same tenside as in natural shower gels, and the solid result is due to the different fats. These products can be adjusted to a pH of 5.5, which is good for the skin. However, this is no longer the most important parameter for a cleanser, because it usually needs to be acidic or alkaline to cleanse well.
The normal pH of the skin is slightly acidic. So when you clean, either put on gloves or make sure you restore your skin's pH when you're done. Use hand creams and tonics to help stabilise and restore the skin's pH.
Do you think a cleaning product can be as safe as a cosmetic, that it can even be applied to the skin?
Yes, you just have to pay attention to the pH value. In a cosmetic, you only put enough solubilizer to keep the fragrance in or remove make-up. But with a cleanser, you need to use several times as much. But the solution here is to stabilise and restore the pH of the skin.
As a layman, it is not easy to deal with all the information and impulses. What can we look out for to make sure we are buying a product with natural ingredients?
Yes, unfortunately, this does require a certain degree of skill to determine. But I confirm that even as a chemist, it is not easy! Especially in cosmetics, where you have to list all the ingredients in the product, in descending order up to 1%, and in any order below 1%. I use the example of peptides (short chains of amino acids, which are important active ingredients in cosmetics), which we are seeing more and more in skin care products these days. However, we can talk about this active ingredient in thousandths, so little is needed to get the desired effect. So it's definitely below the 1% limit. We can usually buy these active ingredients as a base in solutions. If a manufacturer uses the recommended 10% of the solution, or instead only 1%, which has minimal effect, it may still be listed in the same place in the ingredients list. However, the difference is noticeable in the effect of the product. Therefore, sometimes it is useless to look at the list of ingredients without being fully informed.
Fortunately, there are now more and more apps - such as the German Cosmile - that help you interpret ingredient lists and get information from expert opinions. Ratings can also help a lot. However, it's worth keeping an open mind, because even behind the word "naturals" in the name, for example, you can find a lot of synthetic substances. I think the EWG certification is the most complex and reliable.
Last but not least, a high level of trust is also needed. If you know a manufacturer and you know that they are transparent and transparent, I think it is worth sticking with them.
The information in the interview is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for medical opinion. If you have any health problems, please consult a professional.
