I am seeing popular cosmetic brands claim that their tallow products are cruelty free. I'm sorry but semantics of using an animal vs testing 'on' an animal is BS.
Animals >>> Marketing gimmicks
I've been going down a rabbit hole on cosmetic ingredient safety lately and wanted to share something I tested.
Most people know food gets tested for pesticide residues, but the botanical ingredients sitting inside your skincare and cosmetics do not have any of these requirements.
I sent a 99 panel pesticide scan to a lab for a cosmetic-grade orange peel wax sample.
The screen found 8 detected pesticides. Here's how a few of them stacked up against what's allowed on food crops under federal law:
The FDA doesn't require pesticide testing for cosmetic ingredients. There are no action limits. No required disclosure. A brand can list "orange peel wax" on the label, market the product as natural and clean, and never test what's actually in that ingredient.
Feels like something customers would like to know about products going on their skin 🤷♂️
I've been formulating mineral sunscreen for a few years so I've been watching the DIY zinc oxide trend closely. People are mixing 25% zinc with oils or butters at home and assuming the SPF math works out. I got curious enough to actually test it.
Sent a homemade batch (25% non-nano zinc oxide mixed with oils using an immersion blender, the same setup all the DIY tutorials use) to an FDA-certified SPF testing lab. This was an in vivo test(on real people), not just a plate test.
Static result: SPF 13. After the standard 40-minute water resistance protocol: SPF 7.
The problem isn't the zinc oxide. It's dispersion. Without high-shear mixing equipment and the right dispersant, zinc clumps instead of spreading evenly. Some spots get full protection, some get almost none. The lab test averages it out. That average was SPF 7 after water exposure and 13 SPF upon static application.
I know a lot of people doing this are trying to avoid certain ingredients or save money, and I get that. But SPF 7 with a 25% active is a real safety gap. Thought it was worth sharing.
Happy to answer questions about the methodology or why dispersion matters so much.
I've been formulating mineral sunscreen for a few years so I've been watching the DIY zinc oxide trend closely. People are mixing 25% zinc with oils or butters at home and assuming the SPF math works out. I got curious enough to actually test it.
Sent a homemade batch (25% non-nano zinc oxide mixed with oils using an immersion blender, the same setup all the DIY tutorials use) to an FDA-certified SPF testing lab. This was an in vivo test(on real people), not just a plate test.
Static result: SPF 13. After the standard 40-minute water resistance protocol: SPF 7.
The problem isn't the zinc oxide. It's dispersion. Without high-shear mixing equipment and the right dispersant, zinc clumps instead of spreading evenly. Some spots get full protection, some get almost none. The lab test averages it out. That average was SPF 7 after water exposure and 13SPF upon static application.
I know a lot of people doing this are trying to avoid certain ingredients or save money, and I get that. But SPF 7 with a 25% active is a real safety gap. Thought it was worth sharing.
Happy to answer questions about the methodology or why dispersion matters so much.
I've been formulating mineral sunscreen for a few years so I've been watching the DIY zinc oxide trend closely. People are mixing 25% zinc with oils or butters at home and assuming the SPF math works out. I got curious enough to actually test it.
Sent a homemade batch (25% non-nano zinc oxide mixed with oils using an immersion blender, the same setup all the DIY tutorials use) to an FDA-certified SPF testing lab. This was an in vivo test(on real people), not just a plate test.
Static result: SPF 13. After the standard 40-minute water resistance protocol: SPF 7.
The problem isn't the zinc oxide. It's dispersion. Without high-shear mixing equipment and the right dispersant, zinc clumps instead of spreading evenly. Some spots get full protection, some get almost none. The lab test averages it out. That average was SPF 7 after water exposure and 13SPF upon static application.
I know a lot of people doing this are trying to avoid certain ingredients or save money, and I get that. But SPF 7 with a 25% active is a real safety gap. Thought it was worth sharing.
Happy to answer questions about the methodology or why dispersion matters so much.
I've been formulating mineral sunscreen for a few years so I've been watching the DIY zinc oxide trend closely. People are mixing 25% zinc with oils or butters at home and assuming the SPF math works out. I got curious enough to actually test it.
Sent a homemade batch (25% non-nano zinc oxide mixed with oils using an immersion blender, the same setup all the DIY tutorials use) to an FDA-certified SPF testing lab. This was an in vivo test(on real people), not just a plate test.
Static result: SPF 13. After the standard 40-minute water resistance protocol: SPF 7.
The problem isn't the zinc oxide. It's dispersion. Without high-shear mixing equipment and the right dispersant, zinc clumps instead of spreading evenly. Some spots get full protection, some get almost none. The lab test averages it out. That average was SPF 7 after water exposure and 13SPF upon static application.
I know a lot of people doing this are trying to avoid certain ingredients or save money, and I get that. But SPF 7 with a 25% active is a real safety gap. Thought it was worth sharing.
Happy to answer questions about the methodology or why dispersion matters so much.
Edit: Typo
I've been formulating mineral sunscreen for a few years so I've been watching the DIY zinc oxide trend closely. People are mixing 25% zinc with oils or butters at home and assuming the SPF math works out. I got curious enough to actually test it.
Sent a homemade batch (25% non-nano zinc oxide mixed with oils using an immersion blender, the same setup all the DIY tutorials use) to an FDA-certified SPF testing lab. This was an in vivo test, not just a plate test.
Static result: SPF 13. After the standard 40-minute water resistance protocol: SPF 7.
The problem isn't the zinc oxide. It's dispersion. Without high-shear mixing equipment and the right dispersant, zinc clumps instead of spreading evenly. Some spots get full protection, some get almost none. The lab test averages it out. That average was SPF 7 after water exposure and 13 static.
I know a lot of people doing this are trying to avoid certain ingredients or save money, and I get that. But SPF 7 with a 25% active is a real safety gap. Thought it was worth sharing.
Happy to answer questions about the methodology or why dispersion matters so much.
Edit: typo