Episode 312 - Toxic ingredients and pharmaceutical grade skincare

Perry Romanowski (0:00)

Hi, I'm Perry and you're listening to The Beauty Brains.

Welcome to The Beauty Brains, a show where real cosmetic chemists answer your beauty product questions and give you an insider's look at the cosmetic industry. His is epitome 312, 312, that is the Chicago area code, and I am in Chicago. I'm also your host, Perry Romanowski, and with me today, the lovely Valerie George. Hello, Valerie.

Valerie George (0:35)

Hi, Perry.

Perry Romanowski (0:37)

Valerie, you're looking a little extra red today. Did we have a story there?

Valerie George (0:43)

We do. I'll save it for our inane chit chat.

Perry Romanowski (0:46)

All right. Well, on today's show, before we get to the inane chit chat, on today's show, we're going to be answering questions about what we think of the Redken Acidic Bonding Treatments, whether pregnant women should avoid certain ingredients in lip gloss, is retinol toxic? Should you be worried about asbestos contamination affecting talc in makeup products, and is pharmaceutical-grade skin care different from over-the-counter skin care? But first, chit chat.

I don't know, it's the lighting, it's California, or what? I see a little extra reddish glow. What's going on here?

Valerie George (1:25)

Well, it's hot today, much like everywhere else in the US. So I'm a little hot, Mr. Cosmetic Chemist.

He doesn't like to turn the AC too low, but-

Perry Romanowski (1:34)

Let me ask you about Mr. Cosmetic. You're from Ohio.

Is he also from the Midwest, or is he a California kid?

Valerie George (1:42)

No, he is from New England.

Perry Romanowski (1:45)

Oh, so you see me there.

Valerie George (1:46)

Boston, New Hampshire. Yeah, so he has an accent, and apparently, I guess, AC is not a big thing over there, because he likes to keep ours at 80

Perry Romanowski (1:56)

You know, when I was a youth, we did not own an air conditioning in my house.

My parents did not get air conditioning in their house until I went to college. It wasn't because I went to college.

Valerie George (2:09)

Okay, they were like, the kids are gone.

Perry Romanowski (2:13)

I remember days I'd be sleeping, just sweating my butt off, and like a fan blowing on me. There was nothing else. But, you know, I think I grew up poor.

I don't know.

Valerie George (2:25)

Yeah, we didn't really have it either until we moved, I'm a military kid, until we moved to Illinois, and the base house in there had air conditioning, which was pretty nice.

Perry Romanowski (2:34)

I did not know you lived in the great state of Illinois, the Prairie State, the home of Abraham Lincoln.

Valerie George (2:39)

And the home of Perry Romanowski, founder and co-host of The Beauty Brains.

Perry Romanowski (2:44)

There is that, yes, indeed.

So did you get some sort of chemical peel or something? What was going on here?

Valerie George (2:51)

You know, I did.

I, as many people know, if you listen to the show, I have rosacea, but people with rosacea can get chemical peels too. There's many different kinds for people with sensitive skin like us.

And I got a TCA, a mandelic-based peel. I did not, you know, leave it on the full amount of time. I did take it off a pinch early because my skin was very tight, and I couldn't take it anymore. Also, I looked like Donald Trump. I had very tanned skin.

Perry Romanowski (3:24)

Let me ask you, how long do you keep something like that on? Having not done anything like this myself.

Valerie George (3:29)

But you're going to do it, though. We won't spoil the surprise yet.

No, she said to leave it on like six to eight hours, and I made it to six. And I was like, this is coming off.

Perry Romanowski (3:41)

That's a lot of time.

Valerie George (3:42)

And my skin looks red now because it's basically been burned to a crisp. But in a week, I will have glowing new skin.

Perry Romanowski (3:51)

Well, that sounds fabulous. And next week, we are going to check in.

Valerie George (3:56)

Yeah.

Hey, what happened with the kitties, by the way? Did you ever catch them?

Perry Romanowski (4:00)

Oh, my God. Have you ever tried to catch wild kitties and then tame them and then get them adopted out?

It is an ordeal. First of all, well, I caught two kittens. I got this kitty trap. I caught the two kittens, and then all they do is meow the whole time, crying for their mother. It's so sad. But, you know, I'm strong, and I worked out a deal with the shelter that I volunteer at that they're going to take the kittens.