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BEAUTY BUZZ 55 customers looking for clean beauty or skin care products. “The main ingredients I look for in natural products include lecithin, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid, just to name a few,” he said. Lecithin is derived from soy beans or eggs and purified into a gelation in non-polar solvents when combined with water.3 Lecithin organogel (LO) is a promising vehicle to deliver a wide variety of agents through the skin because it possesses both the properties of oil and aqueous based formulations.3. LO serves as an organic medium and is a carrier for anti-ageing agents.3 Supporting this explanation, Mr Miller said: “Lecithin can improve and protect cells and membrane damage from free radicals, which are thought to be a main source of ageing. “Vitamin E is found in many moisturisers, as it works as a natural antioxidant to protect the skin from free radical damage.” Vitamin E is a fat-soluble, essential nutrient with anti-inflammatory properties. It helps support the immune system, cell function and skin health.4 “Hyaluronic acid helps enhance the appearance of dry and damaged skin by boosting moisture content and restoring suppleness,” Mr Miller said. Hyaluronic acid is described as the key molecule involved in skin moisture. Maintaining younger looking skin is related to the high level of moisture content that young skin retains, and hyaluronic acid has capacity to retain water.5 Best to avoid According to Mr Miller, main ingredients that are best avoided include “moisturisers and creams that contain aluminium, mineral oil and parabens, to name a few”. “All these ingredients can cause hormone imbalances, disrupt healthy skin products and eliminate the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, therefore increasing the likelihood of acne and other disorders,” he said. Mr Miller says that with the increase in consciously driven decisions from savvy consumers, who want to know what ingredients they put on their skin, it’s important that pharmacy workers acquire the same amount of knowledge, if not more. “Pharmacies all carry a range of different natural skin care products, from Sukin to Nation, from Raww to A’kin, just to name a few,” he said. “With so many brands out there, it’s vital for PAs to understand different products and the key ingredients to look for when helping a customer find the right product, especially as there are so many brands in the market.” References: 1. IBISWorld, 2019. ‘Organic cosmetics and toiletries distributors in Australia industry trends’ (2014-2019). Accessed 18/5/20. ibisworld.com/au/industry/ organic-cosmetics-toiletries-distributors/5475/ 2. IBISWorld, 2019. ‘Organic cosmetics and toiletries distributors in Australia industry outlook’ (2019- 2024). Accessed 18/5/20. ibisworld.com/au/industry/ organic-cosmetics-toiletries-distributors/5475/ 3. Raut S, et al. ‘Lecithin organogel: A unique micellar system for the delivery of bioactive agents in the treatment of skin ageing’. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 2012; 2 (1): 8-15. Accessed 18/5/20. 4. Healthline, 2018. ‘Vitamin E and your skin: friends through food. Accessed 18/5/20. healthline.com/ health/vitamin-e-for-skin 5. Papakonstantinou E, et al. ‘Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin ageing’. Dermato Endocrinology, 2012; 4 (3): 253-258. Accessed 18/5/20. 6. US Food and Drug Administration, 2018. ‘Parabens in cosmetics’. Accessed 19/5/20. fda. gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/parabens- cosmetics#what_are_parabens 7. ewg, 2019. ‘What are parabens, and why don’t they belong in cosmetics?’ Accessed 19/5/20. ewg. org/californiacosmetics/parabens Parabens are used in a wide variety of cosmetics, as well as in food and drugs. The parabens used most commonly in cosmetics are methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and ethylparaben. Labels will generally list more than one type of paraben, as they’re used in combination with other types of preservatives.6 The issue with parabens, according to scientific studies, is the suggestion that they can disrupt hormones in the body and harm fertility and reproductive organs, affecting birth outcomes and increasing the risk of cancer.7 RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • JUN 2020