The same goes for dry skin. If you know what you are using is good for you or even edible, you are generally going to be less concerned about applying your beauty products. I am bipolar and was instructed not to consume ginseng. This statement is of course slightly facetious but I can understand why certain scientists get exasperated when they read scare-mongering articles about us absorbing everything we put on our skin. But before you ban all sunscreen use (which is dangerous), follow the advice of this dermatologist. The myth that “60% of what’s applied to your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream”, there’s still 10-95% of the drug remaining on the surface of the skin with the transdermal drug products currently on the market, Ion Boosted Skincare? Consider that medicine can be administered through a patch on the skin: Nicotine patch. Certain chemical compounds actually remain in the skin and act as a reservoir, being released (or not) at a later time. Are you concerned about chemicals from your personal care products making it into your body? And this is an important point to understand – the people who design your beauty products are specifically trying to keep certain chemical ingredients in the upper layers of the skin. We administer effective doses through the skin to our bloodstream, enabling us to forgo a daily oral pill in lieu of a patch that prevents pregnancy. And in the case of babies and young infants, I think you should avoid cosmetics altogether if possible (see my previous article on ‘Do babies need cosmetics?‘). RELATED: Why You Need More Magnesium in Your Diet. These days, one cannot be tagged ‘too inquisitive’ with the many lotions, creams, sunscreens etc. Old research showing lavender in the bloodstream within a half hour after diluted skin application did not factor out inhalation. Panasonic Skincare Tools (video), Sunscreens in your blood??! The layers deeper down in the epidermis start to change in chemical composition and contain more water, making it harder for oil to penetrate further into the skin because oil and water do not mix. Two types of skincare ingredients that definitely absorb into skin One type of ingredient that is most likely to absorb into skin is the scent. In order for a chemical to absorb into the body, it needs to penetrate down to the dermis at least. How Long Does It Take for Skin Care Products to Absorb? For more information see. If the products you use contain harmful ingredients such as harsh, toxic chemicals, colors, and fragrances, those ingredients make their way into your body, your blood and lymphatic system. Log in. Birth control patch. Those wonderful antioxidants and anti-ageing ingredients? I don’t care if you’ve heard it from your BFF, read about it in Allure, or come across it on some natural brand’s website – or all of these places. Take perfume or aftershave for instance – these common beauty products generally contain ethanol which has actually been found to increase absorption. But are those chemicals absorbed into my bloodstream? New Scientist. Think about sunscreens – you need UV absorbing ingredients to stay on the skin surface in order for them to have any benefit. Even the seasons affect the ability of our skin to deal with different chemicals. You can’t just slap food you don’t like on your skin to get around eating it. How thin is your skin? No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations when accompanied by a citation and link. The skin is a complex organ and the cosmetics industry uses thousands of different chemicals. You still have make-up to remove at the end of the day. Your email address will not be published. Some ingredients can’t penetrate, some ingredients can get into the stratum corneum, some deeper into the epidermis, and a few can get to the dermis. My mind instantly went to things like transdermal medications, studies that find constituents like linalool in the bloodstream of people using lavender essential oil topically, or the children in Oakland that are testing high for lead in … We now know that enzymes in the skin can activate and inactivate many drugs and foreign compounds as well as the body’s own natural chemicals such as hormones, steroids and inflammatory mediators. Even the specific activity we’re doing can affect how chemicals penetrate our skin and how they are then further absorbed. On the other hand, the natural/holistic movement has a point – while our skin isn’t a sponge, it’s certainly taking in some ingredients that we apply to our bodies and transporting them further down into the body where they may or may not make it into the bloodstream. “Absorption” is definitive– it refers to a chemical entering the bloodstream. Your skin is an amazing organ and it’s filled with all sorts of protective measures that fight back. Mature skin produces less oil as it ages so will benefit from the barrier effects provided by a good facial oil if applied at least once a day. 26 seconds for the chemicals in your cosmetics to get through your skin and into your bloodstream This question we get asked very often: Do the chemical ingredients penetrate into our bloodstream, and if so, how fast? There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. Nonetheless, consumers are concerned and rightfully so. Leave a comment below! The majority of mainstream body care products contain a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, allergens, and irritants. A liberal application of CBD will also insure the CBD topical to reach the cannabinoid receptors through the pores in the skin. Our skin is an amazingly effective barrier. Six chemicals commonly used in sunscreen absorb into and remain in the bloodstream for 10 days on average, sparking concerns they could be toxic and could pose health risks. Studies show that absorption of chemicals through the skin can occur without being noticed by the worker, and in some cases, may represent the most significant exposure pathway. Although many essential oils contain lots of wonderful chemical compounds that have anti-inflammatory and skin regenerating properties, some also contain skin sensitisers and allergens. You don’t get massively heavier after you take a bath. In other words, our skin protects us from exposure to certain chemicals while actually intensifying the effects of others. They need to stay in the epidermis and dermis for them to do what they say they’ll do. Eur J. Dermatol. Fentanyl patch. Read on to learn more about how long it takes for skin care products to absorb into the skin, and how to make them absorb more effectively! Some of the most worrisome toxics are phthalates, which are often found in the ingredient “parfum” or “fragrance.” Phthalates can end up airborne, entering into our system through inhalation, depositing in airways, and being absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs. Absorption still depends on molecule size, chemical solubility, the ‘vehicle’ in which it is transported (i.e. Think about sunscreens – you need UV absorbing ingredients to stay on the skin surface in order for them to have any benefit. It was the “persistent care-seeking behaviour” that upset… https://t.co/HEOEMQrNnp 3 hours ago, Copyright © 2021 Herb & Hedgerow Ltd. All rights reserved. Dermal absorption is the transport of a chemical from the outer surface of the skin both into the skin and into the body. Oils of any kind … In adults, oils applied to the skin mostly do not penetrate beyond outermost layer of the skin [1] and do not get into the circulation. It is not true that the whenever you apply the cream, it is getting absorbed into the skin/It must be known that skin is designed to keep things outside the human body. Cosmetic chemists do not want skincare products to enter your bloodstream because then they become drugs. For years, studies have been finding heavy metals, like lead, in lipsticks and other … Their skin’s barrier properties can be compromised which means that the defences normally inherent in our skin are not functioning as normal. Thus, the fats do not get into the circulation in any way that could be considered “nutrition”. These layers in turn are made up out of human cells which are very complex structures with lots of barriers preventing chemicals from moving in, around and out of them easily. Let’s start by looking at a diagram of the skin. Once the chemical gets through – no matter the route it took – it has the opportunity to absorb into the blood. Shampoo and conditioner which I bought the other day both have ginseng, but I am unsure if there would be a possibility of that affecting my symptoms/medications. The skin consists of several layers, which are grouped into the epidermis (the top layer), the dermis (next layer down) and the hypodermis (bottom layer of the skin). Let’s cut to the chase: the “60% of skincare products absorb into your bloodstream” is bullshit. In 1775, an English doctor named Percivall Pott noticed an increase in scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps due to skin contact with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soot. The epidermis alone consists of another 4-5 layers despite it only being between 0.5 – 1.5mm thick depending on where on the body you measure it. And if that all wasn’t complicated enough, all of us have different skin types depending on our age, skin colour and environment. Pointing out that hydrocortisone and malathion absorb into the blood stream at much lower amounts means... literally nothing. Those chemists who say that our skin holds back the tide are generally right – our body’s largest organ protects us from the daily onslaught and can stop certain chemicals from getting into our bodies. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that cosmetic chemists know everything. It’s going to be a brutal adventure en-route and many will not survive. In one corner we’ve got a group of people who claim that the skin is such an effective barrier that hardly anything can pass through into the deeper layers of the skin, let alone the bloodstream. Every person is different and every chemical is different. A myth. The chemicals in sunscreen don't just sit on top of the skin, they absorb in the bloodstream, according to new research from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sign up for a free class in making organic skincare formulations. But though scientists still can’t pin down exactly how much or under what circumstances skin may absorb something, they all agree that it can absorb what is applied to it. The chemists mixing up your go-to creams know a lot about skin absorption, which is why they might choose to put active ingredients in a watery serum or emollient oil so they can be easily absorbed by the skin. The case against absorption through the epidermis begins at the uppermost layer, the stratum corneum that is designed to keep things from passing into the body. So in response to that question I asked at the beginning of this blog post, I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. A recent study reveals some chemicals found in sunscreen can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Many commonly used chemicals in the workplace could potentially result in systemic toxicity … Cosmetic scientists can trap the anti-ageing compounds which you want to get deeper in the skin in a blend of oil and water. This seems like a valid question to ask especially at this time when a good number of people have one form or the other of store-bought cosmetics which they apply on their skin. However, there are also enzymes in skin that may activate chemicals or make them more toxic. Or what about skin lighteners – certain ingredients will need to make it all the way down to the hypodermis to inhibit the enzyme responsible for melanin production, whereas others will need to stay on the skin’s surface in order to have a bleaching effect. She is the Director of, prevents the loss of water through evaporation thereby making your skin feel softer and smoother, http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/01/the-impermeable-facts-of-skin-penetration-and-absorption/, http://www.who.int/ipcs/features/2006/ehc235/en/. Dermal Absorption.http://www.who.int/ipcs/features/2006/ehc235/en/. What do you think? It depends on the chemical. For some chemicals, such as some of the phthalic acid esters, the enzyme activity is so efficient that the chemical is completely metabolised during skin absorption (Hotchkiss, 1994). : Skin seemed like such a good way of keeping the outside world at bay until toxicologists started to worry about the harmful chemicals that breach the barrier. In relation to naturally occurring chemicals escaping our bodies through our skin, our bodies absolutely push toxins and toxic chemicals out through our skin—that’s part of it’s job!We don’t consistently reuse the same hormones and chemicals internally and we’re continually producing and consuming more. After all, cosmetics are there to provide benefits to the appearance of the skin. Do you know that what you put on your scalp can easily seep into your brain? Designers of pharmaceuticals can take this into consideration when designing drugs that would work better with a slow release system. Our skin is not an impermeable sheet of plastic. People with skin disorders such as dermatitis or very dry skin may also be sensitive to certain chemicals penetrating deeper into the layers of their skin. The fact is, much of what we place on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. They may be there in minute quantities but that doesn’t make them inherently risk-free. There’s a reason that regulators have banned certain chemicals from being allowed in our personal care products. The Science (With Video) », Great Eye Care Tips and Tricks You Should Know About, Purging vs Breakouts: When to Ditch Your Skincare, Easy (5 Minute) DIY Vitamin C Serum Recipe, My Routine for Starting on Tretinoin (Retin-A) Cream. As one cosmetic chemist said on an online forum – “Imagine putting a piece of pizza on your skin. Enough to elicit systemic therapeutic effects?”… and “Is there a way to increase penetration through and absorption into the various layers of the skin?” Scientific literature is offering great insight into these questions. This is the reason that most people prefer to apply a lotion to their skin instead of a thick cream – they prefer the feel of a lotion quickly absorbing, rather than a thick oily cream sitting on the outer layers of the skin for a long period of time. Absorption rates on our face and scalp are 5-10 times higher than on other parts of our body (Hotchkiss, 1994). in the stores. Much like you effectively blend oil and water-based ingredients to make mayonnaise using an egg yolk to bind them together, all of your lotions and creams are generally a blend of oil and water with an emulsifier. More recently, scientists have established that the hydrocarbons themselves are harmless, but that specific enzymes in the skin convert them into reactive compounds that can damage cellular DNA and so cause cancer. Planta Med. “How readily do they absorb?”… “Do essential oil constituents reach the bloodstream? Molecular aspects of percutaneous absorption and delivery. Insulin patch. How CBD is applied can play a significant role in how someone feels the effects of a paticular product. So it is important to pay close attention to the ingredients in our skin care products. In the other corner, the natural/holistic world regularly spreads snippets around the internet about 60% of chemicals in cosmetics ending up in the bloodstream or 5 pounds of cosmetics being absorbed by our bodies every year or it taking 26 seconds for cosmetics to be absorbed into the bloodstream. “Chemicals can be absorbed through skin and into the blood stream, causing toxic effects,” says the Extension Toxicology Network ( EXTOXNET). It’s so far from the truth, and it’s cited with such an air of authority that it really ticks me off. That’s why the cosmetics industry has found a handy little trick for getting past those pesky skin defenders – emulsification: the process of blending oil with water to make an emulsion. All rights reserved. I don’t care how many people tell you that your skin is a sponge that absorbs everything you put on it. The skin on the soles of our feet is very thick, whereas the skin of our eyelids is extremely thin. Topical delivery of cosmetics and drugs. Do different ingredients in shampoo absorb into your skin/bloodstream? your beauty product!) The Chemical Hazards Handbookfrom the London Hazards Centre Trust has similar information: “Although the skin … Emissary Veins + Hair Products. Of course the answer is more complicated than that. Personal care products over the last century have contained all sorts of ingredients, many beneficial, many superfluous and many downright nasty. and whether or not the chemical reacts with the enzymes in your skin. Others are retained on the skin’s surface because they bind with other chemicals or even bind with the skin itself. In this blog post I’d like to examine a hotly discussed topic in the world of skincare – can cosmetics be absorbed into your bloodstream? Penetration rates of chemicals into the skin are also affected by the body part they’re applied to. Oils penetrate into this top layer and generally don’t make it that much further. This includes ingredients like aluminum, which is the … Now breaking the myth of the chemicals being absorbed in the blood is totally fake. If so, how much? Research has found that for certain compounds found in fragrance ingredients, absorption levels can be high (Hotchkiss, 1994). Your Skin Absorbs 60% of the Products Used Topically ~ Whether Natural or Chemical . Oil traps water beneath it and prevents the loss of water through evaporation thereby making your skin feel softer and smoother. What I’m trying to show you here is that any chemical that’s going to make it from outside of our bodies all the way into our bloodstream has a long way to go. It’s clear that there are ways and means for certain chemicals to make it all the way into our bloodstream. But will most carrier oils make it into your bloodstream when applied to the skin? There’s too much water in our bodies stopping it from getting too far in and too many skin layers trying to stand in its way. Some chemicals will never get that far in the first place because their molecules are too big and they can’t pass into the skin. Ultimately, the customer is in charge. Exposure to sunlight, pollution, and a myriad of other condition that speed up our skin aging have led to the rise of skincare products to combat and prolong these aging effects. All three of these layers in turn are made up out of other layers. Do your cosmetics go into your bloodstream? Skin Absorption of Essential Oils Essential oil molecules are so small that when applied to the skin; they are able to pass through the outer layer of skin, the stratum corneum. How much of that do you think will be absorbed?“. That doesn’t seem to hurt the sales of topical magnesium products claiming to be a more effective way to absorb magnesium. CBD can absorb into the skin but, it is important to note that it will not reach the bloodstream like other types of CBD products. Lorraine Dallmeier: @karmennovak @FlowerAndSpice_ Congratulations! All of a sudden, those blood vessels are looking tantalisingly closer. In this process, there are “reservoir effects” in which substances may be stored within the glands for absorption over time before being released into the bloodstream. That doesn’t mean that all chemicals are neutralised though and some will undoubtedly make it into your bloodstream. Hotchkiss, S. 1994. Read your labels, understand what you’re putting on your skin and consider a gentler alternative if you want or need one. Natural essential oils and synthetic fragrances are small, oil based molecules and that makes them easy to absorb into skin. “The delivery vehicle in the product is what enables absorption or penetration,” Dr. Michele Green, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says. The outer layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, is lipophilic (oil-loving) and hydrophobic (water-hating) which is why we don’t turn into huge inflated bags of water every time it rains or we have a shower. It also tends to be cited by the sorts of people who push “non-toxic” products, which is very much a BS marketing tactic. The myth that “60% of what’s applied to your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream” is one of my pet peeves. 2006 Mar;72(4):311-6. While I understand and respect the brevity of this answer, it really got my gears turning. But one thing is absolutely clear: it is impossible to put a figure on this absorption rate and it is impossible to estimate how much ends up in our bloodstream. In order for the CBD to be active, it must either enter the bloodstream or it must absorb into the skin. It protects almost all the chemicals, that is … What’s true? If a product is ‘amphiphilic’ (both oil- and water-loving) it can make it deeper into the layers of the skin (Förster et al., 2009) although this really does depend on the chemical in question and how it reacts with its ‘vehicle’ and the skin (Cal, 2006). If the ingredients in your product are not absorbed by your skin cells, they may also be temporarily absorbed by some glands in a process known as ”appendageal absorption”. Basic Anatomy 101: The Integument. Wonderful news 3 hours ago, Lorraine Dallmeier: @cuticuk @DrLAckerman You could not have put that better. Do not take CBD products if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the product you are consuming. 2009; 19 (4): 309-323. Cosmetic chemists do not want skincare products to enter your bloodstream because then they become drugs. Buyer beware. The activities of these skin enzymes, however, may vary greatly between individuals and with age (Hotchkiss, 1994). Your information will be stored to send you emails. My personal preference has always gone out to beneficial plant-derived skincare. Don’t ever forget that, particularly when you read lots of scary statistics. A transdermal product is specially formulated to bring its active ingredients to those lower layers beneath the epidermis – and transdermal CBD absorption is a better choice for CBD that has to penetrate deeper into the skin and get into the bloodstream. In order to be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream, a compound needs to have at least two things going for it. Luckily even then the body has defence mechanisms which can kick into action, depending on what’s entered your body in the first place. The epidermis is the first barrier between us and the world, the dermis cushions us from any blows the world has to deal us and the hypodermis is mainly used for fat storage and contains blood vessels. Can Essential Oils get into your Bloodstream. It’s an epic battle at times and many chemicals will simply not make it. Cal, K. 2006. Skin care and cosmetic products can also be ingested. Personal Care Truth, 2011 – The Impermeable Facts of Skin Penetration and Absorption http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/01/the-impermeable-facts-of-skin-penetration-and-absorption/, WHO (World Health Organization), 2006. They can be. Skin penetration of terpenes from essential oils and topical vehicles. | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions, Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist who loves to write about the science of plants and their use in cosmetics. If you don’t want to use certain ingredients, then cosmetic chemists need to look for alternatives. However, for those that do make it into the skin, they may encounter enzymes that can break down or inactivate toxic chemicals. Förster, M., Bolzinger, M., Fessi, H., Briançon, S. 2009. The design of particular medicines takes this into account – for example, salicylic acid was found to be excreted in urine more slowly when applied on the skin than when injected (WHO, 2006). That FDA study, Why pH matters for AHAs and acids in skincare (video), Transdermal patches: history, development and pharmacology, Transdermal drug delivery: innovative pharmaceutical developments based on disruption of the barrier properties of the stratum corneum, Bad DIY Hand Sanitizers (and a few good ones) (Video), Clean Beauty Is Wrong and Won’t Give Us Safer Products, Science vs Anecdotal Evidence and Reviews (with video), « Bioderma Sebium for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Science and Review (Video), How Do Bath Bombs Work? It’s unlikely. For instance, having a massage with lots of essential oils may increase their penetration into the skin as the massage itself increases blood flow to certain areas of the body. For those interested in further reading, we have provided various references to many of the studies completed that have found that our bodies absorb directly into the bloodstream close to 60% of the topical products with which the skin - our largest organ - comes into contact. It’s a lie. Just think about nicotine and birth control patches. From here the essential oil molecule passes through the dermis, into the capillaries, and into the bloodstream. Clearly, if medicine can absorb through the skin and … After all, cosmetics are there to provide benefits to the appearance of the skin. It’s probably best to ask yourself whether you want some of these chemical compounds there in the first place. We have over four million sweat glands and adults humans shed almost 9 pounds of skin every year on average. All scientific facts support this evidence: chemicals penetrate your body.
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