Sunday, March 6, 2011

professional vs. over the counter

It's a hard thing to swallow, but there is a different between professional and OTC brands.   To help a client realize what their skin is missing out on, first you must explain a few things: layers of the skin, how our skin takes in ingredients, and cosmetic product laws.


The Epidermis is the outer layer of the skin and is composed of 5 sublayers.  This top layer is made of keretinized, dead skin cells and acts as a water barrier.  Below that is the dermis, which is composed of 2 sublayers.  The layers in the dermis contain collagen (which provides strength), elastin (which provides elasticity), and glycosaminoglycans.  Unlike the layer of dead skin, this layer contains nourishing and anti aging ingredients. 

Products that are made of large-molecule ingredients have a hard time penetrating the top layer of skin and getting to the important layers below.  Many OTC moisturizing products contain mineral oil, which has a huge molecular structure and just sits on top of the skin.  It's sitting on top of the epidermis, possibly moisturizing dead skin, and keeping your skin from breathing.  In addition to that, OTC products contain mass amounts of artificial colors and fragrances, alcohol, fillers, and low amounts of the performance ingredients that make the difference.  Their products don't penetrate the top layer and that might be a good thing, considering all of the junk in them. 

Yes, even beloved brands such as Clinique, Estee Lauder, and Lancome fall into this low performance ingredient category.  Recently I was looking at a Clinique ingredient label and was shocked at how much alcohol it contained, before any of the active ingredients.

I know this still sounds like a bunch of bologna to you so I'll tell you the main reason OTC products aren't as good as professional.  The FDA does not allow over the counter products to penetrate the epidermis and when OTC products claim to contain collagen etc but can't get down to the layer that produces and works with collagen, what's the point?  They may improve the appearance of your skin, but they aren't really working towards the long-term goal of improving your skin.

Many professional and cosmeceutical ingredients are intended to improve the skin's health as well as appearance.  They contain stronger performance ingredients that may cause biochemical reactions and physiological effects to the skin.  This is possible because they're able to penetrate into your dermis. 

I don't knock all OTC products and must admit that I still swear by Oil of Olay moisturizer when I can't get my hands on a profesional product.  But here are the facts for you to consider.  Life-long changes and improved skin appearance, or just improved appearance of dead skin cells? 

Happy money spending!  ('cause you know, now you want to go buy professional products haha.)

5 Comments:

Lacey said...

very easy to understand! I love your blog! where does the average girl find professional products?

Jessika Poodle said...

thanks, Lacey. I was a bit worried about the bore factor of this blog!

Professional products can be purchased at spas, beauty schools, and occasionally online via Amazon and eBay. Right now my favorites are Eminence Organic and Oxygen Botanicals.

Donna Fuson said...

very Interesting blog :) I will have to try some of the products you mentioned thanks!

Shannon's Tales of Motherhood said...

I love this post! I also like your post about the sun screen in the summer!
I look forward to checking out your blog often,you have alot of good tips!
By the way,I'm from blogging buddies,I follow your blog GFC.Please feel free to ck out my blog and follow back if you want.
Shannon
Shannon's Tales of Motherhood
http://shannpf1977.blogspot.com/

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