Lotions, Potions, and Optical Physics (Part 2)

As promised, now I'll tell you what I buy, and why. I fear it shall be dull, but hopefully I can capture my process of reasoning. Your mileage may vary, as always.

Pre-Makeup:

1. Cleanser. The mags are fond of telling us that Cetaphil is the supermodel's biggest drugstore secret. I have no idea if this is true, but it works for me. It doesn't have any of the common irritants I make a point to avoid; it's clear, rather than creamy or bar (as the stuff that make creams creamy and bars solid can present their own problems for the skin). I use the "for normal to oily skin" version, since that's suitable to my skin, and because the other formulations are allegedly no good at makeup removal. Target makes a clone. (The brand also produces some fairly amazing moisturizing creams. My college roommate had severe eczema, and we typically had gallons of the stuff sitting around the apartment.)
   
   
   
2. Moisturizer/Sunscreen. My pet issue. Sunscreen is a tough one because there's so much in it to which skin can take a potential disliking. Too often, it also features a nauseating coconut oil scent and slimy or sticky texture, which is rather a discouragement from using it - a problem, given how important it is. It also has a habit of not being formulated to do quite what the label appears to say, despite its labeling being more regulated than most cosmetic products'. This one has the feeling of an ordinary lotion and no discernible scent, doesn't bother my skin, and is technically adequate, so it's a keeper for everyday wear. I do keep something with a higher SPF for heavy-duty outdoorsy things, but those seem to become more rare every year. I don't use this at night, and don't currently find a need to use a separate moisturizer then, so I can't comment on any of those.
   
   Here's my very basic brain dump on sunscreen. Please note that in this context I refuse to comment on the Vitamin D issue or avobenzone instability. If the previous sentence made no sense to you, don't worry about it. Really.
   
   
   • Ultraviolet radiation exposure is the exclusive cause of most of the damage and/or aging that our skin suffers.
     
     
   • You can read all about electromagnetic radiation here, but the short version is this: visible light, UV radiation, microwaves, and radioactive decay are all exactly the same thing, with the only difference being wavelength.
     
     
     
     
     With uncharacteristic lucidity, the physics community
     has defined wavelength as, "the length of a wave."
     
     
   • UV varies in wavelength from 10-400 nanometers. It can also be divided into three subspectra: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC have the shortest wavelengths and would potentially be the most damaging to cells, but is blocked by the stratospheric ozone layer.
     
     
   • UVA and UVB (280-400 nm) are responsible for tanning, burning, aging and skin cancer. They say "A ages, B burns," but it's actually a little more complicated than that.
     
     
   • Individual sunscreen ingredients block specific subsets of UV wavelengths. To be effective, a sunscreen must contain sufficient amounts of a combination of ingredients that, cumulatively, block all the UVA and UVB wavelengths.
     
     
   • SPF is a measure of protection against UVB. SPF 15 basically means that, if you're wearing the product correctly (i.e., liberally applied) it will take 15 times as long in the sun to start to burn than it would if you were out with no sunscreen.
     
     
   • Liberal application is key. SPF rating is based on an application of 1 fluid ounce for complete (nude) coverage of an adult body. Naturally, just the face takes a lot less, but you can't be stingy and still expect results.
     
     
   • SPF 15 is pretty universally recommended as a minimum.
     
     
   • UVA is insidious. It penetrates plate glass and cloud cover.
     
     
   • There isn't a numeric rating for UVA protection. UVA protection is ensured by the presence of an active ingredient that blocks the full UVA spectrum.
     
     
   • Fortunately, there are currently only three of these approved for general use in the US, and only a couple others used abroad. The three in the US are titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and avobenzone (a.k.a. Parsol 1789, a.k.a. butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane). Outside the US, you can also find Tinsorb and Mexoryl SX (a.k.a. ecamsule). One or more of these should be listed as an active ingredient.
     
     
   • It's possible for a sunscreen label to claim "UVA protection" while only providing protection across a portion of the UVA spectrum. You need full spectrum protection, and that requires the right ingredients.
     
     
   • There's no such thing as waterproof sunscreen. Sun-blocking ingredients can be bound in a water-resistant lotion, which helps some, but the active ingredients themselves aren't waterproof. That means re-apply.
     
     
   • Current thought is trending in such a way that state-of-the-art sun protection will soon also involve topical application of antioxidents. This is still emerging, and I don't yet know enough to say more about it.
     
     Bottom line: an adequate sunscreen will be rated at SPF 15 and will contain one of the UVA blocking ingredients listed above as an active ingredient. Apply liberally, and often.
     
   
   
3. What I need: a good beta hydroxy (salicylic acid) product. I haven't found a substitute for my previous product which vanished a few years ago, but I notice its absence. In adequate concentrations, salicylic acid is a wart remover; in more modest concentrations, it's a standard exfoliant. (Alpha hydroxy is water-soluble and suitable for drier skins, beta hydroxy is lipid-soluble and suitable for oiler skins.) There are lots of cleanser-type products with salicylic acid, but that's not really an appropriate carrier for the ingredient - it needs to stay on the skin, and doesn't do much good in a cleanser, which is immediately washed off.
   

Makeup:

1. Foundation. Of the correct texture and color, which doesn't bug my skin. You just have to try until you find something perfect. This has SPF too, which is generally advisable for anything liquid that goes on top of sunscreen.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Lipstick. There are clones of this at every price point now, but I can't tell the slightest bit of difference between them, so I do the Cover Girl version. It stays on forever, or until you eat something oily. That means I sometimes have to rub down my lips with olive oil before bed. My color is a warm neutral called Canyon, which seems to be popular, judging by how often it's sold out.
   
   
3. Mascara. It usually comes in three colors: Black, Almost Black, and Very Black, all of which contrast too strongly with my normal lash coloring, so I generally buy whatever is for sale that comes labeled Brown. That typically reduces the options to two or three.
   
   
4. Brow pencil. Also brown, any normal pencil eyeliner will do.
   
   
5. Blush and eyeshadow - These aren't every day, I don't have loyalties here, but when I wear them I go neutral.
   

So ends what I suspect to be the most bizarrely mundane thing I've ever put on the internet. I do hope some of it had some value for somebody.