Ingredient science, myth busting, and formulator insights.
Zinc Pyrithione: banned in EU, 2% in US. Hydroquinone: prohibited vs Rx-only. Retinol: 0.3% cap vs unlimited. How to formulate for global markets when regulations diverge.
Read Article →Used in Korean skincare for brightening. Category 1 Sensitizer with genotoxicity. No SCCS opinion. How did it slip through?
Read Article →EU Regulation 2022/2195 restricted BHT. The deadline passed. Products still on shelves may be non-compliant.
Read Article →Hemp seed oil is GRAS and fully permitted. CBD from flowering tops is banned. Synthetic CBD under SCCS review. Here's the breakdown.
Read Article →6,000x more potent than Vitamin C for singlet oxygen quenching. Excellent safety data. The underused superantioxidant.
Read Article →SCCS/1682/25 recommends restricting BHA. Comment period ends January 19, 2026. What it means for formulators.
Read Article →It breaks down into benzophenone (possibly carcinogenic). The concentration increases as your sunscreen ages. FDA says NOT GRASE. EU may ban it.
Read Article →Margin of Safety over 2000. 50 years of safe use. The EU banned it anyway. Here's how hazard classification trumped risk assessment.
Read Article →20% sensitization rates in some clinics. Banned from leave-on products. The preservative that caused an epidemic.
Read Article →NMR found no formaldehyde. The real reason for the ban? Teratogenic effects causing eye malformations in fetuses.
Read Article →It prevents sunburn. It also increases DNA strand breaks 75-fold under UV exposure. The photomutagenic paradox.
Read Article →SCCS couldn't identify any safe level. Now banned in EU and listed as a Substance of Very High Concern.
Read Article →40% of antibacterial soaps. FDA banned it. The story of proving you're actually better than plain soap.
Read Article →57% dermal absorption. Carcinogenic in rodents. Causes irreversible ochronosis. Yet still the most effective depigmenting agent.
Read Article →Bemotrizinol has been used safely in Europe since 2000. <0.08% dermal absorption. No endocrine activity. 2 allergic reactions in 25 years. Here's the full story.
Read Article →1-3% of the population is allergic to fragrances. The complete guide to 82 regulated substances and sensitization rates.
Read Article →EU is capping retinol at 0.05% in body lotions and 0.3% in face creams. Here's the science behind the decision.
Read Article →Parabens are 10,000-100,000x less estrogenic than estradiol. Here's what peer-reviewed research actually says.
Read Article →Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. That's it. 12 other filters need more safety data. Here's why.
Read Article →Lavender oil is cytotoxic at 0.25%. Clove oil at 0.03%. "Natural" doesn't mean "safe."
Read Article →Do nano-sized ingredients actually penetrate skin? Here's what the research shows about ZnO, TiO2, and liposomal delivery.
Read Article →MoS ≥ 100 is the threshold. Here's the actual formula and methodology regulators use to determine if ingredients are safe.
Read Article →Products get inoculated with bacteria, yeast, and mold. Then we watch if they survive. Here's how preservative efficacy testing works.
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