What about secret homemade products without an ingredients-listing?
Paying homage to Fan Bing Bing's beauty secret of using 700 facial masks a year, homemade skincare products has begun its newest wave on the market. Besides getting to feel like a "scientist", homemade products can be natural, with no preservatives, in any form of fragrance in accordance to personal preferences and you'd be saving a whole lot of money (or you could even jump on the bandwagon and start operating your own business). It really is a fad that serves multiple purposes.
The most commonly available skincare products on the market are now widely propagated using terms such as "Homemade Family Recipes", "Secret Ancestry Formulations" using a verity of herbs, flora and fauna, et cetera. Some have even gone to the extent of purchasing raw materials for self-production at home- it's not only low in cost, but they could pretty much make it work in whatever way they'd like.
Thus, if secret homemade family formulations sold online for a low price are that effective, then wouldn't it have already caused the downfall of numerous pharmaceutics, beauty and skincare giants around the world? So to all our beloved readers, please beware of the legendary "secret formulation" skincare products that come without an ingredient-label nor proper verification from the appropriate health sciences authorities.
A three-pointer guide has been introduced to evaluate what makes a skincare product dependable and credible. They are first and foremost, SAFE, EFFECTIVE, PRACTICAL, with safety topping the charts of what people do prioritise in their daily lives. In that case, would the exploitation of words such as "Secret Formula" and "Homemade" meet the basic requirements from the three-pointer guide? Let's evaluate.
SAFETY
The probability of safety from "secret-homemade-formula" skincare products:
Safe usage of any type of product available is the simplest form of identification when customers select purchases. Even though quality inspection, health inspection requirements of all test items are listed in the cosmetics industry both domestically and internationally as a key criteria, many homemade skincare products do not submit themselves through these processes. Moreover, a lack of the right equipment and the right conditions during the production of skincare products can also widely affect how safe these skincare products are.
You could purchase a skincare product with a secret recipe that proves to have much success with its customers from online sites such as Facebook, WeChat, Tao Bao, et cetera, but there are also many
hidden dangers within such products:
1) What is the date of expiry of such secretive homemade products?
Most exclusive skincare products in the market have a certain shelf-life or a certain guideline to the recommended lifespan of their product. Just like make-up cosmetic products, those that have expired cannot be used- its as simple as not eating mouldy bread.
2) Are these self-made products stored in the right environment?
The wrong environment can very well cause certain ingredients to be reactive or turn bad. For example, plant extracts have to be stored in low temperatures. So how could we be sure certain online sellers have kept the ingredients in the best scenario? Things get worse when you are unable to seek help as there is no validation by any authorities or an actual manufacturing process to count on.
3) Can you differentiate the authenticity of the ingredients used?
(First off, do we know what ingredients lie in these 'secret-recipes'?)
Even within the cosmetics industry, some unscrupulous businesses carry out bad manufacturing practices by blending barrels and providing shoddy quality of ingredients to deceive small factories without the capacity to carry out raw-material testing. With online businesses exploiting that their list of ingredients and recipe cannot be revealed as a form of secret, how do you ensure that what you are using on your skin is the real thing?
Microbiological Risks
Microbiological risks poses another obstacle for companies who market homemade products to cross. It includes the entire manufacturing, packaging, storage, usage and so on. For these enthusiasts, you want to ensure that the purchase of such homemade secret recipe products are not infected by micro-organisms.
First, homemade recipe owners need microbiological knowledge, are required to know how to disinfect the production utensils, have the capacity to test for microorganisms within the raw materials (this is not realistic), or at least conduct a microbiological risk score for a variety of raw materials, have knowledge on which raw materials cause the growth of the most bacteria, or how to use preservatives.
The use of preservatives, and excessive use of various preservatives will have some adverse effects on the skin regardless whether anti-corrosion ingredients are added, The determination of the appropriate amount of preservatives is a painstaking development process in itself, and many a time, homemade skincare products relatively lack these corresponding research and development conditions. Therefore, in general, microbial risk and safety poses a huge challenge to homemade recipes that are marketed out.
It is important to understand that any product in your hands are made up of chemical components (whether natural or not). Although some of the materials for skin care products are fairly safe, there are some components such as acid and alkali that increase the risk during homemade skincare production. Many people feel buying a homemade secret recipe skincare product should not be made a huge fuss, but professionals think likewise; What if things really got out of hand?
Effectiveness
Is there a difference in effectiveness between homemade brands of skincare products and commercial skin care products?
Without doubt, there will be certain recipes reflected in great light. The consumer demand for product efficacy is getting higher and higher- therefore the research and development departments of skincare companies devote their resources into research, screening effective ingredients and combinations to study better transdermal absorption and effects, and to study how to achieve maximum efficiency at the same time while ensuring the stability of the product and maintaining minimum irritation. With secretive homemade skin care formulas, there is no conditioning to ensure optimal design of the product formula.
Practical (Easy usage)
The use of the product coupled with the formula and process has a considerable relationship. Homemade formulas are simple, and the production of equipment is relatively simple, with some utilising a single glass rod as a stirring mechanism, or without even a decent homogenizer (for creating emulsified products). Thus there is more difficulty in creating a product with a professional image with a practical long-term usage. In terms of practicality, homemade skin care products sold on the market face a disadvantage. I hope everyone has received a more in-depth understanding of skin care products. It is better to be a tad cautious, after all, you are solely responsible for your face and skin!
