The 39th session of "An'an You covenant - pharmaceutical science popularization lecture hall" was held in Guangzhou
Guangdong Science and Technology News (reporter Liu Xiaoyong correspondent Zhao Yinglei) "plant cosmetics" is really reliable? Why do I still get allergies with "pure plant-free" skin care products? On the morning of September 17th, the 39th session of "An An You Covenant - Pharmaceutical Science Popularization Lecture Hall" was held in Shennong Building of Shennong Caotang Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guangzhou. The lecture invited Guo Qingquan, guangdong provincial industry-university-research science and technology commissioner and cosmetic safety review expert of the State Drug Administration, to give a special lecture entitled "Is "Plant Cosmetics" Necessarily Safe", explaining the cosmetic safety issues that the public cares about from multiple angles, attracting more than 200 audiences to listen to the lecture.
Natural ≠ safe and non-irritating
At the lecture, Guo Qingquan first explained the historical context of the development of "plant cosmetics", from China with a long history of herbal skin care to foreign countries where the concept of "organic skin care" is prevalent, which has both depth and breadth, and the content is rigorous and interesting.
Guo Qingquan also told the public from the aspect of laws and regulations that the cosmetics listed in China are divided into two categories: special cosmetics and ordinary cosmetics, "plant cosmetics are just a marketing publicity concept", so that the public should not be confused by publicity when purchasing, and avoid blind purchase.
Starting from the ingredients of "plant cosmetics", Guo Qingquan broke the public's cognitive misunderstanding of "pure plant 0 additives", and informed the public that cosmetics with "pure plant 0 additives" did not exist, and although preservatives were not beneficial to the skin, they played an important role in the production, storage and use of cosmetics.
In response to the public's concern about "are the cosmetics with the main plant ingredients really safer and more irritating", Guo Qingquan gave the answer that "natural does not equal safety and no stimulation", and gave a detailed analysis from the aspects of raw material extraction and equipment use. Plant raw materials contain many chemical components, complex structural types, and the potential safety risks of active ingredients are not very clear. Many plant cosmetics have problems with unclear sources, contents, active ingredients, and mechanisms.
At the same time, starting from his own work and research experience, he shared the raw material supervision content of "plant cosmetics" for the public, which made the public have a deeper understanding of "plant cosmetics" and also benefited many cosmetics industry practitioners.
Learn to look at the ingredients and master the "pit avoidance" technique
Guo Qingquan started from the specific cases of life and taught the public to choose the cosmetics that suited him. "First of all, understand which ingredients you may be sensitive to, especially cosmetics with added plant essential oils and fragrances, and pay attention to the ingredient identification when purchasing to determine whether it contains allergen ingredients." Flavors and fragrances are the most common allergens and are the most leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis in cosmetics. Spices can be natural or chemically synthesized. In the European Union, there are 26 fragrance allergens, which must be indicated on the product label when their concentration in resident products (e.g. creams and perfumes) exceeds 0.001% and in rinse products (shampoos and shower gels).
The most susceptible to sensitization of these ingredients are geraniol, cinnamaldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol, isoeugenol, pentyl cinnamal, linalool and oak moss. People prone to allergies are recommended to use hypoallergenic or fragrance-free cosmetics.
Guo Qingquan used the example of "light allergy" skin to teach everyone to "avoid pits" when choosing cosmetics. Common photosensitive substances include furcoumarin, tar, psoralen, etc. Many plants contain substances such as furan coumarin, including basili, celery, gotu kola, dill, angelica, nine-story tower, radish, parsnips, Chinese herbal medicine of baizhi, angelica, fennel (stinky hibiscus). Because the amount of furan coumarin substances is different, not every contact with the above plants will occur dermatitis, but the probability will be relatively large. For example, some people have severe skin inflammation after applying lemon juice or applying lemon to the face, and when they are exposed to the sun, they will develop severe skin inflammation.
Under the guidance of Guo Qingquan, the public learned to "prescribe the right medicine, according to their own skin problems and personal needs, choose the corresponding functional claims of cosmetics", at the end of the lecture, he also stressed that "allergy tests should be carried out before purchasing", and it is more reliable to try first and then use.
It is reported that the "An'an Youyo - Pharmaceutical Science Popularization Lecture Hall" is a special brand activity of science popularization created by the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration, which has long been invited to hold special lectures on hot and difficult issues of public concern, inviting well-known experts in the industry such as drugs, cosmetics and medical devices to hold special lectures to disseminate scientific knowledge and improve the health literacy of the public in scientific drug use.