A small trial of 25 healthy women found that daily supplementation with a bioactive collagen peptide powder dissolved in water (Verisol) boosted the growth of fingernails by 12%, and reduce the frequency of broken nails by 42%. The supplement was also associated with significant clinical improvements in brittle nails.

The findings were published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

Supplemental help 

While nutrition undoubtedly has an effect on nail health, just as it does on skin and hair health, there is only a very small amount of research into supplements and their potential benefits for nails.

Some preliminary studies suggest improvement in brittle nails supplementing with 10 to 30 mL daily of colloidal silicon (silicic acid, trademarked Silicol) or 10 mg daily of orthosilicic acid.

A small, but controlled, study among women with brittle nails also found that a daily dose of 2,500 mcg of biotin for 6 to 9 months increased nail thickness by 25% and reduced the tendency of nails to split. Biotin does not, however, further strengthen healthy nails.

For the women taking the collagen in the current study, results showed that almost 90% of the women reported improvement four weeks post-treatment. Eight percent of the women also said that the collagen supplements improved their nails’ appearance, and that were completely satisfied with the performance of the supplements.

“To the best of our knowledge,” the researchers from Brazil and German write “no data have been reported regarding the effects of [bioactive collagen peptides] intake on nails, and the present study is the first clinical trial demonstrating the efficacy of a specific dosage (2.5 g/d) of Verisol on nail growth and brittle nails syndrome.”

Beauty-from-within

Nutricosmetics or beauty-from-within is an important concept for many women and a growing market for beauty businesses. Collagen supplements have come in and out of fashion but new research, much of it coming out of Collagen Research Institute in Montreal, Canada and Keil, Germany suggests new formulations some promise in other areas of beauty.

A 2013 study reported statistically significant improvements in skin elasticity, while another in 2014 found significant reductions in wrinkles and increased dermal collagen synthesis.

“When administered orally, [bioactive collagen peptides] are absorbed in the form of small collagen peptides and free amino acids,” wrote the researchers. “Free amino acids provide building blocks for the formation of dermal extracellular matrix proteins and for the epidermal structure, whereas collagen peptides act as bioactive messengers, activating different signalling pathways and stimulating dermal and epidermal metabolism.

“Hence, clinical improvements in brittle nails symptoms observed in the present study may not only be a consequence of the protein intake, but also due to the stimulatory effects of specific collagen peptides on epidermal and dermal metabolism.”

The findings also suggest that the level of risk is different between black and white women.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, and the most common in women. In 2012, there were nearly 1.7 million global cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women.

Although deaths from breast cancer have been falling in the US, it remains the second biggest cause of death from cancer for all women, and black women are at higher risk of dying from it than white women.

In their study, in the journal Carcinogenesis, the researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ looked at 4,285 white and African American women, aged between 20 and 75 years, taking part in the Women’s Circle of Health Study.

They were investigating links between elevated risk of breast cancer and use hair dyes, products for relaxing or straightening hair, and creams containing cholesterol or placenta for deep conditioning of hair.

Different women, different risks

What they found was that among the women without breast cancer, use of hair dyes was more common in white women than black women (58% and 30%, respectively), whereas use of relaxers was less common in white women (5% compared with 88% of black women), as was use of deep conditioner (6% percent compared with 59%).

Even so, the researchers found there were some significant links between raised risk for breast cancer and use of hair dyes and chemical relaxers, or straighteners and these patterns of risk differed between white women and black women.

For example, for black women, they found that use of dark shades of hair dye was linked to an overall 51% higher risk of breast cancer, and an even higher risk, 72%, of estrogen positive breast cancer.

The risk of breast cancer was even higher for white women who regularly dyed their hair dark shades alone or in combination with chemical relaxers, 74% and 140% respectively.

Among white women, there was also a 54% higher risk of estrogen positive breast cancer with use of dark hair dyes and 156% higher risk of estrogen negative breast cancer with use of relaxers

Unique vulnerabilities

The study claims to be the first to find a significant increase in breast cancer risk among black women who used dark shades of hair dye and white women who used chemical relaxers.

The study included the largest population of African-American women thus far examined for breast cancer risk and dark hair dye, according to the research team.

In general, black and white women have roughly the same risk of developing breast cancer. But this study suggests that there may be some previously unexplored vulnerabilities.

Professor and study lead author Adana Llanos said: ‘One hypothesis is that the chemical composition of hair products marketed for and used among whites may differ from the products marketed for use by African-Americans.’

The researchers speculated this increase may have something to do with DNA damage or the body absorbing the chemicals used to change the hair.

Previous studies have shown that long-term users of dark dyes have a four-fold increased risk of fatal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and fatal multiple myeloma. For more in this topic see our article: The hair dye/cancer connection.

A new study by researchers at Duke University and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has shown that the 8 out of 10 nail polishes tested contain the toxic chemical triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP.

Worse, the results reported in the journal Environmental International represent compelling evidence that TPHP, also used in plastics manufacturing and as a fire retardant in foam furniture, quickly leeches into the human body via nail polish.

TPHP is listed on the ingredient labels of a wide array of nail polishes now on the market. Of the more than 3000 nail polishes listed in the EWG database around 49% contain TPHP. This figure is likely to be an underestimate since many manufactures don’t disclose this ingredient on the label.

Indeed, in the news study, two of the eight polishes that tested positive for TPHP did not disclose its presence on product labels.

Big brands

The Duke researchers would not make the names of the name of the brands they tested public. However some of the brands in the EWG database which are known to contain TPHP include OPI, Sallie Hansen, and Revlon, Wet N Wild, Maybelline and Beauty Without Cruelty.

TPHP is a plasticiser, added to make nail polishes more flexible and durable. The concentrations in the eight nail polishes with TPHP ranged from 0.49 percent to 1.68 percent by weight.  Clear polishes generally contained more TPHP than coloured ones.

The study found that when women applied nail polish with TPHP directly to their nails, the levels of diphenyl phosphate or DPHP, (a breakdown products of TPHP) in their urine increased sharply.

Specifically 2-6 hours after they painted their nails, 24 of the 26 volunteers in the study had slightly elevated levels of DPHP in their urine. Ten to 14 hours after polishing their nails, the DPHP levels in all 26 participants had risen by an average of nearly sevenfold, suggesting that more of the TPHP had entered their bodies and been metabolized into DPHP.

Toxic effects

The results are troubling because a growing body of scientific data from other studies indicates that TPHP is a hormone-disrupting chemicals, meaning that it interferes with normal hormone functioning. In animal studies, it has caused reproductive and developmental irregularities.

Even more worrying, recent studies suggest that TPHP interacts with a protein central to regulating the body’s metabolism and production of fat cells. Scientists are conducting more investigations to discover whether, in fact, TPHP contributes to weight gain and obesity.

Another ‘safe’ alternative that isn’t

Nail polish manufacturers currently use TPHP as a replacement plasticiser for dibutyl phthalate, or DBP. This chemical fell out of use in nail polish because highly publicised scientific studies showed that DBP and other phthalates are likely endocrine disruptors and toxic to the reproductive system.

Women more vulnerable

Urine tests have found that Americans are extensively exposed to TPHP, probably because of its use in plastics and flame retardant furniture. However, women are at particular risk. Another Duke study found significantly higher levels of DPHP in women than in men who were tested in a separate study. These findings suggest that women may absorb more TPHP through personal care products, such as nail polish, that are marketed specifically to women.

Another study conducted last year by Duke and EWG researchers found DPHP, the metabolite of TPHP, in the urine of 95% of the adults and 100% of the children studied.

Studies in Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam have found similarly high contamination.

These results indicate that nail polish may be an important contributor to short-term TPHP exposure. For frequent users of nail polish, exposure to TPHP may be a long-term hazard.

Given the high use of nail polishes amongst young girls and women, it also raises the prospect that millions of American teens, tweens and even younger girls are being exposed to a suspected hormone-disrupting chemical at a time when their bodies are rapidly developing and entering puberty.

The placenta is the organ that supplies a growing baby in the womb with blood and nutrients, but also acts as a ‘barrier’ to keep toxins away. The new research is concerning because parabens are hormone disrupters, with implications for human growth and development.

The EU has recently lowered allowable levels of propylparaben and butylparaben in products for children and since October 2014 some parabens – isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, phenylparaben, benzylparaben and pentylparaben – have been banned. But many parabens are still in use.

The most common paraben found in consumer products is methylparaben, but data on whether this and other commonly used parabens can cross the human placenta is scarce.

High levels of contamination

In this study from the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 50 women and their unborn babies were studied. Blood was drawn from the mothers and, to assess fetal exposure, from the umbilical cord.

Of the 50 mothers, 47 (94%) showed methylparaben in their own blood; 47 of the 50 cord blood samples also showed methylparaben

In 45 cases methylparaben was found in the same mother-baby pair; of these, the fetal level was higher than the maternal level in 23 (51%).

For butylparaben, only 4 mothers (8%) showed detectable levels, whereas 8 cord blood samples (16%) were positive. African-American mothers and infants were more likely to have higher detectable levels.

Confirming animal data

The results of this study are important because previous animal data has associated parabens exposure in the womb, and from breastfeeding, with abnormalities in male offspring.

Maternal exposure to butylparaben during pregnancy, for example, has been shown to result in reproductive disorders in male offspring.

Whether the effects resulted from butylparaben crossing the placenta during gestation or passing in milk during suckling, or a combination of both, is unknown. However, other evidence shows the sensitivity of early postnatal male rodents to the development of reproductive disorders when exposed to butylparaben via a dietary route.

Easily absorbed through the skin, too

Parabens are easily absorbed through the skin and more studies are needed to understand whether similar consequences might result from using parabens-containing products on newborns.

This is an important question because parabens are used in an extensive array of baby wipes and baby creams where the products would be left on the skin of the genital area of baby boys, allowing for absorption and accumulation (especially following skin abrasions from nappy/diaper rash) into underlying tissues of the reproductive organs throughout this sensitive time when an infant’s body is growing and changing rapidly.

An intriguing study recently published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology sheds new light on the importance of skin colour as a determiner of facial attractiveness. It also shows that colour derived from getting plenty of carotenoids has the upper hand over melanisation (tanning) when it comes to the rules of attraction.

What puts colour in your face?

“Skin colouration can arise as a result of two distinct processes,” explain the team leading the research: through tanning (melanisation) or the assimilation of fruit and vegetables (carotenoid ingestion).

While it is known that red and yellow pigments found in bright fruit and vegetables increase skin yellowness, previous studies have shown that “carotenoid colouration” is a more important factor in healthy appearance than melanin colouration,” says the research team, which has published other work on the link between vegetable consumption and skin tone.

Determined to investigate the importance of skin colour in perceptions of facial attractiveness, as well as mate choices, in three separate, yet linked, Internet-based studies, the British researchers set out to examine the importance of high levels of these pigments (carotenoids and melanin) in attraction choices.

Establishing the preference for one pigment over the other in judging the appeal of a face was also crucial to the research.

Putting some colour in your face

In the first two studies, two separate groups of 60 participants were shown 27 base faces, specifically created for the purpose of testing. Through colour manipulation, the skin area of these composite faces was altered alongside the axis of carotenoid or melanin-associated derma colours.

High and low pigment versions of each face were shown in pairs to the partakers, who had to indicate which one they thought more attractive. Results from both studies showed a clear preference for strong color values; 86% of the attendants to the first study voted for the high carotenoid version, while 78.5% of the participants to the second one opted for the high melanin variant.

In a third and final study, the team pitted 24 high carotenoid and high melanin faces against each other, asking participants to choose the more appealing ones; results showed a 75.9% preference for carotenoid colouring over the melanin one.

The result show strong evidence for the importance of skin colouration in attractiveness judgements. What’s more, it clearly exposes “the importance of carotenoid colouration as a cue to current health and attractiveness, [a fact that] may be pivotal in mate choices,” say the researchers.

Healthy diet , healthy skin, healthy you

Carotenoids are a group of yellow, red, and orange pigments, the most well known of which is arguably beta-carotene.  They are the precursors of Vitamin A in the body and we generally get around half of our vitamin A in this form

Eating high caroteniod foods, of course, has other advantages beyond being attractive. Thee include heart disease and cancer protection, healthier sperm, stronger bones and even protection against dementia.

Good dietary sources of beta-carotene include:

• Bright yellow and orange fruits such as cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, and apricots
• Vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash
• Other sources of beta-carotene include green foods like broccoli, spinach, and most dark coloured, leafy vegetables.

The more intense the colour of a fruit or vegetable, the higher its beta-carotene content.

According to an internationally renown dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center – a common preservative, MIT (methylisothiazolinone), used in many types of pre-moistened wipes, is linked to a dramatic rise in allergic reactions.

“In the last two or three years, we’ve suddenly seen a big increase in people with this type of allergy,” said Dr. Matthew Zirwas, director of the contact dermatitis centre at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. “For some patients, their rash has been unexplained and going on for years.”

Widespread use

MIT is found in many water-based products like liquid soaps, hair products, sunscreen, cosmetics, laundry products and cleaners as well as pre-moistened personal hygiene products and baby wipes.

“Concentrations of the preservative have increased dramatically in some products in the last few years, as manufacturers stopped using other preservatives like paraben and formaldehyde,” Zirwas noted.

The irritated skin can be red, raised, itchy and even blistery, appearing much like a reaction to poison ivy. The three most common areas affected by the allergic reaction include the face, from using soaps and shampoos, the fingers and hands, from handling the wipes, and the buttocks and genitals from using moistened flushable wipes.

Avoid MIT-tainted wipes

In a video about the problem, produced by Ohio State University, Julie Omiatek, an Ohio mother of two, says it took a year to figure out her allergy. All that time, she endured rashes on her hands and face.

“I tried to look for patterns and I journalled every time I had a flare-up,” Omiatek said. “My allergist referred me to Dr. Zirwas’ clinic and, lo and behold, it was a preservative in the baby wipes I was using. I was really surprised, because I thought that the allergy would have appeared with my first child.”

“If someone suspects an allergy to moistened wipes, they need to stop using them for at least one month. A week or two isn’t enough time,” Zirwas recommends.

A dermatologist detective

Zirwas is well-known in the US a ‘dermatologist detective.’

He has spent nearly 10 years sleuthing out the causes of mysterious rashes that others can’t solve. Over the years, he has identified allergies to shoe glue, hot tub chemicals, nickel in food, even a chemical in escalator hand rails. Patients have travelled from all over the country to have him diagnose their skin allergies.

Zirwas says it isn’t clear how many Americans might react to MIT but, he says, manufacturers are aware of the growing allergy problem and the race is on to find alternatives.

‘Allergen of the year’

MIT was named 2013 Allergen of the Year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

In the EU, in July of that year, the British Society of Cutaneous Allergy (BSCA) demanded ‘immediate’ action to protect consumers against MI and a related compound methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI).

By December, following discussions with the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD), Cosmetic Europe had issued an urgent statement that the use of MIT in leave-on skin products such as deodorants, suncreams, hand lotions and wet wipes be immediately discontinued (see our editorial  Another toxic cosmetic ingredient bites the dust).

Conventional alternatives by all accounts are still a long way off. But what this story doesn’t say is that MIT is not necessary, merely common.Consumers wishing to avoid MIT and related compounds should consider opting for organic toiletries, as organic standards, while allowing use of safer preservatives, prohibit the use of this chemical.

But now a major cosmetic company has announced it is moving into the development of biosynthetic organisms which will be deliberately added to cosmetic products.

According to a recent story in Genetic Engineering News, L’Oreal has signed a deal with a company called Evolva to develop novel boisynthetic ingredient that, it is claimed, will have broad applications in the cosmetics industry.

The two companies are going to use fermentation technology developed by Evolva to produce and optimize yeast strains for the production of the ingredient.

The ‘ingredient’ is as yet unidentified but Luc Aguilar, the global head of L’Oréal’s biotechnologies department, said in a statement that the firm believes this platform “could end in new cosmetic ingredients bringing a real breakthrough for our customers.”

A trend

Most health concerns around GMOs have to do with putting them in our bodies. Putting them on our bodies is largely an unknown quantity. Because the details of ingredient have not been revealed, it is impossible to say what its health impact may or may not be.

L’oreal is not the only cosmetic company investing in synthetic biology. Johnson & Johnson is also involved in developing hair and beauty products using this technology.

Evolva, in collaboration with a company called International Flavors and Fragrances, is also involved in the development of a vanilla essence made with synthetic biology. In response, environmental group Friends of the Earth is actively campaigning against the product and asking food companies not to use it.

What is synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology, or synbio,  is a new  form of genetic engineering. Instead of using existing DNA from plants or animals synthetic biology involves scientists creating entirely new DNA sequences in the lab and using them to create new synthetic life forms or splicing this DNA into naturally occurring DNA.

It is a new science, the products of which have had no safety testing. Being manmade, sybio products are fully patentable and have the full protection of the law and, in theory at least, are able to freely enter the marketplace.  Cosmetics and food are considered two of the most attractive markets for synthetic biologists.

Currently there exists almost no regulation for synbio products. Recently a group of 116 consumer, food safety, environmental, sustainable agriculture, parent, public health and faith based organisations signed a document called the “Principles for the Oversight of Synthetic Biology”,

The document outlines the need to safeguard public health and the environment from the novel risks of synthetic biology and to ensure open, meaningful and full public participation in decisions regarding its uses.

For people who do not wish to use GM products, this is a story to watch. Based on the fact that we are not eating these products, cosmetic manufacturers are even more likely to resist transparency and labelling than food manufacturers.

In the mean time, the best way to avoid GMOs of any kind in your cosmetics is to use certified organic brands.

Research by marine scientists at Stirling University’s internationally renowned Institute of Aquaculture, and published in the journal Marine Drugs, has revealed the medicinal qualities of certain fatty acids including some produced by algae.

These fatty acids prevent the growth of Propionibacterium acnes, a bacterium which causes the common skin condition.

The bacteria naturally present in the fatty acids, said lead author Dr. Andrew Desbois, has a drying action similar to benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid – both of which help treat acne.

“Fatty acids are present naturally on our skin to defend us against unwanted bacteria – so applying more would boost our existing defences” he added.

Acne bacteria is becoming resistant to drugs

New treatment options for acne are being sought as current drugs may cause side effects on the skin and bacterial resistance is making them less effective.

In this study the scientists found six fatty acids were effective, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid already known to be important for human health and wellbeing, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties.

EPA is produced by marine algae and then accumulated via the food chain into fish like salmon, while DGLA is made by some types of brown algae (to understand more about how the body uses and converts different essential fatty acids see here).

Dr Desbois added: “Normally, we obtain these beneficial fatty acids through consuming fish or seaweed in our diets. However, we are planning to formulate the fatty acids into an ointment that can be applied to the skin to help people suffering with acne.”

The research, they say will help in the development of prescription medicines containing antibacterial fatty acids for treating acne and other skin diseases.

Do you really need a prescription?

But do you really need to use a prescription product to get the benefits? Could simply using the widely available oils topically do the same thing? No comparative studies exist.

Using an oil-based preparation on acne prone skin may seem counter intuitive, however other studies have shown that for example, coconut oil can inhibit P. acnes on its own or in combination with curcumin.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that flaxseed oil can also be effective. Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which can help reduce inflammation – a factor in some types of acne. Borage oil – one of the richest sources of GLA is used topically for acne as well as seborrhoea dermatitis, and neuro-dermatitis. Hemp seed oil, also rich in GLA, is also recommended for acne-prone skin.

Taken as supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may also help there is evidence for instance that fish oil supplements can reduce the severity of inflammatory acne.

The recently completed study demonstrated that poor sleepers had slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation as well as increased signs of skin ageing. Poor sleepers also gave worse self-assessments of their own skin and facial appearance.

The research team, led by Elma Baron, MD, presented their data at a recent International Investigative Dermatology Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

“Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin ageing and a decrease in their skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure,” said Dr Baron, Director of the Skin Study Center at University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

“Insufficient sleep has become a worldwide epidemic. While chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to medical problems such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and immune deficiency, its effects on skin function have previously been unknown.”

Although the research team claim this is a first of its kind study, in fact a large body of data supports the notion that beautiful skin begins with a good night’s sleep.

Our barrier against stress

Skin functions as an important barrier from external stressors such as environmental toxins and sun-induced DNA damage and the researchers were keen to examine how skin function and appearance might be impacted by sleep quality, which is vital to the growth and renewal of the body’s immune and physiological systems.

The study, commissioned by Estée Lauder, involved 60 pre-menopausal women between the ages of 30 and 49. Half of participants were experiencing poor sleep quality.

Skin ageing and function was assessed using visual evaluations and participation in several non-invasive skin challenge tests including UV light exposure and skin barrier disruption.

Additionally, participants filled out a sleep log for one week to help researchers understand their sleep patterns.

Faster ageing

There were statistically significant differences in the skin of between good and poor quality sleepers. Using a common skin ageing scoring system, poor quality sleepers showed increased signs of intrinsic 9caused by internal factors alone) skin ageing including fine lines, uneven pigmentation and slackening of skin and reduced elasticity.

In this scoring system, a higher score equates to a more aged appearance. The average score in the good quality sleepers was 2.2 versus 4.4 in poor quality sleepers. They found no significant difference between the groups in extrinsic (caused by external environmental factors like UV radiation, cigarette smoking, air pollution, etc) such as coarse wrinkles and sunburn freckles.

The researchers found that good quality sleepers recovered more efficiently from stressors to the skin. Recovery from sunburn was more sluggish in poor quality sleepers, with erythema (redness) remaining higher over 72 hours, indicating that inflammation is less efficiently resolved.

Losing moisture

The skin’s ability to retain moisture was also examined. In measurements 72 hours after a skin barrier stressor (tape-stripping), the recovery of good quality sleepers was 30% higher than poor quality sleepers demonstrating that their skin repairs the damage more quickly.

Additionally, poor quality sleepers were significantly more likely to have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). For example, 23% of good quality sleepers were obese compared to 44% of poor quality sleepers.

Women most at risk

Women, as we have previously reported, are particularly at risk from sleep disorders and the exhaustion that comes from continual multi-tasking, can do more than just make you look older. It can undermine creativity, judgement, and relationships.  In addition it is damaging to health leading to greater risk of heart cardiovascular disease weight gain and depression.

According to a spokesperson from Estée Lauder, the current study, “will have a profound effect on how we study skin and its functions… We see these findings as yet another way we can direct our scientific research toward the real needs of our customers who want to look and feel their best. Paying attention to body/mind connections may well help manufacturers make more efficient skincare products.

That may well be true, but perhaps a better place to start might be to address the issues that are keeping women awake at night, and helping them to juggle less and sleep more!

• See also The secret life of your skin.