Have you noticed that more time has past in between posts on 'Anti-Aging Skin Series' lately? I have let too much time in between blog posts past! Yes, but for good reason. I have been determining the path ahead for the series. Remember that I started out with an extremely long blog post regarding the question: Can Science Really Reverse Aging Skin? Out of this grew the need by suggestion from my wife to clarify through many small blog posts -- exactly what I am trying to convey.
From there, an exploration was launched into the basics of the physiology of skin - with the purpose of formulating or deconstructing a skin care formulation. Why is a given ingredient incorporated into a formulation by a manufacturer? Answering that question over the last few posts has been comprised of listing the ingredients in a given skin care product and giving the specific function of the ingredient known in the industry.
Of course, the question as to the intent of incorporating a given ingredient could have been resolved quite easily had I been given access to the formulator. If I could have asked the inventor, why did you put this ingredient into that lotion -- this would have made life much easier. Instead, up until now, I have used the information available online to show you (the reader) how to decode or deconstruct the ingredient list on any skin care formulation.
Meet Mandy...
About a month ago, I had a chance to attend (with my wife) an event at a local garden which is kept up by the public. The event was hosted by the organization SLOLA -- Seed Library Of Los Angeles. The seed library is composed of the seeds collected by the members of the organization. SLOLA hosts all types of events centered around cultivating seeds and sharing tips on growing a variety of plants in a variety of environments. The group is a wonderful resource for anyone experiencing difficulty growing a plant in your garden. I was glad to be able to listen to a talk on 'herbal medicine' that particular Friday. Out of that talk came an interest in exploring the 'herbal chemistry' of the components in a given skin care solution.
Remember the last skin care solution which was deconstructed on this site -- Lush. There were a whole host of natural ingredients which (could potentially) have 'herbal qualities' to them. Additionally, that might have been the dominant reason for incorporating them into the formulation. Anyways, at the talk which I attended I was honored to meet another herbalist -- Mandy. Mandy is a super cool lady who is deeply interested in understanding the chemistry of skin care ingredients from a herbal medicine perspective. She makes her own products which can be viewed and purchased at the website: https://.xom3.com. Check them out.
As I mentioned above, I have been taking a little time to write and think in between the last two posts. This is due to my interaction with Mandy. Mandy and I met and started brainstorming on learning more about the chemistry in a given product. She is aware of the reason why she incorporates a given ingredient into her product. And that seem to hit home in my mind. I told her about this blog series. She was interested in explaining the back of her ingredient list. Yes.
Now, we can explore a skin care product and hear from the formulator why a given ingredient is incorporated into the formulation. Additionally, this will set the stage to continue to deconstruct other skin care products aside from Mandy's and have an idea as to the reason for the ingredient on the back of the product. That is the plan.
Conclusion...
I will choose a product off of her site and write about the ingredient list soon. I will ask her questions in the form of an interview and write about the answers. Stay tuned and get ready to get the "low down" on the wonderful products at XOM3. Have a great day!!!
