Just What is Sodium Borate, Anyway?
I want to reduce the amount of strange chemicals in my life. So many products have oddly named ingredients, most of which I can't even pronounce, much less identify. So I'm going to go through products I use and see if I need to find some alternatives to them or if they're natural enough to stay on my shelf.Granted, Pond's Cold Cream has been around for a very long time, and tons of people swear by it. However, that doesn't always mean something hasn't got weird chemicals in it. Plus, you never know what has changed in the recipe over the years. Since my skin adores the stuff, and since it's going on my face, I especially want to know how toxic it is.
The ingredients are mostly simple, which was one reason why I opted for the original Pond's in the first place rather than another cold cream. The first three are mineral oil, water, and beeswax. So far, so good! The next one is something called ceresin. Hmm, let's find out what that is...
Ceresin is "a white wax extracted from ozokerite" according to an online dictionary. NIH lists ozokerite under ceresin as well. So what the heck is ozokerite? Ozokerite is apparently a naturally occurring mineral wax. It's refined with sulfuric acid and charcoal. Since it's not like the sulfuric acid is in the cold cream, this is fine by me.
Moving on to the next ingredient, which is Sodium Borate. This is one that kind of concerned me but I'm glad to report it's nothing to really be worried about. It's a mineral, which is unlikely to be hazardous and its LD50 score is 2.66g/kg which is less than caffeine (LD50 score of 0.192g/kg). That means you'd need more sodium borate to kill 50% of lab rats than you would need caffeine. So I think that it's pretty safe to say that this ingredient doesn't bother me.
After the sodium borate, there's fragrance, which leaves a bit of mystery. There's no way of pinning down just what kind of stuff is used to make the scent. The cream doesn't smell very strongly, though, and it has a honeyed kind of beeswax scent. Since the odor is low and beeswax is one of the main ingredients, I'm not very worried about it. All that leaves is carbomer.
- Is there anything in my cold cream that's toxic?
- What are the ingredients actually made from?
- How many chemicals am I putting on my face?
Comments
AnneyAnn
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/22/2009
Okay, so It deleted most of my post... anyways, after getting out of the shower one day... All I had was my Vaseline. I like to use a lot of my lotion while my body is still soft, and moist from the water, to lock in the moisture, so I left my face dripping with water and went ahead and used the Vaseline on my face (avoiding my eye area). I let my face air dry a little, and then patted it dry afterward. The Vaseline went on my face a LOT easier when it was wet; it didn't feel sticky in the least bit, and it was easier to rub in. The effects of using Vaseline as my facial and neck moisturizer when out of the shower have been PHENOMENAL. My acne is cleared, completely, and my skin is more supple and soft (even in the currently cold Kansas weather) then it ever has been! The Vaseline acted as a barrier to lock in the NATURAL moisture of the water I already had on my face! Acne, gone! Smooth skin, Hello! I completely recommend using Vaseline on the face. And Like you sad, there is no SOLID
AnneyAnn
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/22/2009
I have severe allergic reactions to any lotion, face wash, or makeup that has fragrance added. I will develop a weird rash around my nose, chin, and sometimes forehead when I use any of those products with any kind of scent added. Also, I am allergic to "soap" as well, but that is another story... anyways, I recently bought some "beauty lotion," I guess you could call it, for one's face. I will not mention the brand, but the lotion smelled sweet, but not overbearing when I sniffed it. Fragrance is usually one of the last ingredients listed, and therefore one of the least used ingredients (smaller quantity or percent compared to others) Well, after using it for about a week, the skin around my nose became irritated and my acne flared up, again! I am 19 years old, and Have never had a problem with acne before, because I use mostly mineral makeup, and soap free facial cleansers. I found this recipe for the ultimate skin lotion that combines different portions of Vaseline, vitamin E cream,
Again, give me some ACTUAL SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. You know what else is a petroleum product? Vaseline aka petroleum jelly. Also, mineral oil can be taken internally. I have found nothing scientific stating that it has any harmful effects. So, again, if anyone would like to link me to some studies or any kind of FACTUAL non-anecdotal evidence I would be very appreciative. There's a reason why everything I mentioned in the article had sources and links to scientific information.
for serious
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/18/2009
mineral oil is a by product of the petroleum industry. its created in large quantities and sold at low prices to get rid of how much the petroleum industry makes. would you put gasoline anywhere on your body? no? then don't put mineral oil on your body. its cosmetics companies being too cheap to buy or produce veg oils that are much better for your skin!
Lots of things can cause break outs for some and not for others. I would honestly really like some kind of info to back up the idea that mineral oil is a bad idea because I have been able to find no real evidence. If anyone has any I would really like to look into further and learn more.
natural is best
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/08/2009
its true, mineral oil is NOT good for your skin! it can cause break outs.
best to use virgin coconut oil as moisturizer. its very light, non clogging and actually heals and protects your skin
Do you have any sources to back that up? I'd be interested in investigating it more. All I can find are mentions of industrial mineral oil being bad and that mineral oil can become contaminated with cancer causing agents, but that the oil itself is fine.
Zoe
(Guest)
(Guest)
04/02/2009
Mineral oil shouldn't be fine by you - it's carcinogenic. Another name for it is paraffinum liquidum. Don't be fooled by the word 'mineral'.
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