Products This Beauty Science Chemist Won’t Use

Dr. Michelle Wong—chemist, science educator, and cosmetician—explains the science:

Saving face?

There are some things that Dr. Wong won’t use for reasons of their chemical properties and potential dangers, including:

• Soap-based cleansers: these are typically harsh on skin barrier due to their high pH and narrow surfactant structure; better to use lower-pH, gentle cleansers.
• Dip nail kits: these have higher allergy and respiratory risk due to volatile cyanoacrylates; a better option is acrylics done professionally, or just normal (not gel) nail polish.
• Burst gel removers: often contain dichloromethane, a toxic paint-stripper solvent; if you must have gel nails, she advises to stick with acetone soaks, but better is to simply not have gel nails.
• Lash serums with prostaglandin analogues: work well but can cause fat loss around eyes, as well as irritation. Bothersomely, some brands may sneak them in unlisted. A safer alternative is peptide-based serums, though they are less effective.

There are others that she won’t use for lack of certainty; for example she advises to avoid online shopping from Temu/AliExpress/Shein, due to poor regulation and inaccurate labels. Such products often contain unsafe or hidden ingredients, so she recommends we avoid super cheap or “too good to be true” skincare and makeup from unverified sellers.

Other things she mentions in the video have nothing to do with her being a chemist, and/or are personal to her. For example, tinted sunscreen with the wrong skintone, and that she dislikes mascara for sensory reasons. Lastly, she criticizes the bad packaging of a lot of products, but this isn’t really within the realm of chemistry or health, just convenience and economy.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!