Interesting Facts

Shock horror!  According to research published in the Journal of Global Fashion and Marketing, 82% of claims made in adverts for cosmetics are bogus. (Researchers found that only 18% of all claims made in commercials for cosmetics prove to be true.  They classified each claim as vague/ambiguous, an omission, an outright lie, or as acceptable. Every category of beauty products was looked at, including makeup, skincare, body and bath products, fragrance, along with hair, and nail care. Claims like:- "award-winning product" "clinically proven" "your skin feels softer" "your face looks younger" "dermatologists recommend this" "all you need for a day of confidence" and even:- “no testing on animals” Just to prove you can't believe them, here is a famous advert which definitely deserves a #fail:- What were they thinking?)

Researchers at Proctor and Gamble have discovered that water piping made of copper, may be the cause of bad hair days. (Washing your hair with water containing the metal can lead to split ends and unmanageable hair. The metal gradually builds up in in the outer layers of the hair, helping to speed up damage caused by sunlight, causing split ends, fly-away strands and less shine. The effect is even more pronounced in those who use hair dye. The research, published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, says that treating hair with chemicals more commonly used in washing powder, known as chelants, could reduce the action of the copper. I really can't imagine washing my hair in Daz, so maybe the answer is to wash your hair less, and let it grow naturally grey.)

In 2011 43,069 cosmetic operations took place in Britain. (A 6% increase on 2010 figures of 38,274. I cannot even imagine going under the knife willingly, never mind actually paying for the privilege for cosmetic surgery with all the risks that carries.  How could anyone trust a medical professional who is willing to slice people open to give them bigger boobs?)

Botox (botulinum toxin) is a lethal naturally occurring substance, produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is considered the most powerful neurotoxin ever discovered, but nowadays it is used for a number of cosmetic and medical procedures. (Botulinum toxin causes Botulism poisoning, a serious and life-threatening illness in humans and animals, but in the late 1960s Alan Scott, M.D., a San Francisco ophthalmologist, and Edward Schantz were the first to work on a standardized botulinum toxin preparation for therapeutic purposes and, in 1980, Scott officially used BTX-A for the first time in humans to treat strabismus "crossed eyes". But Botox aka BTX-A is also used as a cosmetic treatment to reduce wrinkles, this was originally documented by a plastic surgeon from Sacramento, California, Dr. Richard Clark, and published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1989. BTX-A is also used as a treatment for excessive underarm sweating, and many actors...

According to the Office of National Statistics, the weekly spend on pets in the UK ranks 37th, ahead of cosmetics, cakes and holidays in the UK. (Fifty years before, in 1957, it ranked 49th. Of course my guys take this as a matter of course.)

The Body Shop is banned from China where cosmetics have to be tested on animals, says Dame Anita Roddick. (Just goes to show the difference in cultural attitudes towards our furry and feathery friends.)