Page 242 - Cosmetology
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As is true for any emollient, they can potentially clog pores, depending on the amount used in the product.
See fatty acid.
palmitic acid. Detergent cleansing agent that also creates foam and can be drying. See surfactant.
palmitoyl pentapeptide 3. Trade name Matrixyl. It is a fatty acid mixed with amino acids. The only research
showing this to have significance for skin was carried out by the ingredient manufacturer, Sederma. In their
research, three different "half-face" studies with a total of about 45 participants showed it to be better than a
retinol or vitamin C product. Without independent substantiation, however, there is no way to know how
accurate this company-funded research is. Further, according to Sederma's research, the recommended
concentration for this ingredient is 3% to 5% and there are few, if any, products using more then just a trace
amount in their products. See amino acid and fatty acid.
Panax schinseng. See ginseng.
Panax ginseng root extract. This root extract may have potent antioxidant properties (potentially anti-
cancer) and may promote wound healing. Whether or not it can have an impact on cellulite is unknown.
pansy extract. There is a small amount of research showing it to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
properties.
pantethine. Also known as pantothenic acid. See pantothenic acid.
panthenol. Alcohol form of vitamin B. See pantothenic acid.
pantothenic acid. Also called vitamin B5, and often touted as being effective for acne. However, there is
only one study supporting this notion and it dates from the early 1980s. There is no current research
showing this to be an effective treatment for acne, but there is a small amount of research showing that it
can be effective for hydration and wound healing.
papain. An enzyme extracted from papaya. Applied topically, papain can cause severe irritation, itching, and
allergic reactions. There is one study showing it to be effective for exfoliation, but only in pure concentration.
Papaver somniferum seed. Latin name for the opium poppy seed. See opium poppy seed.
papaya extract. Source of papain that theoretically can have exfoliating properties on skin, though almost
none of the research has been performed on skin. Papaya can be a skin irritant. See enzymes.
para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Sunscreen ingredient rarely used since the 1990s because of strong
potential for allergic reactions.
parabens. Group of preservatives, including butylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and
ethylparaben. They are the most widely used group of preservatives found in cosmetics. It is estimated that
more than 90% of all cosmetic products contain some form of paraben. They are considered to cause less
irritation than some preservatives. There is research showing that in animal models (and in vitro) parabens
can have weak estrogenic activity. Whether that poses any health risk for humans using cosmetics is
unknown. The very technical findings of the study, which involved both oral administration and injection into
rat skin, did show evidence of a weak estrogen effect on cells in a way that could be problematic for binding
to receptor sites that may cause proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The study concluded that “future
work will need to address the extent to which parabens can accumulate in hormonally sensitive tissues and
also the extent to which their weak oestrogenic activity can add to the more general environmental
oestrogen problem.”
Does this mean you should stop buying products that contain parabens? That’s a good question, but the
answer isn’t simple or conclusive, even by the standards of the study itself. This is a potentially serious issue
and the FDA is conducting its own research to determine what this means for human health. To keep the
concern in perspective, it is important to realize that parabens are hardly the only substances that may have
estrogenic effects on the body.
Any estrogen, including the estrogen our bodies produce, may bind to receptor sites on cells either strongly
or weakly. Either this can stimulate the receptor to imitate the effect of our own estrogen in a positive way, or
it can generate an abnormal estrogen response. Ironically, plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens (such as