Hands up if you have a packet of make-up wipes in your bathroom??
Be honest.
This is a safe space and I promise I wont name and shame you ;)
It's time to take a closer look at what is really happening inside that seemingly innocent packet of convenience.
Environmental hazard aside (well.... until further down in this email), make-up wipes are filled with bacteria annihilating preservatives and unsavoury ingredients that don't belong in your bathroom let alone on your skin.
Yes, Preservatives.
Great for stopping the growth of mould in the packet, that would spread like wildfire given we can put dirty fingers straight in every time we pull out a tissue.
BUT such a highly concentrated cocktail of preservatives are like kryptonite to our skins delicate microbiome, the invisible protective shield that covers the entire surface of our skin and bodies.
This microbiome is vital to healthy skin.
Remove this and we open our skin up to all kinds of pathogens and harmful things that would normally be neutralised by our microbiome.
Next there's the perfumes and fragrance that make us think it's fresh and clean but these ingredients are the culprits for skin and mucous membrane irritation (our eyes, nose and mouth are lined with these membranes)
Ever notice how quickly they dissolve make up? Mmmm magic right?
This is because they contain emulsifiers that liquefy make-up. But what these binding agents do is break down the glue that holds all of our skin cells together, weakening our skins structure.
Breaks down make-up but also breaks down our skin. Hmmmm.
And if we are honest, the times we use a make up wipe, we either fall straight into bed (hello too many vino's) or tiredly whack our skin care, serums and moisturisers straight over the top, thinking we're applying to clean skin.
But what we've done is allowed these very (very) skin unfriendly ingredients to sit on our skin and go to town breaking down our skins barrier as we sleep (insert cringey emoji face).
And no, I still don't approve of make up wipes even if you wash your face after!
They are a solid, uncompromising NO from me!
Now you might not see the skin aftermath of makeup wipes instantly.
Most healthy humans can maintain a level of robustness where our skin will cope as best it can, despite being impaired on a daily basis.
But over time, the invisible inflammatory response that happens each time we use these ingredients is compounding.
Redness, irritation, dryness, acne and a whole host of other skin issues can be linked back to make up wipes.
I see it often in clinic.
Once I piece together the skin jigsaw puzzle, bingo! The make up wipes are regularly the culprit.
Now let's talk about the environment.
Perhaps you're still not convinced that make-up wipes are all that bad.
Perhaps thinking about the environment will tug the heartstrings.
Not only are the ingredients in these wipes harmful to our skin, they are also harmful to our earth.
Wether you flush these down the loo (shame on you!) or you toss them in the trash, out of sight, out of mind, these ingredients end up in our soil, in our waterways and impact the delicate eco system for both plant and animal life.
Then theres the 'fabric' of the wipe itself.
Many contain plastic micro fibres (they don't list that on the ingredients list, only the ingredients they're soaked in)
These take years to break down.
Think about how many wipes are out there.
If you use 1-2 per day, that's between 365-700 per year! And that;s just you!
Imagine your neighbours, sisters, girlfriends, cousins, mother group, work colleagues, every woman you know doing this on a daily basis?
There's thousands upon THOUSANDS of these going into landfill.
"So Robyn", I hear you ask, "What am I allowed to use if you wont allow me to use make-up wipes"
I'm so glad you asked ;)
Firstly, may I remind you that once upon a time we all survived cleansing and removing our make-up, long before make-up wipes were invented.
We could simply return back to that. How retro of us ;)
A good cleanser will remove make-up without the need for a cloth, just massage thoroughly with your fingers and rinse your skin.
This is my preferred way to cleanse.
A soft, clean washcloth or microfibre cloth is also a great option, though I find it a little tedious having to launder the cloths every day as they can carry bacteria in a warm wet bathroom environment.
I do love my dermaviduals Essential Cleansing Cloth.
It's like a chamois for your skin. Endlessly re-useable and so skin friendly it's not funny.
It feels super smooth and is incredibly gentle on all skin types yet robust enough to remove even the heaviest of make-up applications.
It also dries out fully between uses, making it near impossible to grow bacteria, just throw it in the laundry once per week to keep it fresh :) (you can pick one up at your next appointment!)
However, you like to cleanse your skin and remove your make-up, I simply ask that you take the make-up wipes out of the equation.
Your skin, the environment and I will personally thank you for making the switch!
Love Robyn xxx
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