#ph matchmaker

[ghaileeexx]

[discordbeauty-blog]

Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker Bullshit!

Oh this isn't a rant. This is a debunking. I'm still in intro chem, so I don't usually pretend I have much authority when it comes to ingredient lists, but I saw this in Target the other day and it simultaneously pissed me off and made me laugh; I knew I had to write something up about it. So here we go.

If you've taken a science class above the 4th grade level, you probably have a vague idea of what "pH" means, which is more than enough to know how fucking stupid this line of makeup is. I mean, I've seen some bad and lazy marketing before but this really takes the cake. From PF's website:

Introducing the first ever pH powered makeup that adapts to the pH of your skin and your lighting environment to create the perfect shade for you in less than 60 seconds.

Makeup Powered by You!

pH Power Complex transforms into your perfectly personalized hue:

Fluorescein Based Dye – senses the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect shade.

Photochromic Powders – light adjusting pigments adapt to your environment so color looks the same indoors and outside.

Look Your Best in Every Light!

LED-powered packaging lights up for touch-ups anywhere and everywhere!

Ok. So let's just start at the beginning. It adapts to the pH of your skin. pH, in simple terms for those of you who never did take any advanced science, is how acidic or basic something is. The scale goes from 1 to 14, which 7 being neutral (pure water). If the number is lower than 7, it's acidic- think lemon juice, vinegar, etc. If it's higher, it's basic- ammonia, lye, etc. Generally you do not want to put anything basic on your skin or hair, because your skin is naturally more acidic, and highly basic stuff will usually give you a nasty chemical burn. It has nothing to do with light, by the way, so I'm not sure why they're claiming it does.

Going on. I googled fluorescein. To my great surprise, it actually is a real thing. To my horror, it is not something you ever want on or near your face.

"Topical, oral, and intravenous use of fluorescein can cause adverse reactions, including nausea, vomiting, hives, acute hypotension, anaphylaxis and related anaphylactoid reaction, causing cardiac arrest and sudden death due to anaphylactic shock.

The most common adverse reaction is nausea, due to a difference in the pH from the body and the pH of the sodium fluorescein dye" [from the Wiki page]

Why?!?! Why in the goddamn world would you EVER put that in cosmetics?! It does the exact opposite of what your product claims to accomplish! A quick check through the derivatives of fluorescein revealed, as far as I can tell, that none of them are used in cosmetics, or approved for any such use. 

The "photochromic pigments" are also BS. Photochromic means it changes color, but usually in the context of Transitions lenses (the glasses/sunglasses) and children's toys. If they are used in cosmetics, it is for eyeshadows and not skin products. 

So remember, kids, fluorescein is really not something you want to go willy-nilly applying to your face, nothing about the pH of your skin is going to help a color-changing lip gloss magically know what color to turn to complement your skin, and if it sounds too gimmicky to be true, it almost certainly is. 

[camewiththeframe]

I was seduced by CVS' display for Physician Formula's new "pH Matchmaker" line...

So I bought the lip gloss (in light pink) and blush in "natural." In theory, it's supposed to become the "perfect" shade for your skin by adjusting to your skin's pH level and the light in the room. it's basically like Smashbox's line with gojiberry that came out a few year's back. Haven't tried the blush yet, but the lipgloss seems to do what all the self-adjusting lips-glosses do--turn bright pink. I was hoping for a nice light pink-nude or rose, but no, apparently by skin's pH is like Grandma's lipstick fuchsia. Ick.