The beauty care industry claims its research and safety testing are rigidly regulated and very scientific. Claire O'Connellreports
Next time you reach for your moisturiser or shampoo, flip it over and scan the ingredients list. Does it inspire confidence or dread? Do you buy "the science bit" in ads? And how can we be sure that the potted miracles in our bathroom cabinets are safe?
The scientists insist that research and safety testing are top class in the beauty care industry, and that ever-tightening regulations on chemicals and advertising mean there are fewer places for rogues to hide.
"A huge amount of science goes into the assessment of new ingredients," says Dr Chris Gummer, who spent more than 20 years with Procter & Gamble and is now a consultant to the cosmetics industry.
"When you have got a billion dollar brand like Olay or Pantène you can't afford to play around with them because you don't want to tarnish the brand in any way. So the science that goes into them is very strong, with huge consumer testing to make sure they have got it right," he says.
It's there from the start, adds Gummer, with scientists screening candidate ingredients for safety on vast computer databases that can warn of potentially risky interactions.
"Molecular modelling is one of the most important things that has come along.
"It's a huge computer database of information on what happens when you make a change to a small molecule. You will throw away hundreds of ingredients because the computer says no, it's a powerful system."
When the computer says yes, the formulation can be road-tested.
And what better way than to try it out on banks of human skin? It may sound gruesome, but scientists at cosmetics giant L'Oréal grow reconstructed skin in the lab.
"It is identical to real skin, it can be grafted on to people with burns," says Dr Raniero De Stasio, scientific director for L'Oréal UK and Ireland. "It's very useful for us because it multiplies our ability to test by thousands or maybe millions of times."
Eventually the formulations are offered to consumer testers to see how many agree with the company's claims for their new product.
Advertising regulations mean manufacturers now have to display information about how many consumers they actually asked. It's a mark of a new transparency in cosmetics advertising that helps stop the consumer being led to believe a product does more than it can, says Gummer.
And regulators are being kept on their toes as the beauty care industry moves forward. One of the latest innovations takes technology to a tiny scale; L'Oréal already uses minute fat droplets called nanosomes to help deliver ingredients more efficiently into the skin than conventional carriers.
Concerns have been voiced over whether nanosomes could enter the bloodstream but Gummer and De Stasio point out that the tiny structures burst on contact with the skin, so there's little worry about them going places they shouldn't.
Another emerging field is "cosmeceuticals" or cosmetics engineered to deliver functional ingredients that improve health. This enters a regulatory grey area between cosmetics and medical directives, notes Gummer: if you say your product treats blemishes, it's a cosmetic, but mention acne and it's a medicine and subject to more stringent marketing regulations.
But while the scientists split (and then presumably repair) hairs, what are consumers to do? Most people don't have the expertise to decipher ingredients labels or weigh up the data on parabens, perfumes and petroleum derivatives.
It's difficult for consumers to make an informed purchase, and scaremongering reports in the media don't help, according to Gummer, who works with UK charity Sense About Science to promote a more balanced discussion of the cosmetics industry.
"One reason why labels are there and so complicated is for those people who have some degree of sensitisation and need to be able to identify a particular ingredient," he says. "But I think people have to go with the claims and be circumspect about them. Choose the one which gives you the most pleasure and the most effect you are happy with."
For an increasing number of women that means switching to an alternative such as mineral make-up, according to beauty therapist Yvonne Collins.
"Minerals are the buzzword at the moment in the cosmetics industry," she says. "You are dealing purely with minerals: magnesium, zinc, titanium dioxide, all crushed. Some of the products contain 24-carat gold. It's a skincare make-up."
As for the label lottery, Collins suggests keeping an eye out for good quality ingredients on the list. "It's nice to see magnesium in there, and to see essential oils."
But she believes women should seek more professional advice about their skin. "Buy your groceries from the supermarket and buy your skincare from a skin specialist who can advise you and prescribe for you what your skin actually needs, and who can monitor your skin as you are coming in for treatments."
•On Thursday Dr Chris Gummer and Dr Raniero De Stasio will attend a free, public discussion at 7-9pm at the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin, on the science of beauty. It will be hosted by broadcaster Karen Coleman and is organised by Women in Technology and Science (WITS) and Discover Science & Engineering.