The Science Behind our Claims

Regulations and the regulatory environment of the countries where beauty products are made have a major impact on the quality and safety of those products. Effective regulations that are strictly enforced help prevent the introduction of toxic contaminants and unsafe ingredients and also help ensure that ingredient labels are accurate.  Our products are manufactured in the United States and Canada, where regulations are much more strict and strictly enforced than in China and other countries where low-cost beauty products are often mass produced, which helps to ensure that our products are safe and of the highest quality.

Ingredients are the second half of the story. Ingredients like alcohol and mineral oil (the major components of low-cost, mass-produced beauty products) while not toxic or dangerous, have very limited efficacy and are much less nourishing and healthful to the skin than the natural ingredients we include in our products, such as Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter.

The following analysis breaks down both the regulations and the ingredients with the science – proving which products are truly best.

1. The Regulations

While most low-cost, mass produced beauty products are made in China and other parts of Asia, our beauty products are made in Canada and the United States, under a much stricter regulatory landscape.

A. China and Other Low-Cost Manufacturing Hubs

i. Regulatory Environment:

• The Framework (CSAR): In 2021, China implemented the Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR). This law is strict on paper, requiring safety assessments, efficacy claims substantiation, and registration for "special" cosmetics (e.g., hair dyes, whitening products).
• The "Low-Cost" Reality: Despite CSAR, a significant gap exists between compliant domestic products and low-cost goods manufactured specifically for export or the "gray market." Small-scale factories may bypass strict controls to reduce costs.
• Export Loopholes: Many low-cost products enter Western markets via direct-to-consumer shipping (e.g., small parcels) which often evade rigorous customs inspections applied to bulk commercial shipments.

ii. Effect on Health and Safety:

• Contamination: Low-cost facilities often lack "Good Manufacturing Practices" (GMP), leading to bacterial contamination or mold in creams and liquids.
• Toxic Ingredients: To cut costs, manufacturers may use lower-grade raw materials. This results in frequent findings of heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic) in cheap makeup and asbestos in talc-based products (like eyeshadow or baby powder).
• Prohibited Substances: Products may contain undisclosed steroids, antibiotics, or banned colorants to achieve quick visual results (e.g., skin whitening) at the expense of long-term organ damage.

B. United States

i. Regulatory Environment:

• Historical Context: Historically, the FDA had limited authority, banning only ~11 specific ingredients (compared to hundreds in Canada/EU).
• Modernization (MoCRA): The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) significantly expanded FDA power. It now requires facility registration, product listing, and safety substantiation. Crucially, it gave the FDA mandatory recall authority for the first time.
• Approach: The US focuses on "safety substantiation" (the manufacturer must prove safety) rather than a pre-defined list of banned chemicals.

ii. Effect on Health and Safety:

• Post-Market Surveillance: Safety issues are often identified after consumers report adverse events.
• Ingredient Exposure: Consumers may be exposed to ingredients (like formaldehyde releasers or certain parabens) that are restricted elsewhere but allowed in the US if "safe under conditions of use."

C. Canada

i. Regulatory Environment:

• The "Hotlist": Health Canada maintains the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, a robust administrative list of hundreds of prohibited or restricted substances. This is generally stricter than the US prohibited list.
• Notification System: Manufacturers must submit a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) within 10 days of first sale, detailing ingredients and concentrations.
• Heavy Metal Limits: Canada has strict, specific guidance on impurity limits for heavy metals in cosmetics.

ii. Effect on Health and Safety:

• Proactive Restriction: The Hotlist prevents many known carcinogens and sensitizers from entering the legal market.
• Stricter Labeling: Canadian regulations require precise ingredient labeling, reducing the risk of allergic reactions from hidden components.

So, when we say words like "quality" or "safe" to describe our products, it is not marketing fluff. It is reality, unlike many other products.

2. The Ingredients

The second half of this story is about "Villains" (the mass-market fillers of generic skincare products) and "Heroes" (the biomimetic actives of our high-quality, natural products).

We have conducted extensive scientific research to ensure that our products fulfill the promise of quality and efficacy and that they are truly superior to mass-market products, usually made in China under questionable regulatory and quality-control regimes.

Following is a precise scientific explanation as to why the main ingredients of the “Villains” (Mineral Oil and Alcohol) are considered suboptimal for premium skincare, despite their ubiquity, and why the “Heroes” of our products can truly rescue your skincare routine.

The typical ingredient lists of drugstore lotions are heavy on:

• Generic Base: Water, Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol.
• Best Care Goal: To replace the "Mineral Oil" slot with "Jojoba/Shea" and remove the "Propylene Glycol/Alcohol" triggers.

1. The Villains:  Mass-market fillers (mineral oil and alcohol)

A. Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum): The Occlusive Illusion

Mineral oil is frequently demonized in "clean beauty" marketing with hyperbolic claims about toxicity.  We must strip away the hype and focus on the facts.

i. Origin and Chemistry

Mineral oil is a colorless, odorless mixture of higher-alkane hydrocarbons derived from a mineral source, specifically a distillate of petroleum. It is a byproduct of the process used to produce gasoline and other petroleum products. It is crucial to note that cosmetic-grade mineral oil is highly refined and purified, removing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are carcinogenic in untreated crude oil. Therefore it is inaccurate to say these ingredients cause cancer or are toxic.  However, it is accurate to say they are suboptimal for skincare.

ii. Functional Mechanism: The "Plastic Wrap" Effect

The primary critique of mineral oil is how it works in skin care products. Mineral oil functions almost exclusively as an occlusive agent, meaning it simply covers the skin and prevents evaporation of the skin’s natural moisture

Its molecular structure consists of large hydrocarbon chains that are too physically vast to penetrate the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis).  Instead, it sits on the surface of the skin, forming a hydrophobic film.

This film is effective at preventing Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) by physically blocking the evaporation of water. However, this is a passive form of hydration. It traps existing moisture but does not contribute any nutritional value to the skin matrix. It contains no fatty acids, no vitamins, and no antioxidants. It is biologically inert and does not repair the lipid barrier or provide the building blocks (like ceramides or phytosterols) necessary for long-term skin health.

iii. The "Cheap" Factor

From a manufacturing standpoint, mineral oil is favored because it is an inexpensive commodity chemical. It has an indefinite shelf life and does not go rancid (oxidize) like plant oils. By using mineral oil, mass-market brands can produce huge volumes of lotion at a fraction of the cost of using cold-pressed botanical oils. The consumer is paying for a cheap industrial byproduct rather than a formulation designed for skin health.

B. Denatured Alcohol (Alcohol Denat.): The Barrier Disruptor

The second "Villain" is Alcohol, specifically simple alcohols like Ethanol, SD Alcohol, or Alcohol Denat. These are distinct from "fatty alcohols" (like Cetyl or Cetearyl Alcohol), which are actually moisturizing emollients often found in good creams.

i. Mechanism of Dehydration

Manufacturers add high concentrations of ethanol to lotions to create a cosmetically elegant texture. Ethanol is a volatile solvent that evaporates rapidly upon application, giving the product a "light," non-greasy feel and a quick dry-down time. It also acts as a penetration enhancer, temporarily disrupting the skin barrier to allow other ingredients to pass through.

However, this mechanism comes at a high biological cost. Research indicates that ethanol acts by extracting the intercellular lipids—the ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids that hold skin cells together like mortar in a brick wall.  By stripping these lipids, the alcohol compromises the integrity of the stratum corneum.

ii. The Cycle of Dependence

The immediate effect of an alcohol-heavy lotion is a feeling of absorption (due to evaporation) and non-greasiness. However, because the barrier has been stripped, the skin loses its intrinsic ability to retain water, leading to a rebound effect of dryness. This creates a cycle where the consumer feels the need to re-apply the lotion frequently.

For a hand cream, which is used on skin already stressed by frequent washing and sanitizing, the presence of simple alcohols is particularly detrimental. It exacerbates the "ashy" or cracked appearance people are trying to avoid.

2. Scientific Validation: The "Hero" Ingredients

Best Care Beauty by Lisa’s products rely on the superior efficacy of Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter. The research supports the classification of these ingredients as "functional" and "biomimetic" rather than passive.

A. Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis): The Biomimetic Gold Standard

Jojoba is unique in the botanical world, and understanding its chemistry is key to understanding its benefits.

i. Liquid Wax Ester Chemistry

Technically, Jojoba "oil" is not an oil (triglyceride) at all; it is a liquid wax ester. It is composed of long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols joined by an ester bond. This distinction is critical because human sebum—the natural oil produced by our skin to protect itself—is comprised of approximately 25% wax esters.

Because of this structural homology, Jojoba is highly biomimetic. The skin recognizes it as compatible with its own lipid structure. This allows Jojoba to penetrate the follicular pathways and the stratum corneum more effectively than triglyceride oils, which may sit on the surface or clog pores.

ii. Sebum Regulation and Barrier Repair

Jojoba "balances" the skin’s natural oil and prevents the skin from becoming overly oily. Jojoba provides adequate surface lipids, signaling the sebaceous glands that the skin is sufficiently protected, potentially down-regulating the overproduction of sebum (oiliness).  A study by Jojoba Desert demonstrated a 23% reduction in sebum secretion after 28 days of use.

Furthermore, Jojoba has been shown to act as a penetration enhancer for other actives. A pilot study indicated that adding Jojoba to a retinol formula increased the penetration of the retinol into the skin layers by nearly 40-fold.  Thus, Jojoba is a "delivery system" and not just a surface grease.

B. Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii): The Nutritional Powerhouse

While Jojoba provides the biomimetic wax, Shea Butter provides the deep conditioning triglycerides and vitamins.

i. The Unsaponifiable Fraction

Most vegetable oils are composed almost entirely of saponifiable fats (fats that turn into soap when reacted with lye). Shea Butter is prized for having an exceptionally high percentage of unsaponifiables (up to 17%), which includes bioactive compounds like triterpenes, tocopherol (Vitamin E), phenols, and sterols.

ii. Clinical Efficacy

These bioactive compounds give Shea Butter significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Clinical studies have shown Shea Butter to be as effective as ceramide-precursor products in treating eczema and improving the skin's barrier function (reducing TEWL).

Unlike Mineral Oil, which is inert, Shea Butter actively "feeds" the skin with Vitamins A and E, supporting the skin's healing process and elasticity.  It is nutrient dense and health promoting.