Answer 1:
These are the ingredients that are most often
used in lip gloss or chap sticks:
Ingredients: Lanolin Oil, Hydroylated Lanolin,
Polybutene, Microcrystalline Wax, Ethylhexyl
Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Ceresin, Isopropyl
Lanolate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sesamum
Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Allantoin, Tocopherol,
Ascorbyl Palmitate, Propylparaben, Fragrance.
May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides,
Mica, Carmine, Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 21, Red
27 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Red 33 Lake, Red 36, Orange
5, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake.
What it means is that lipsticks are made of a
solid waxy material (it has to spread
easily but stay solid in the tube) like Lanolin
Oil, Hydroylated Lanolin, Polybutene,
Microcrystalline Wax
different pigments ( for color) like
Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica, Carmine, Red
6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 21, Red 27 Lake, Red 30
Lake, Red 33 Lake, Red 36, Orange 5, Yellow 5
Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake and
esters or fatty acids (myristates) to
give it a stickiness, for example Ethylhexyl
Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Ceresin, Isopropyl
Lanolate Wheat Germ Triglycerides, Aloe Extract,
Soyabean OilMost often the companies add a
fragrance for better smell.
How does lip gloss work?
Lips chap when they get too dry. Dry air for
example can pull moisture out of the top layer of
the epidermis faster than it can diffuse in from
the underlying layers, causing it to dry out. This
is true all over the body in arid weather, however
thinner layers, especially on the lips, dry to the
point of becoming brittle and cracking open with
the slightest movement. So, the most important
consideration in treating chapped lips is keeping
the skin sufficiently hydrated. The best way to do
this is to apply a sealant to the skin which
prevents water from escaping. This works by simply
covering the lips with a material that is
impermeable to water. In all cases, this
impermeable material is some form of long-chain
hydrocarbons (or fatty acids); the differences in
length and saturation of the carbon chains
determining whether the balm is waxy or greasy.
In terms of actual molecular interactions,
about the only forces at play in lip balms are
Van Der Waal forces and hydrophobicity. Van
der Waal's force involves the attraction between
non-polar molecules due to transient polarization
of their electron clouds. This is the weakest of
molecular forces but is still sufficient to hold
the long-chain hydrocarbon molecules snugly
together so that water molecules have a hard time
getting through. The interactions between the
wax/grease molecules help to form a solid barrier
to water, but more importantly, water doesn't try
to cross the barrier because wax and oils are
hydrophobic, meaning they repel water.
A note about sunscreen: Because the
lips are highly sensitive to UV light it is a good
idea to protect them. Many lipsticks have
Titanium Dioxide or Zinc oxide as ingredient
which are also good sunscreens. But there are also
chemical ingredients as sunscreen that can be
added to the lipstick. Maybe you want to look at a
sun safety website for more info:
sunscreen
Here is a site on Cosmetic Chemistry if you are
interested to read more:
cosmetic chemistry
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