50 Fun Facts About Skincare

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. Roughly what share of body mass does it make up?

An average adult's skin covers 1.5 to 2 square metres.

What are the three primary layers of the skin, from outside in?

The hypodermis is more commonly called the subcutaneous layer.

Which of these does the epidermis lack entirely?

Its deepest cells are fed almost entirely by oxygen diffusing from the surrounding air.

Which cells produce the pigment melanin?

A single square inch of skin holds around 60,000 of them.

Melanin is made through a process that begins with the oxidation of which amino acid?

Eumelanin gives brown-black tones and pheomelanin the red-yellow ones.

Which type of melanin is responsible for the red or yellow tint of some hair and skin?

Human epidermis is roughly 74% eumelanin and 26% pheomelanin regardless of skin tone.

Sebaceous glands secrete an oily substance called what?

They open into hair follicles and are absent only from the palms and soles.

On which two parts of the body are there no sebaceous glands?

They are most numerous on the face and scalp.

Which bacterium's overgrowth is a common factor in acne?

Formerly called Propionibacterium acnes, it lives on everyone's skin.

What is the medical term for a clogged hair follicle, seen as a blackhead or whitehead?

Neither cleanliness nor sunlight exposure is associated with acne, and the role of diet is unclear.

Which oral medication is described as the most effective for severe acne?

Doctors reserve it for severe cases because of its side effects.

Salicylic acid, a common acne and exfoliating ingredient, takes its name from which tree?

It is also the precursor to and metabolite of aspirin.

Niacinamide, used in serums for redness and dark spots, is a form of which nutrient?

Unlike its cousin niacin, it does not cause skin flushing.

Retinol, the anti-wrinkle ingredient, is a form of which nutrient?

It was discovered in 1909, isolated in 1931 and first synthesised in 1947.

Hyaluronic acid, the moisturising star ingredient, is what kind of molecule?

It combines with water to form a gel, which is why it is also used as a dermal filler lasting six to twelve months.

Collagen, the skin's main structural protein, takes its name from the Greek word for what?

It makes up 25 to 35 percent of the protein in mammals, and vitamin C is essential for making it.

How many types of human collagen had been identified as of 2011?

Over 90 percent of it is Type I and Type III, and every type contains at least one triple helix.

Lack of which nutrient, vital for collagen synthesis, causes scurvy?

Collagen is also the source of gelatin used in food.

Who introduced the SPF (sun protection factor) rating in 1974?

The Austrian chemist's earlier Gletscher Crème of 1946, the basis of Piz Buin, is estimated to have had an SPF of 2.

An SPF 15 sunscreen, properly applied, lets what fraction of burning radiation reach the skin?

Proper application means 2 milligrams per square centimetre, far more than most people use.

Which two minerals are the active ingredients in 'physical' or mineral sunscreens?

As of 2021 they were the only two UV filters the FDA recognised as generally safe and effective.

Which company released its first sunscreen in 1936, formulated by chemist Eugène Schueller?

Schueller had founded the company in 1909 to sell a hair dye called l'Auréale.

Red Vet Pet, the wartime sun protectant developed in 1944, was commercialised as which brand?

The name stood for Red Veterinary Petrolatum.

How often do sunscreen labels typically say to reapply?

A higher SPF does not last any longer on the skin than a lower one.

What is the maximum SPF that can appear on a sunscreen label in the European Union?

The cap was initially set at 30 before being quickly revised.

Water-resistant sunscreens were introduced in which year?

Recent development has focused on broader UVA and UVB coverage.

The invention of cold cream is credited to which second-century physician?

His recipe used rose water, beeswax and almond or olive oil.

Nivea takes its name from a Latin word meaning what?

The signature creme launched in 1911, and the famous blue tin arrived in 1925.

Nivea is owned by which Hamburg-based company, which also makes Eucerin?

The company's Eucerit emulsifier, patented in 1900, made the cream possible.

Vaseline was created by Robert Chesebrough from a residue scraped off oil-rig pumps known as what?

He found it in the Titusville, Pennsylvania oil fields in 1859 and patented Vaseline in 1872.

The name Vaseline is said to combine the German word for water with the Greek word for what?

Wasser plus elaion; the brand is now owned by Unilever.

Which is the world's largest cosmetics company as of 2024?

It owns 36 brands, and Nestlé has held a stake since 1974 at the request of Liliane Bettencourt.

Estée Lauder launched Clinique in 1968 as the world's first line of what kind?

It grew out of a Vogue article, 'Can Great Skin Be Created?', and launched at Saks with 117 products.

Estée Lauder's company began in 1946 with how many products?

Cleansing Oil, Skin Lotion, Super Rich All-purpose Creme and Creme Pack; Saks Fifth Avenue signed on two years later.

Which skincare brand began in South Africa in 1952 as a spin on 'lanolin' and was Oil of Ulay in the UK?

Chemist Graham Wulff coined the name as a spin on lanolin, a key ingredient; the UK knew it as Oil of Ulay.

Which pharmaceutical giant bought Neutrogena in 1994 for $924 million?

The company started in 1930 as a cosmetics firm called Natone.

Neutrogena's original mild clear soap came from a formula patented by a chemist from which country?

Emanuel Stolaroff met Edmond Fromont in 1954 and acquired the US rights.

CeraVe products are marketed chiefly for containing which skin-barrier lipids?

L'Oréal bought the brand in 2017, and influencer Hyram Yarbro's 2020 videos reportedly lifted sales 89%.

Which social-media skincare influencer's 2020 videos generated $3.2 million in media value for CeraVe?

The brand had been founded in 2005 under Valeant, now Bausch Health.

Elizabeth Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham, opened salons known for what signature feature?

They were originally called Salon d'Oro; France awarded her the Légion d'Honneur in 1962.

Elizabeth Arden's stable Maine Chance Farm won which race in 1947 with Jet Pilot?

The farm was named for her spa.

Helena Rubinstein launched her cosmetics empire with a face cream sold in which country?

Born in Kraków, she worked as a waitress in Melbourne before an admirer funded Crème Valaze.

The toxin in Botox, considered the deadliest natural substance known, is produced by which bacterium?

It is considered the deadliest natural substance known, yet in tiny diluted doses it smooths frown lines for two to four months.

Cosmetic Botox injections into glabellar lines typically last how long?

Smoothing is usually visible three to five days after injection.

Which of these was a common but toxic skin whitener from the Renaissance onward?

Lead cosmetics caused blackened skin, weakened teeth and sometimes death.

What eye cosmetic did the ancient Egyptians famously use?

They also used castor oil as a protective balm.

According to Wikipedia, terms like 'cosmeceutical' and 'nutricosmetic' have what standing under US law?

Cosmetic products and ingredients do not require FDA approval before sale in the US.

A basic skin care routine, per Wikipedia, may consist of which steps?

Skin care sits at the interface of cosmetics and dermatology.

What is a physician who specialises in skin called?

Estheticians and nursing staff also work in skin care but are not physicians.

How many sweat glands does an average square inch of skin contain?

The same patch has 20 blood vessels and more than 1,000 nerve endings.