What Actually Slows Down Ageing?
What actually slows down ageing? The secrets and crazy claims of the beauty business. Revealing the dream regime that works, even for a bunch of builders.
And the pivotal moments when the beauty industry turned itself into a pseudo-science, and an eye-watering $130bn business.
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Transcript:
BBC voiceover:
BBC sounds music, radio, podcasts.
[Paging Dr Ades, paging Dr Ades]
Dr Veronica Ades:
Hello?
Tim Samuels:
Oh, hi, hi, hope I’m not disturbing you?
Dr Veronica Ades:
Uh, no, just, you know, in the middle of a C section but it’s all good.
Tim Samuels:
Yeah, yeah, yeah bigger fish to fry. I'm in the pharmacy. I don't really know what to buy in terms of moisturisers and stuff. I mean, they've got stuff here which has got acids in, there is stuff which claims to take wrinkles away.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Why is this so important?
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Dr. Veronica Adis, my obstetrician gynaecologist friend at the New York University School of Medicine, still seems to be taking my calls.
Tim Samuels:
Remember I told you I was seeing that girl and I thought it was going well and you know, could be the one.
Dr Veronica Ades:
yeah?
Tim Samuels:
It's kind of gone a bit pear shaped in as much as she's called it a day.
Dr Veronica Ades:
I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?
Tim Samuels:
Well, ironically, I think I managed to find a bigger commitment-phobe than myself. I guess the sad, tawdry reality is I need to go back on the dating scene and probably not look my age. So come on, you know your way around this stuff, what's what's your regime?
Dr Veronica Ades:
I think I'm fairly basic I put on a moisturiser with SPF in the morning and...you know...
Tim Samuels:
Does it have the Swiss Apple like the moisturiser I'm looking at now?
Dr Veronica Ades:
What is a Swiss Apple versus a regular apple?
Tim Samuels:
Neutral.
Tim Samuels:
Maybe it's coated in stolen gold, I don't know.
Dr Veronica Ades:
I feel like you should talk to a dermatologist.
Tim Samuels:
Yeah, look, I would have thought an obs and gynae would have been the perfect person.
Dr Veronica Ades:
You want to know about a vagina let me know but right now if you want to know about your face, I'd talk to a dermatologist. Well, I gotta control this bleeding so are we done here, or...?
[Musical Introduction]
BBC voiceover:
From the BBC this is All Hail Kale, a discerning yet loving look at all things wellness with Tim Samuels.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Skincare. Here's the plan. She delivers the baby and I'll cut through the marketing hype and crazy claims of the beauty business to definitively find out what we should all be slapping on our faces to stave off ageing and maybe even roll back the clock. What's a must? What's a total waste of money or even harmful? What's the foolproof way to age better than your friends while seeing who first whips out the white doctor's coat to turn beauty into a pseudoscience that's ballooned into an eye-watering hundred and thirty billion dollar business equivalent to the GDP of Angola. Well, this is the fifth richest country in Africa. We're basically spending a fortune in the blind hope that some of this stuff might work. And for some of us back on the market again, a more seeing hope is one luxury worth paying for.
Phone rings.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Before getting a high end dermatological consultation, I thought I'd call one of the most enduringly glamorous and wisest women I know. Joy Leslie Gibson. I caught her at home, finishing off her PhD for the Shakespeare Institute.
Tim Samuels:
Joy, I'm looking at the beauty industry, at skincare, what are your thoughts on it?
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Oh, absolute bollocks.
Tim Samuels:
Ok, that's fairly unequivocal.
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Yes. I’m rather forthright, as you’ve probably realised.
Tim Samuels:
Yes… In a nutshell, why is it total bollocks or for our non-British listeners total rubbish?
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Well, because there's no such thing as a cream that can do everything all you need to do is use a good cheap moisturiser on your face and eat a tomato every day.
Tim Samuels:
Because the tomato does what?
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Has lycopene in them.
Tim Samuels:
Ok…
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Which is one of the body builders of your skin.
Tim Samuels:
And this has been the regime which has made you so glamorous throughout your life to the point where Alfred Hitchcock tried it on with you.
Joy Leslie Gibson:
He said to me, “what did you say your name was?” and I said “Joy Leslie Gibson”. “You must have a Gibson cocktail.” That was his opening speech… People do say that I still have quite good skin.
Tim Samuels:
You do. I mean, I saw you quite recently and if I can reveal your age, at 91, pretty damn beautiful, I may say.
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Thank you. I mean I used to, at one time, write about beauty when I was a journalist and I couldn’t see any difference in the most expensive to the cheapest, they spend so much money on promotion that all goes on to the products.
Tim Samuels:
Okay, so it's down down to a bit of moisturiser and a tomato?
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Yes.
Tim Samuels
I fear if that secret gets out it could somewhat undermine the multibillion dollar beauty industry.
Joy Leslie Gibson:
Well, too bad, it might boost the tomato growers though.
ARCHIVE CLIP: Imagine the expertise, a panel of dermatologists evaluating your ageing skin concerns. That's what you get... with seven miracle ingredients make skin feel firmer and look younger each day. See the miracle for yourself.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Big tomato really needs to up its game.
ARCHIVE CLIP: With daily hydration, improves the appearance of skin quality, pores look virtually undetectable, tone appears more even.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Under a miracle-promising, pore-banishing barrage, us mere mortals are left floundering, in need of our own dermatological panel (ish).
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Okay, so I'm Anjali Mahto, I'm a consultant dermatologist. I've been a consultant now for five years. I am on the executive committee of the British cosmetic dermatology group, and I'm also an author of a book called ‘The Skin Care Bible’. So when we talk about ageing, we talk about extrinsic ageing and intrinsic ageing. So the extrinsic ageing factors are things that you can control and about 80% of ageing is thought to be due to extrinsic factors. So you're talking about ultraviolet radiation and lifestyle measures. And then the other 20% is your genetics. So if your mum aged well, your grandma aged well, chances are you're going to as well.
Tim Samuels:
Does it tend to go through the mother or father?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
No, the parents, generally speaking.
Tim Samuels:
Just generally parents. If your parents have aged well, good for you. Yeah, how are yours doing?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Pretty well actually. My mom looks pretty young for her age. And she's like seventy plus now and she's still got pretty good skin. So hopefully that's on my side.
Tim Samuels:
Okay, my dad's eighty-seven and still got his third wife so that's a good time. Yeah. So 80% is in our control, I thought the genetics was going to be higher and basically, in terms of the things which affect us are what… sort of sun, diet?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Yeah, that’s right. So the biggest thing really is ultraviolet radiation from the sun. UVA and UVB are the biggest factors implicated in extrinsic ageing. So what we're talking about there is fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, sagging of the skin, the common things that we associate with all the skin types. Then the other things make slightly less of a difference but they're equally as important. So smoking, alcohol intake, sleep quality, diet, they all have a role to play.
Tim Samuels:
And if you were to apportion up that 80% what percent would go to the sun stuff?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Oh, the absolute majority.
Tim Samuels:
Okay, entry level skincare. To delve a little deeper on the ethnic front. Apparently black skin affords natural sun protection of around SPF13. For white skin it's a meagre SPF of between 1 and 4 at the olive end of the spectrum. In gender news, men age better than women thanks to thicker skin, shaving and not having oestrogen drop off. And in the burning question of isn't it good to let a bit of sunshine laden with vitamin D hit your skin? Yeah, but it depends what type of skin and where you live.
Dr Anjali Mahto:
If you are in the middle of summer, particularly the kind of summer that we've had this year, and it's very hot, and you're very fair skinned, you're probably going to burn very, very quickly and the long term risks of repeated sunburn, so five or more sunburns before the age of 18 can double your lifetime risk of melanoma and that can kill you. So it is a careful balance of recognising how long can you spend out before your skin is going red or burning?
Tim Samuels:
Why does evolution buggar this up because, you know, we were designed as caveman and women to be outside most of the time you would have thought the body, you know, since we went all homoerectus two million years ago would have found a way to deal with the sun?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Well it's interesting actually because I mean if you look at rates of melanoma or skin cancer, you don't see much melanoma or skin cancer in Africa or certain Asian countries where the skin is darker versus people so I'm sure migration has a part to play in all of this as well.
Tim Samuels:
Do you not feel a bit let down by the body do you not think we should have dealt with the sun better?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
I think we do pretty well, actually, all things considered.
Tim Samuels:
You say that but you know, we're all sagging, we're all getting lines.
Dr Anjali Mahto:
People weren't living this long before, modern medicine has taken us to a place where we're living so much longer.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Given evolution's tardiness to deal with the cosmetic effects of migration, it's to man-made products we must turn, to max out that 80% of ageing that lies in our hands. With Anjali’s guidance, I've come armed with a sack full of products. Cleansers, moisturisers, serums, acids, retinoids, antioxidants, peptides, night creams, contenders, all vying to make it into our what-actually-works-regime.
Tim Samuels:
I've got an array of products here that you've sent me out for. We've got creams, lotions, all sorts of stuff. Just kind of broadly though, does price matter?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
No. So our product is going to be made up of the first three to five chemical names that you see on the back of the product. And often for a cheap product and an expensive one, the top three to five ingredients are going to be exactly the same.
Tim Samuels:
Same quality, same strength?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Yeah, same chemical compound.
Tim Samuels:
When these companies make claims, you know, they've run tests and 70% of people notice a difference and it’s dermatologically tested, does that really mean much?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
No. So dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic, natural, organic, they're all actually relatively marketing terms. There isn't very much science or legality behind what these terms actually mean. So it's there to kind of baffle you and impress you into buying the products.
Tim Samuels:
And do they essentially carry out the trials that they know are going to produce the results they want?
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Well, it's interesting because often the said trials involve very, very small numbers of people. So you know, they're not going to be valid. They're not going to be a good randomised controlled trial that has got some decent scientific evidence behind it. You also do need to be quite sceptical of any trial that is run by the company that is producing the product because that is not independent information that you're getting.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
It's almost as if anyone can carry out their own half-baked cosmetics trial. It’s as if you can say hey, who would it be surprising to road-test some beauty products on... hmm, maybe a bunch of builders and before you know it, you're at the easy mix concrete yard in Croydon, South London, trying to get some of the guys to lose their moisturising virginity. Only to then run into Sven, who spends his days driving a 38 tonne truck around building sites where he pumps out ready mix concrete.
Sven:
I just go around basically all day going to sites, variable sites, delivering concrete.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Sven also happens to be the most beautified builder in Britain.
Sven:
When you get up in the morning, brush your teeth, have a little shower, whack a bit of gel in your hair, spray yourself, cream your skin head to toe. Appearance is the first thing you see in a person so I think it’s important how you carry yourself out, the way you look, the way you smell.
Tim Samuels:
I mean you do smell quite fragrant, I have to say.
Sven:
Oh, well thank you very much Tim.
Tim Samuels:
What do you think he smells of?
Flo
Like the concrete.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Richmond dabbles with a little of the natural stuff.
Richmond:
Yeah, cocoa butter, cocoa butter, normally for black people’s skin. You know, black skin is very hard so you know, cocoa butter makes your skin very smooth and buttery.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Say what you like about Brexit but it's the Romanian amongst them, flow, who refuses to cede any sovereignty to metrosexuality.
Flo:
I'm a normal guy, you know?
Tim Samuels:
The beauty industry makes some big claims about looking younger, about stopping the ageing process. And you know, we thought you know, maybe we could test some of this out with you guys.
Sven:
Yeah, I'm down for that. Yeah, there's many products out there, many I haven't tried.
Tim Samuels:
I mean, are there any you haven't tried?
Sven:
I'm hoping if you show me some.
Tim Samuels:
Richmond, are you are you happy to road-test some beauty products?
Richmond:
Oh, yes, if you can get me to go back to being a young guy, an eighteen year old boy. That's what I'm looking for.
Sven:
To be eighteen again?
Richmond:
Yeah I would be eighteen again and I would start life afresh.
Tim Samuels:
Would you be okay trying some stuff out?
Flo:
Yeah, I can try.
Tim Samuels:
I'll get them out.
Sven:
What we got?
Tim Samuels:
Who needs the anti-wrinkle firming radiance?
Sven:
Oh, Richmond.
Richmond:
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me.
Tim Samuels:
Ok, so there's your garnier skin active ultra lift complete beauty with regenerative plant cell extracts. So which one of these do you want?
Sven:
The most expensive.
Tim Samuels:
Well it's a close call because that's thirty quid, that's the Vichy slow age which, uh, can you read this?
Sven:
Daily care, targeting developing signs of ageing.
Tim Samuels:
And it's got what on it?
Sven:
Antioxidants…
Tim Samuels:
And then this is for you… I mean you're losing your moisturising virginity with some quite posh stuff.
Tim Samuels:
Do you think these products work do you think there’s anything to them?
Sven:
I think they work, in my mind it tells me it does. And it's been tested so someone's got a job full time to test these things so they must work.
Richmond:
I want my colour to be more chocolate.
Tim Samuels:
You want you want it to lighten you?
Richmond:
Yeah, lighten, chocolate. I walk around and people say [makes wolf-whistle sound]
Sven:
Now he wants people to wolf-whistle at him!
Tim Samuels:
So You're a builder that wants to be wolf-whistled at?
Richmond:
Yes, why not!
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
I'll check in with the guys for signs of life-transforming beautification in a scientifically non-valid period of time but just before I leave them...
Tim Samuels:
I mean speaking of builders, you know, your faces get exposure when you're in the cabs as well the sunlight comes in but you know, traditionally I guess there's one bit of the builder which also gets a little exposure...
Sven:
Your driving arm?
Tim Samuels:
Hmm, a bit lower.
Sven:
He’s got a smooth bum already.
Tim Samuels:
well, I mean, but you know...
Richmond:
You see my bum, there's no wrinkles on my bum, my face has wrinkles on it…
Tim Samuels:
But on those occasions when you might flash the public a couple of inches of your posterior surely we want it to look as smooth and as healthy as possible?
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Down go three pairs of trousers, on go miracle firming masks and probiotic moisturisers and out comes a digital water oil monitor shaped like a perfectly pink dildo.
Tim Samuels:
okay, it's come up red, I'm afraid to say it’s 16.4% moist and 24.6% oil and it's come up as red. I’m afraid you have a dry bum.
Sven:
Let's put some cream on then Tim.
Tim Samuels:
Okay, so let's leave that for a bit.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
As luck would have it, the butt bacteria and advanced amino peptides happen to need the exact time it takes to see how beauty went from small town quackery to being a business the size of a South Central African nation.
ARCHIVE CLIP: Think how much dust and dirt settle on your skin and makeup clings to your skin too and clogs pores. That's why your face needs a thorough cleansing each day. And that's why cleansing tests were made by an independent testing laboratory. This same kind of dirt was made just radioactive enough to register on a Geiger counter.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Ingenious but perhaps turning your cold cream radioactive to show traces of dirt wasn't the greatest meeting of science and beauty, nor the most pivotal. That came towards the end of the 19th century.
Professor Jeff Jones:
People could hardly see themselves before the age of like electricity, right? From much of the day, people used candles, light was not very good, mirrors were not very good. By the late 19th century, you've had a big change in glass technologies so people can see themselves in mirrors. You have electricity spreading so people can see themselves at night when they come back from work. So a whole bunch of things are working together, I think, to really turn what had been like a handicraft into something we'd recognise now as like a modern industry. Professor Jeff Jones is the...
Professor Jeff Jones:
Isidor Straus Professor of Business History at the Harvard Business School.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
It didn't take long from Victorians looking in the mirror, saying, Oh my God, that's what I actually look like, to Edwardians getting in our brains whispering here's what could happen if only you look like this.
Professor Jeff Jones:
There was a copywriter for the ad agency, J. Walter Thompson, called Helen Lansdowne-Resore and she is amazingly influential. So actually before World War One, she's given the commission to boost the sales of a facial soap called ‘Woodberry’ which was developed by a dermatologist, it's all about cleanliness etc etc. What does she do? 1911, she launches a famous advertising slogan, ‘a skin you would love to touch’. And the image is of a man and woman embracing and that was the first time in an advert that a man and woman had embraced and what she's done is turn a soap into a promise that you can have a wonderful love life if you use it and that is absolutely transformational.
ARCHIVE CLIP:
Herbie:
She says woodberry soap’s got lotion softness. The more you use it the softer you get. She says woodberry soap gives you the skin you love to touch. Only I never get a chance. Cynthia, are you soft yet?
Cynthia:
Herbie, bring me another case of Woodberry soap.
Professor Jeff Jones:
And then World War Two is extremely interesting and kind of a turning point. When Britain entered World War Two the government tried to shut down cosmetics production because they wanted to concentrate on war goods.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
But midway through the war, the government gave up banning beauty production, seeing lipsticks and the like as an essential morale booster.
Professor Jeff Jones:
It's World War Two when access to cosmetics becomes a democratic right. Amidst all the hardships and people dying and things I think there was a recognition that providing a relatively cheap product to people made them feel much better about themselves.
Tim Samuels:
By the end of the war, the core immutable ingredients were in place, the ethos that your life can be transformed by a product, the right to feel better, and the faith and pseudoscience.
ARCHIVE CLIP: And now Helena Rubenstein says...
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
All encapsulated when Helena Rubinstein, with no medical training, donned a white lab coat.
Professor Jeff Jones:
I think Helena Rubenstein has a famous quote, “there are no ugly women. Only lazy ones.”
ARCHIVE CLIP: New colour classics by Helena Rubenstein. You waited all your life to look like this.
[Paging Dr. Ades]
Tim Samuels:
You got a minute?
Dr Veronica Ades:
Yeah, Tim, what's up?
Tim Samuels:
Okay, sorry, just stood in a pub waiting for a date to show up.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Oh, great. How old is she?
Tim Samuels:
Oh you know, a little younger than me.
Dr Veronica Ades:
How much younger?
Tim Samuels:
I think two thirds if I can give you a fraction...
Dr Veronica Ades:
Okay.
Tim Samuels:
Two thirds younger than me. But anyway, listen, there's a couple of things I just wanted to run past you. One, does drinking water really not affect your ageing?
Dr Veronica Ades:
Yeah that’s true, people are pretty obsessed with water drinking but it doesn't do a whole lot besides make you have to pee.
Tim Samuels:
Huh, okay.
Dr Veronica Ades:
I mean, if you're thirsty, drink water, but otherwise...
Tim Samuels:
Okay, I thought it was good for wrinkles. All right. Retinoids seem like a big deal but should we really be rubbing them into our faces each night? You know, seems quite a hardcore chemical… if you go online there's talk about making the skin thinner. Do we actually have any idea what the long term impacts of using these retinoids are?
Dr Veronica Ades:
I mean, I'm familiar with them in that they're... I think they're a derivative of vitamin A and I've heard of them being used… so specifically for people who have acne, they can be useful, it's usually topical. It seems a little bit excessive to use them if you're not dealing with acne. Just because like... why? Also, as an obs and gynae, I should let you know that vitamin A can have problems in pregnancy. So people who are trying to get pregnant who are pregnant should not be using retinoids.
Tim Samuels:
Okay, that's interesting, because everyone goes crazy for these retinoids.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Really, even when they don't have acne?
Tim Samuels:
Yeah. There are tonnes and tonnes of products where you know you brought them in each night and once you get used to the burning sensation, you apparently look better. I don't know.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Just a little face on fire.
Tim Samuels:
Yeah, yeah, it’s true. Listen and lastly, suncream, SPF, seem big, is kind of these chemical ones or mineral ones and the chemical ones can have something called oxybenzone which according to some people affects your hormones and lowers testosterone which doesn't feel ideal.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Yeah, I mean, I don't know the answer to that, I've heard of it. I think that probably the most important thing is to be getting some protection against UV rays, but I don't know specifically...
Tim Samuels:
Listen, I gotta go, I think that’s her.
Dr Veronica Ades:
Okay. Good luck.
Tim Samuels:
Yeah. Tim. Sorry, just on the phone to my gynaecologist. Well, a friend of mine, she’s not… I don’t actually have one.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Breaking news from the builders.
Sven:
It’s green, it worked! Yeah. That's miracle.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
The moisture of Sven's back side has nearly trebled, likewise for Richmond.
Richmond:
Oh, that's nice. Very, very nice.
Tim Samuels:
Whilst Flo has only seen a modest uptick, his is the only water oil balance to not merit a smiley green face.
Richmond:
It’s very nice I swear, I like it. Lovely. That’s magic.
Tim Samuels:
Two out of three builders say their posteriors felt peachier. Is it that much worse than what's bandied around by cosmetic companies?
Nneka Leiba:
We don't think that people should take claims at face value. We think that claims are merely just claims. In the US, claims aren't regulated so companies can basically put any claim on
a product.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Nica Liba knows her ingredients.
Nneka Leiba:
9000 ingredients.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
And her products.
Nneka Leiba:
70,000 products.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
As a scientist at the EWG, the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy nonprofit based in Washington DC. When it comes to cosmetics, their mission is to tell us what's safe to use regardless of what companies claim or governments do or don't stipulate. Because it's one thing if you're pointlessly overpriced moisturiser doesn't live up to its claim of diminishing fine wrinkles but quite another if it could actually be bad for your health.
Tim Samuels:
Before a product hits the shelves does it at least have to prove that it's safe?
Nneka Leiba:
No, not in the US. That's for certain. It has to prove nothing. The FDA regulates personal care in the US and the regulations haven't been updated since 1938 which is 80 years. It is, in fact, ridiculous. And there is no threshold, the FDA has banned about a dozen ingredients in personal care products. The European Union, on the other hand, has banned more than 1000 ingredients in personal care products. And so the regulations there are stricter and they adopt more of a precautionary principle.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Regulations not changed since the 1930s. That's one heck of a lobbying job by big beauty.
Tim Samuels:
Can you think of a specific case of regulation, a change to the rules for certain
ingredients where people have wanted to introduce regulation, but it's been blocked?
Nneka Leiba:
I know we have worked on keratin hair straightening treatments which... like Brazilian blowout, which is a popular brand here and those treatments contain very high concentrations of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has been listed as a known human carcinogen. So some of the ingredients that are in personal care products, for example, have been linked to endocrine disruption and fertility issues. And so what we're seeing at EWG isn't necessarily that your bottle of lotion is going to cause cancer but what we're seeing is that your bottle of lotion may be increasing your body burden. So your overall level of chemicals in your body that would ultimately tip you one way or another dependent on your genes and your susceptibility.
Tim Samuels:
In terms of the nasty stuff which could affect your hormones, is that a US thing or could that be happening over here in the EU as well?
Nneka Leiba:
So you’d find less of them in the EU again because of those stricter regulations, a lot of the products that have been limited in European products have been linked to hormone disruption. So it's more of a US thing.
Tim Samuels:
Until Britain leaves the EU and gets rid of all those regulations that have been keeping us fertile?
Nneka Leiba:
Well perhaps they would have stronger regulations after that.
Tim Samuels:
I doubt it. I think we're going to do anything for a trade deal with you lot. British fertility is going to be a casualty of Brexit.
Nneka Leiba:
Well, we'll keep an eye on it.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
But one thing the EU hasn't banned though Hawaii has, its oxybenzone an ingredient prevalent in many sun creams that's cited by the EWG as a hormone disruptor.
Nneka Leiba:
We think people should look for an alternative not just because it may affect human health, but it has similar endocrine or hormone disruption impacts on aquatic life and it can kill coral and damage coral.
Tim Samuels:
Huh, glad we're leaving Europe. It's good to be informed but you can drive yourself a bit mad...
Nneka Leiba:
Any one change is beneficial so just take it slowly and still live, you know, if you're hiding under a rock you're not living and there's no need for that especially now there's so many companies that are making products devoid of these ingredients that it's very, very possible to switch out your products and find better options.
Tim Samuels:
Through the swirling clouds of killer keratin and endocrine altering sun cream appears a reassuring finger in a white lab coat and by an actual medical degree. The dermatological version of Dr. Anjali Mahto and her what-actually-works-regime.
Dr Anjali Mahto:
Either alpha or beta hydroxyacid.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Which always sounds more exuberant when delivered by an American, not a dour Mancunian.
Narrator:
Here's you All Hail Kale miracle minute makeover. Mornings, step one, use the facial cleanser, ideally laden with alpha or beta hydroxy acids like glycolic. Be careful with sensitive skin. Step two, whack on a serum such as an antioxidant like vitamin C. Some may fancy a peptide here, metric cell seems to be the best. Step three moisturiser on its own does nothing for anti-ageing but it'll plump you up during the day. The final vital morning step, use separate sunscreen of SPF 30 or more that's got a UVA and UVB protection.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
The dermatologist and Dr. Veronica weren't too bothered about oxybenzone and sun creams. But our neurotic advice is, give them a mess.
Narrator:
Onto your evening regime, cleanse again and then the dermatologist says it's all about retinoids, vitamin A based compounds that are actually shown to reduce fine lines and signs of ageing. Never use during the day, it can be dangerous, start low at 0.1 retina and then maybe work your way up.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
Sorry, sorry. I've been given the retinoids a whirl at night, they seem pretty potent. The dermatologist swears by them. Dr. Veronica wasn't sure about using a treatment designed for acne and the EWG scientist with three degrees...
Nneka Leiba:
In environmental health, public health and ecology.
Tim Samuels:
Doesn't use retinoids herself but claims she is not privy to any inside information. I don't know, with retinoids I guess it's a personal call.
Narrator:
And that's your miraculous minute, push back the tides of ageing, make most of the 80% of ageing that evolution has left in your hands...
Tim Samuels:
If all that somehow wasn't entirely clear, we will tweet the stuff in actual detail from All Hail Kale. And yes, I know we've only covered products in the show, there are tonnes of natural skincare alternatives and what's becoming ever clearer is that the link between the skin and the gut is potentially massive. You can never get enough of the gut or beautifying builders as the non-clinical trial comes to a cosmetic climax in the Sven household.
Sven:
We do see the results, my skin is glowing. I look so healthy, I get the looks, I get compliments from people.
Sven’s partner:
Yeah he does look glowing, his skin looks very fresh.
Sven:
I had to slap her hands, told her to keep her eyes off my creams.
Sven’s partner:
But it's nice to be with someone that smells nice, looks nice, feels nice. His forehead is quite shiny, it looks smooth. Where his eyes are and his cheeks and that looks smooth.
Sven:
What about my arse?
Sven’s partner:
Oh leave off.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
But with all this indulgence of superficial beauty, puppets to a business that preys off our insecurities, let's close with something a little less skin deep. Close your eyes, breathe from your sacrum and melt into the words of James Blunt and the voice of Richmond the builder.
Richmond:
My love is brilliant, my love is pure. I saw an angel of that I'm sure. She smiled at me on the subway, she was with another man. But I won't lose no sleep on that ‘cause I have got a plan.
Tim Samuels:
Keep going.
Richmond:
You are beautiful. You are beautiful. You are beautiful, it’s true.
Tim Samuels (voiceover):
If for some reason you want a builderless James Blunt, he's all over BBC sounds. Without Richmond.
Thanks to Natascha McElhone, Easy Mix concrete and the Gospel Touch Choir and our production team Sera Baker, Chessie Bent, Nick Minter, Barney Roundtree from Reduced Listening, Ali Rezakhani and Gloria Abramoff. All Hail Kale is made by Tonic Productions for BBC Sounds. From me, Tim Samuels, have a beautiful day.
ARCHIVE CLIP:
Beautiful, really beautiful.
