Can a cream improve our mood, calm our emotions? Are marketing promises safe for our health? The French Society of Dermatology has just issued a warning about the effects of cosmetics on the brain.
A cream that does good, okay, but to what extent? Can a cosmetic product act as an antidepressant or mood stabilizer? Faced with certain advertising messages, the psychodermatology group of the French Society of Dermatology (SFD) wants to warn consumers, health professionals and authorities about what it describes as “an alarming trend from certain cosmetic manufacturers”.
“More and more cosmetic brands are saying that their products will have positive effects on mood and well-being. We have also found antidepressant-type arguments,” says Laurent Misery, professor of dermatology at Brest University Hospital, head of the psychodermatology group of the SFD.
“A cosmetic product should have an effect only on the skin and not on any other organ”
“Generally speaking, a cosmetic product can improve well-being like certain foods, that’s the side of pleasure. And this is even more true for people who suffer from skin diseases, in which certain products improve the quality of life”, continues the doctor. . whose research combines dermatology and psychology. Members of their working group also point out that the interactions between the skin and the nervous system are very close and that the properties of the skin can be modulated by the nervous system.
“But it’s dangerous to say that an active ingredient can affect your mood and therefore your brain. Because a cosmetic product should only have an effect on the skin, not on another organ and even less on the brain. So either it is. Not true and it’s false advertising, or it’s true and it’s alarming, because it’s prohibited by law,” explains Professor Laurent Misery.
“Trafficking of endorphins or cortisol is worrisome”
“If a cosmetic product has a real effect on the brain, it is because it acts on endorphins and therefore puts the user at risk of addiction. If the product activates the nervous system, it should be dosed and measured in the context of clinical studies. Endorphins or The manipulation of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) is worrying”, adds the dermatologist whose message to consumers is “don’t buy a cosmetic product that you are told can change your mood”.
