CULT OF BEAUTY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 471, 4 June 1932, Page 20 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

Lotions for Softening the Skin. TOILET ACCESSORIES. (By A PARIS EXPERT.) Pure glycerine is perhaps the most valuable cosmetic that modern chemistry has placed at the service of women. It has a wonderfully beautifying effect upon the skin, whitening and softening it, and making it supple, and possesses such a solvent power over all colouring matter that it is one of the most effective agents. It must never, of course, be used in a concentrated form. Glycerine is of special value in the preparation of emulsions, not merely because of its property of softening the skin, but also on account of its capacity for dissolving colouring matter, so that it acts as a beautifier in the true sense pf the word. Glycerine is the most valuable and precious of all cosmetics. No woman should be without it. A bottle of pure glycerine—chemically pure, remember, without any of those salts of lime or of lead which are found

in much of the glycerine sold and whicli will discolour and irritate the skin —] should form an indispensable item to* every woman’s toilet. A tablespoonful of it in a pint of water—or rose water, or witch hazel—will soften and protect the skin from the air. It should be rubbed in, but not wiped off. And just here is the point: Impure glycerine will burn and irritate the skin, and so undiluted glycerine. Let us not, then, condemn its use, but its abuse. Lotions containing glycerine agree with most cases of dry skin, and it has been prescribed by the greatest beauty authorities, with other ingredients, foe wrinkled skin, blackheads, chapped lips, . sunburn, freckles and tan. Pure glycerine has a powerful beautifying effect on the skin, by rendering it white, . supple, soft and glossy; no other remedy . will clear a sunburnt skin in so short a time. 1 Glycerine is a substance which may be used instead of oil, and has the advantage of being more cleanly effective and congenial to the skin. It is more emolient than oil and softens bodies without greasing them. A cupful in a bath of warm water will have a most wonderful effect upon the skin of the body. Glycerine, having the property of i absorbing water, uses up the moisture which the skin requires, and, therefore, should be diluted. Strangely enough, out of 40 different formulas collected from various modern authors for the i

manufacturer ot cold creams and face lotions, only three mention glycerine. White wax and spermaceti are always used to give body to the cream, and the other ingredients are usually almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, rose oil, petrolatum, paraffin or lanoline —not one of which, or all combined, can compare with glycerine as a beautifier. Those who want to try glycerine can do so by mixing in a little glycerine with the cold cream or lotion that they are accustomed to use, but be sure to use only pure glycerine. To summarise, here arc some of the virtues of glycerine: It renders the skin soft, velvety, supple and white; it is an antiseptic; it is the only cosmetic which softens without greasing; it is more emollient than any oil; it contains amazing preservative qualities when applied to the skin, and acts as a veil against wind, heat, cold and the burning rays of the hot sun; it has a tendency to dissolve freckles, blackheads, etc.; it imparts to the skin a delightful sensation of softness, smoothness and flexibility, and makes it lustrous; it is the greatest substance known for preventing chaps and curing them; used as a cleansing cream or lotion, it acts also as a protector and beautifier; it does not evaporate or dry out, not turn rancid nor decompose, as most cold creams do, and when added to them prevents those preparations from doing so.