Interview with Dr Theresa Callaghan on Cosmetic Claims

Extraordinary claims seem to be par for the course in skincare. How did we get here? Is the cosmetics industry the wild wild west? Can people really just claim what they want? Or is it our regulators lacking teeth? From zinc oxide powders claiming to be sunscreen, to anti-aging miracle serums… surely our products aren’t time machines. How do these claims get substantiated, why do they get parroted, and whose job is it to make sure the claims we see from brands are truthful? To try to tackle this topic, we talked to the woman who literally wrote the book on claims - Dr. Theresa Callaghan, Author of ‘Help! I’m Covered in Adjectives: Cosmetics Claims & The Consumer’ She shares her insights, critique, and her thoughts on how the industry regulators are fighting an uphill battle.

This episode was sponsored by Genomatica, creators of Brontide Butylene Glycol. Winner of the EPA’s 2020 Green Chemistry Challenge Award, they produce their butylene glycol via sugar fermentation. I’ve been a long time fan of this company, so it was fitting that they would be our first episode sponsor. Thank you Genomatica for the ongoing support for our science communication work!

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