Cosmetics

Hair Extensions Found to Contain Dozens of Hazardous Chemicals

Researchers found that a majority of tested brands contained potentially hazardous chemicals, including flame retardants.

Health Ed Cara Feb 11

Photo: Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP

Almost Half of U.S. Tap Water Is Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals’, Study Says

There are 12,000 types of PFAS, the USGS tested for 32 types across the country.

Environmental Justice Angely Mercado Jul 6

Smell Like Batman Without Running Around in a Suit of Body Armor

House of Sillage has released a line of fragrances inspired by the Dark Knight himself.

Toys & Collectibles Linda Codega Oct 28

L’Oréal and Alphabet’s Verily Are Working on Extremely Personal Skincare

A new research partnership to understand skin biology could help you build a skincare routine that actually works.

Gadgets Caitlin McGarry Jan 20

Old Spice, Secret Body Sprays Recalled for Containing Cancer-Causing Chemical

The recalls are the latest this year to involve benzene in consumer products.

Health Ed Cara Nov 24

Vegan Glitter Is Here and Now We’re Never Going to Be Rid Of It

Instead of vanquishing glitter, scientists just made it biodegradable. Thanks?

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Nov 12

Rihanna’s New Skincare Line Cuts Down on Waste—But Not Enough

Over the last year or so, I’ve been on a journey to make my beauty routine plastic-free. I’ve been trying a number of alternatives—from my shampoo to my make-up—to eliminate as much plastic as possible from my life. However, a new skincare line is having me reconsider all my efforts: Fenty Skin. The skincare line…

Earther Yessenia Funes Aug 24

A Woman’s Skin Whitening Cream Gave Her Mercury Poisoning

A woman’s years-long beauty regimen caused severe mercury poisoning and irreversible neurological damage, say her doctors in a recent case report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month. The 47-year woman’s ordeal was detailed in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a clearing house for public health information collected by the…

Health Ed Cara Dec 26

Shampoos, Perfumes, and Other Cosmetics Send Thousands of Kids to the ER Every Year

Nail polish removers and other personal care products are sending a shocking number of young kids in the U.S. to the emergency room, according to a new study out Monday. Nearly 65,000 children under the age of five have been treated for “cosmetic-related injuries” in ERs in the 15 years leading up to 2016, the…

Health Ed Cara Jun 17

Olay Tests a Refillable Moisturizer as Beauty Industry Grapples With Its Giant Trash Problem

Fresh, soft skin comes at a cost—to the planet. Specifically, I’m talking about all that packaging your favorite lotion or cream comes in, which is likely made of hard-to-degrade plastics. That’s why Olay—y’know, that bougie stuff your abuelita is always putting on—is dipping its toes in the refillable packaging world, a first among major skincare…

Conservation Yessenia Funes Jun 6

Silly and Cruel Beauty Gadgets That Were Destined for Failure

Gadgets Whitney Kimball Mar 19

A Woman Lost Her Toenails After a Fish Pedicure

An unorthodox beauty treatment meant to rejuvenate the feet turned into a disturbing medical mystery for one young woman. According to a case report published by her doctor in JAMA Dermatology, the woman’s toenails stopped growing and started falling off soon after she received a so-called fish pedicure. Fish pedicures involve having small fish nibble at…

Health Ed Cara Jul 3

Graphene Scientists Invent World’s Most Hardcore Hair Dye

Researchers at Northwestern University think they’ve stumbled upon an unexpected new use for the so-called supermaterial graphene: an easy-to-apply, safer, and sturdier black hair dye that could give other permanent dyes a run for their money. The new dye even made hair immune to frizz and static electricity. A few years ago, Jiaxing Huang, a…

Tech News Ed Cara Mar 19

New Star Wars Perfumes Finally Tell Us What Jedi Are Meant to Smell Like

Peppercorns, patchouli, and oranges, apparently. Yes, Star Wars merchandising truly knows no bound, and after The Force Awakens took over women’s cosmetics at Covergirl last year, not even the makeup counter is free from getting in on the galaxy far, far, away. Case in point? A new line of perfume in Europe that comes in…

io9 James Whitbrook Jun 14

MIT’s Invisible Second Skin Cream Makes Wrinkles Disappear

Every cosmetics company on the planet has a product it claims will reduce wrinkles and erase the signs of aging, but researchers at MIT have developed a genuine facelift-in-a-tube with a new cream that creates an extra layer of invisible artificial skin to smooth out the wearer’s natural skin. Researchers at MIT and Harvard developed…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski May 9

How Cosmetics Companies Farm Human Skin to Test Their Products

As you slathered conditioner onto your noggin this morning, you probably weren’t thinking about lab-grown skin coins (if you were, r u ok?). But human skin grown in a lab is a booming business—and how it’s made is a little-known and fascinating story. Image: An Organovo bioprinter. Yesterday, Bloomberg’s Caroline Winter brings us news of…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan May 19

One Of The Hazards Of The 1700s Was Death By Rouge

The late 1700s were not known for their long life-expectancy. One of the many sources of death, at the time, was a nasty little thing with the incongruously pleasant name of “cinnabar.” We’ll show you how fashion trends combined with chemistry to kill people off. No one puts on make-up for their health. In the…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Feb 27

Anti-Pollution Makeup for the Woman of 2000

In 1968, model Vicki Dunlap was featured in newspapers around the country as the face of the future. But that stylish makeup of tomorrow wasn’t just for show. It was to protect from L.A.’s smog-filled air. From the Associated Press about this “woman of the year 2000”: A Los Angeles engineer thinks women living in…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 19

Nanotech breakthrough could fight skin cancer via moisturizer

Despite the relative ease that things seem to pierce it, our skin actually does a pretty good job of keeping foreign materials out, especially on the molecular level. In fact, sometimes it does this job too well, making it particularly difficult for scientists to target skinborne ailments. A breakthrough technique from Northwestern University could make…

io9 Tim Barribeau Jul 6

Can you grow a beard with consistent applications of Rogaine?

If you lack a lovely beard and are well past puberty, could you use a hair growth treatment to create one? Tales of people using Rogaine to paint on a beard sound believable, but is there any scientific validity to them? Let’s investigate how minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine, works in the human body…

io9 Keith Veronese May 24

Cosmetics

Hair Extensions Found to Contain Dozens of Hazardous Chemicals

Almost Half of U.S. Tap Water Is Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals’, Study Says

Smell Like Batman Without Running Around in a Suit of Body Armor

L’Oréal and Alphabet’s Verily Are Working on Extremely Personal Skincare

Old Spice, Secret Body Sprays Recalled for Containing Cancer-Causing Chemical

Vegan Glitter Is Here and Now We’re Never Going to Be Rid Of It

Rihanna’s New Skincare Line Cuts Down on Waste—But Not Enough

A Woman’s Skin Whitening Cream Gave Her Mercury Poisoning

Shampoos, Perfumes, and Other Cosmetics Send Thousands of Kids to the ER Every Year

Olay Tests a Refillable Moisturizer as Beauty Industry Grapples With Its Giant Trash Problem

Silly and Cruel Beauty Gadgets That Were Destined for Failure

A Woman Lost Her Toenails After a Fish Pedicure

Graphene Scientists Invent World’s Most Hardcore Hair Dye

New Star Wars Perfumes Finally Tell Us What Jedi Are Meant to Smell Like

MIT’s Invisible Second Skin Cream Makes Wrinkles Disappear

How Cosmetics Companies Farm Human Skin to Test Their Products

One Of The Hazards Of The 1700s Was Death By Rouge

Anti-Pollution Makeup for the Woman of 2000

Nanotech breakthrough could fight skin cancer via moisturizer

Can you grow a beard with consistent applications of Rogaine?

Anthropic’s New Model Is So Scarily Powerful It Won’t Be Released, Anthropic Says

Musk Asks Court to Give Potential Winnings in OpenAI Suit to OpenAI’s Nonprofit

Pro-Iran Hackers Target Critical U.S. Energy and Water Infrastructure

‘She-Hulk’ Was Apparently One of Marvel’s Most Successful Shows

The World’s First Eye-Tracking Smart Glasses Are Intriguing and Unpolished

Noah Hawley Is Remaking ‘Terrified,’ Which Shouldn’t Happen

Unprecedented Observation Reveals 2 Supermassive Black Holes Locked in a Tight Death Spiral

This Apple MacBook Pro Is Now Under $500 After 78% Off, Grade-A Refurb Deal (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Touch Bar)

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

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