I might as well admit it – no matter how many studies I make notes of, or experts I speak to, when it comes to beauty and skincare, I’m never quite sure what I’m paying for. All I know is that, more often than not, I’m shelling out a lot. There are days when I wonder why I spend a few hundred dirhams on clear mascaras and brow gels, when petroleum jelly will do the job as effectively, and at a fraction of the cost.
Making our skin both look and feel good can be an expensive task. Hitting that sweet spot where the perfect alchemy of ingredients meets an affordable price point is the stuff that a hoarder like me dreams of. But every once in a while, comes along an ingredient that feels like the answer to all the skincare questions you’ve ever had. An ingredient that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, and you realise it was hiding in plain sight all along.
For me, that ingredient is glycerine. And now that I’ve discovered it, I’m never letting it go.
Glycerine, or glycerol, is a thick, syrupy, colourless and odourless sugar alcohol that’s immensely popular in skin products. It can be natural (plant or animal-based) or synthetic, which means it was derived by distilling petroleum. It’s literally in everything – from soaps, scrubs and serums to cleansers, masks, moisturisers, hydration lotions and even many hair products.
According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review report for 2014, glycerine was found to be the third most widely used ingredient in the cosmetics industry, behind only water and fragrance.
Glycerine's secret popularity in the world of beauty ingredients is due to its super-hydrating properties. It is an exceptionally powerful humectant, which means it does a great job of pulling moisture from the air around us into the top layer of the skin. So much so that according to a 2016 study in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, researchers found glycerine to be the most effective humectant they could find, more so than even hyaluronic acid, another hero ingredient in skincare products.
You can use it as a mask, a moisturiser and even as a scrub, depending on what you combine it with. And you can combine it with practically everything
It doesn't stop there. A 2015 study published in the Journal of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology noted that glycerine not only hydrates the skin, but also acts as an anti-irritant, has anti-inflammatory properties, and boosts the skin's restore and repair mechanism. So if your big beauty struggle is irritable, cracked, or parched skin that never quite h olds on to a dewy glow, you want to start looking for moisturisers and hydrators with a slightly higher concentration of glycerine.
Or better still, you might want to simply bring home a bottle of the wonder ingredient itself. While glycerine has been the beauty industry’s unsung hero for a long time now, in recent years, people in the know have taken to using it in its pure, undiluted form. Vasudha Rai, author of Glow: Indian Foods, Recipes and Rituals for Beauty, Inside and Out, is certainly a big fan.
“What I love about glycerine is that it suits practically every skin type and is hypoallergenic. There are other popular natural ingredients that don’t suit everyone, things like papaya, honey, lemon, and even milk. But I’ve never come across anyone whose skin was irritated by glycerine,” says Rai.
“It’s a mild and versatile ingredient. You can use it as a mask, a moisturiser and even as a scrub, depending on what you combine it with. And you can combine it with practically everything because glycerine works beautifully with other ingredients. Mix it with high-quality essential oils, with aloe vera gel for a soothing mask, with tea tree essential oil for acne, with frankincense for anti-ageing, with rose water to soothe and repair the skin.”
Another fan is Paayal Mahajan, founder of luxury skincare brand Essential Body Couture, but she prefers her glycerine plant-based and organic.
“At least you know that it’s free of chemicals and additives. I’m a big believer in getting the quality and quantity right,” she says. “I would say, apply a tiny amount, maybe a small coin-sized portion right after the shower on wet skin on the face and body for better absorption. And seal it in with a few drops of a barrier product, like a good-quality body or face oil to seal in the moisture.
"I also find it particularly useful for the hair, especially fine hair. Because glycerine is a humectant, it’s a great way to pack in some moisture and, because is very light, it won’t weigh down your hair, and give it a nice sheen and bounce.”
Despite its universal appeal and mild nature, both Rai and Mahajan advise first-time users to exercise restraint. “No matter how good a product is, there will always be people who either won’t like it or it won’t suit them. So I would always, always recommend a patch test of anything new that you’re using. Also, if you’re using retinol or chemical peels, don’t combine it with lemon or any kind of citric acid. And don’t make it a scrub. If you’re not sure, the safest bet is always going to be glycerine and rose water,” says Rai.
Mahajan, too, cautions against overusing it. “I would equate glycerine to almost hyaluronic acid in some ways. So it acts as an exfoliator, too, and real glycerine is warm when you rub it in," she explains. " Overusing it – especially if you’re not mixing it with anything – may cause bumps, rashes and breakouts. Which is why I’d say use it only a couple of times a week.”
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Racecard
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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