This is long overdue, but I finally got around to compiling an ingredient database for every product I’ve ever written about on My Dad the Chemist. I decided to use Airtable to get the job done—if you haven’t heard of it, it’s like an aesthetically pleasing Excel spreadsheet that you can query like a database (no SQL knowledge required).

Baby sunscreen is a hot topic, especially if you live in an area that gets a lot of sun, like my baby niece does. The problem with many baby sunscreens is that most babies don’t like the sunscreen application process—especially when it feels thick and pasty. Zinc oxide is a very effective UV filter (and is the only FDA-approved ingredient to block all three types of UV rays: UVA1, UVA2, and UVB), but it oftentimes makes sunscreen feel thick, and it leaves a white cast. My dad mentioned…

As I was researching yesterday’s post on Equate vs. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion, I learned something interesting: The INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names for ingredients can change. The three ceramides that are included in every CeraVe product (ceramide 1, ceramide 3, and ceramide 6-II) have been updated, as of May 2014. So why does CeraVe continue to use the retired names? I decided to ask the company directly, and they responded within 12 hours.…