Gabriela Bailas, or Bibi Bailas, as she is known, has a mission: to spread the word of scientific evidence. Any claim of benefits without the stamp of science can enter the scientist’s radar, but many of the myths she unravels have something in common: her targets are women. New aesthetic treatments, foods with healing or slimming power and even personal hygiene items are shared by her on her Instagram account and on her YouTube channel.
Bibi has a degree in physics from FURG (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul) and the University of Coimbra (Portugal), a master’s degree from UFPel (Federal University of Pelotas) and a PhD in particle physics from the Clermont Auvergne University (France). Today she is dedicated to the challenge of bringing scientific information to her thousands of followers on social networks.
In recent weeks, she has organized lives with a dermatologist and a gynecologist to deal precisely with the pseudosciences of the female universe. It all starts with the fact that women feel obligated to be part of a pattern, she says.
“They have to be beautiful with nails done and makeup, with hair and body within a standard, and that’s why the industry, in general, profits a lot from the female audience.”
From there, it is a step towards joining the trend that natural beauty or natural treatments are necessarily better – and these are precisely the ones that most lack scientific evidence.
“Aluminium in deodorant is a great example. There is no scientific evidence that it or parabens cause cancer, but why is this subject still in vogue? Because ‘clean beauty’ companies use this information to sell products. They say ‘our product it doesn’t have parabens, it doesn’t have aluminum’, so the person thinks that their health will be better without these items.”
The so-called “clean beauty”, that is, clean or natural beauty, is also the target of the Australian cosmetics chemist Michelle Wong, known on social networks as Lab Muffin.
“‘Clean’ and ‘dirty’ is a seductive and simple way of looking at the world. Unfortunately, the science is more complicated than that. While some brands genuinely believe that this is how toxicology works, I think many have adopted this concept of ‘clean beauty’ as a way of offering an unfair advantage to their products, as they cannot compete in the market based on their real performance”, he told Sheetby email.
Wong also claims that the “clean beauty” industry demonizes certain ingredients, but anything can be harmful if used incorrectly, whether natural or synthetic. Ingredients that are safely used in cosmetics by most companies and for most people (unless you have a known allergy or sensitivity) include parabens, sulfates, silicones, alcohol, fragrances, retinol and chemical sunscreens, he says. .
“Cosmetic formulators from reputable brands will consider toxicological data when deciding how much of each ingredient to put in products.”
According to Bibi Bailas, the appeal of the natural can cause serious damage when people stop looking for treatments. “Many people fail to treat themselves properly for candidiasis or urinary tract infection and end up inserting natural things into the vagina, such as crystals, oils, garlic ‘OB’ or yogurt, and aloe vera capsules. And there’s already data showing that this is very dangerous. “
And where does this chemophobia, this fear of what is synthetic, come from? “Throughout human evolution, it was safer for people to cling to familiar things because it means they were less likely to take risks and die, so we developed a bias against the unknown. Synthetic ingredients seem less familiar than natural ones. Science today there are much better ways of separating what is safe and what is not today, but our evolutionary bias is still there,” says Wong.
The case of the 42-year-old nurse who died after taking the capsules of the product “50 Ervas Chá Emagrecedor”, indicated for diabetes, cholesterol and weight loss, among other claims, is a great example of Bibi’s mission. “These products don’t go through tests, they don’t have efficacy data, we don’t know how people handle them, what they can contain. The risk is too great.”
When in doubt, therefore, be suspicious.
Chad-98Weaver, a distinguished author at NewsBulletin247, excels in the craft of article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a penchant for storytelling, Chad delivers informative and engaging content that resonates with readers across various subjects. His contributions are a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of journalism.
