EP 26 - Is Gold The Secret To Anti-Aging? Humans Love It, Science Explains Why.

Welcome back to another Wednesday! This week we are giggling about gold. This beautiful metal has been popular throughout all of history, but why is that? In this episode we are explaining the science behind this unique material. Its variety of uses range from traditional medicine to jewelry, but does it have potential to be a skincare miracle worker? We are discussing nanoparticles, and how gold can be complexed with beneficial active ingredients - but not all that glitters is gold. Pull up a chair and laugh along with us.  Welcome to Beauty by the Beaker, the podcast where Sciences Gets a Hot New Makeover! We're two cosmetic chemists who want to reveal what really goes into your favorite products, and we aren't afraid to bust some myths while doing it. Whether you’re a skincare enthusiast, a curious consumer, or just tired of being told coconut oil cures everything, you’re in the right place. Let's gossip about all things beauty together! Pull up a chair, your appointment's about to start Visit our website to read more about this episode and check out our blog post with sources. www.beautyxbeaker.com Join us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube! @beautyxbeaker @natbxb @sadiebxb Contact us at info@beautyxbeaker.com Special thanks to Flip Twogood for our photos and Hailey Romero for our branding. . SHOW NOTES 03:15: Catch up: Talking about birthdays, Valentines Day, Wuthering Heights. We get a little personal about holiday expectations, and decide once again that our differences make us great!  08:02: Important Podcast News updates! This show is still self funded, you can contribute by liking, subscribing, commenting, and if you are feeling extra generous, sharing the episode.  10:45: The history of gold, how it's been used in cosmetics, and whether or not it is the anti-aging miracle some people claim it to be.  We give a big disclaimer for this episode, which is that it's going to be a fun one, so maybe don’t take it too seriously.  12:14: Gold in Ancient Egypt. HThis segment is a bit hard to follow, so we we hope you are also the luckiest girl (or anyone) in the world, you’ll need it.  17:10: Gold in Medicine: Traditional holistic medicine, originating in India and Nepal, Ayurveda, uses a gold preparation called Swarna Bhasma. This is intended to be ingested, which despite some marketing claims, is different than putting it on your skin.  18:55: What are Nanoparticles? We are talking about some scientific advancements, and a couple not-so-scientific ones too. When it comes to active ingredients, size matters, particle size that is. And the smaller the thing, the more likely it is to pass through you, and like with all science, it's not all good or bad.  20:45: Why do humans love gold? We are discussing this element's unique properties, and how those make it such a great material for jewelry, but also safe to eat. 24:40 Surface Plasmon Resonance, and why it makes very small particles of gold appear red or purple. We got off topic pretty quickly though.  27:07 Properties of Gold nanoparticles make them interesting for Biomedical Research, but are they useful in skincare? High-end Gold-infused skincare.  28:21: Is Using Gold Skincare Safe? Why it's hard to study the efficacy of gold nanoparticles.  30:08: Revealing the secret to anti-aging. **disclaimer - lots of joking in this section.  31:39: Humans love Gold. That's why we typically give gold to the ones we love - in the form of a wedding ring! All jokes aside: 14k is the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to jewelry.  32:43: It's getting late, and things are starting to get extra silly.  34:25: Gold symbolizes exclusivity. Weird, humans have always been super logical when it comes to luxury. We conclude that gold is super fun to look at, but when it comes to fixing your skin issues, your money might be better used on a more scientifically backed ingredient.  36:43: Teasing this month's episodes, and a gold product we are both loving.