What Does "Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil" Mean?

It really is time that you seriously considered starting daily Omega 3 fish oil supplements. There is now overwhelming evidence of the health benefits of taking daily Omega 3 essential fatty acids in the form of supplements. Yet when you start to research this on the Web you keep finding that you come across the term "pharmaceutical grade fish oil" or else the term "pharmaceutical grade Omega 3".

Lets have a look at exactly what "pharmaceutical grade" means or doesn't mean.

In fact the term pharmaceutical grade is not a technical term but simply a marketing term. It is used to convince potential buyers that the fish oil used in any particular Omega 3 capsules is pure and clean.

There are very good reasons for the Omega 3 supplement manufacturers to advertise the purity of their fish oil. Fish and fish oil can be contaminated with Mercury and PCBs and the FDA tells us not to eat too much this reason.

Because of this contamination of fish and fish oil many people are reasonably concerned that any supplements may be similarly contaminated. So manufacturers of Omega 3 capsules used the term "pharmaceutical grade Omega 3" to suggest that their fish oil is totally pure.

But there is no formal definition of what "pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements" actually are. The US Pharmacopeia has no definition of this and there is no other definition anywhere else.

There are no international standards that are binding on the fish oil supplement manufacturers specifying fish oil purity. I said "binding" because in fact there are a number of international standards on fish oil purity but none of them are binding on any manufacturers of Omega 3 supplements.

There is one standard called the International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS). This sounds very official but the IFOS is purely a private organisation that charges a fee for testing the purity of fish oil.

Whilst there are 4 international standards for fish oil purity no manufacture need comply with any of them. Some manufacturers who submit their fish oil to the IFOS for testing make the claim that their Omega 3 supplements are "pharmaceutical grade Omega3" however as specified earlier this is purely marketing.

However there is the no doubt that anyone looking to take Omega 3 supplements should make careful investigation of purity and cleanliness of any capsules.

If you are on the website of any manufacturer of Omega 3 supplements you should always find a certificate of analysis from an independent laboratory evidencing the results of tests for purity.

On the website of the manufacturer of the best Omega 3 supplements can find a certificate of analysis from two independent laboratories that demonstrates clearly that there are no detectable levels of any contaminants in their fish oil.

And this company also chooses to set it's own standards for its fish oil purity which are much stricter than any international standards. Their standard for Mercury contamination is 10 times lower than the international standards.

You're quite right to worry about fish oil purity but don't be fooled by any claims about "pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements". It's a marketing term. Always satisfy yourself about the purity of your Omega 3 fish oil capsules with independent evidence from laboratory analysis.

The Search For The Worlds Best Moisturizer

If you're interested in good skin care you're probably looking for the best moisturiser you can get. If so you will be interested to learn a bit more about the sorts of ingredients that go into many mainstream moisturizing creams and the ingredients to look for in the best moisturizing lotions.

Sadly many big brand skin care products, and other personal and beauty products such as cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, baby products, deodorants and much more, contain many synthetic chemical and petrochemical ingredients. The reason for this is simple. They are normally extremely cheap.

Moisturizing lotions are a fine example. Look at the label of most moisturizing creams and lotions and you will see mineral oil there. Mineral oil is a byproduct the distillation of crude oil. It is a petrochemical product and is in fact a waste product.

Mineral oil exceedingly cheap, in fact it costs less to buy it than it does to dispose of it. Mineral oil is used in a wide range of personal products, and many baby products, however it is not an effective moisturizer and is not safe to apply to your skin.

Here is a quote from a mineral oil material safety data sheet:

WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID AND VAPOR.

If you visit the Cosmetic Safety Database you'll find that it links mineral oil to immunotoxicity, cancer, skin allergies, skin irritation and organ toxicity.

Mineral oil is used in moisturizers that help prevent moisture loss. Mineral oil forms a thin film of oil across the skin and this is intended to help prevent moisture loss from the skin. And to some extent it does. But at what price to your skin and to your health?

Mineral oil clogs the pores of your skin and can produce skin reactions such as acne and psoriasis.

If you're looking for the best face moisturizer it is important to avoid any mainstream skin care product with mineral oil listed on the label. The worlds best moisturizer creams do not contain mineral oil.

There is a 2nd chemical ingredient that you should avoid which is parabens. Parabens are a class as preservatives. Sodium Methylparaben is an example. At the Cosmetic Safety Database it is linked to organ system toxicity, biochemical or cellular level changes, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and allergies.

Avoid personal products with parabens listed on the label.

There's so many other chemical ingredients to avoid that there are too many to list.

So now you know what to avoid when looking at the best moisturizer. But what you look for?

There are in fact many naturally occurring ingredients that can be used in top quality moisturizing products and skin care and anti aging products in general that work exceptionally well as moisturizers and which are also safe to your skin and your body.

There are many natural oils that work exceedingly well as moisturizers. For example Avocado oil, Babassu oil, Shea butter, Olive oil are all excellent natural moisturizers and are all safe to use.

And it's not just natural oils. There are other ingredients that are extremely effective at moisturizing your skin as well at promoting the best skin health and at the same time increasing your skin elasticity.

An ingredient used in the worlds best moisturizers is called Cynergy TK. Cynergy TK is patented and is used for both its moisturizing properties as well as general skin health and skin elasticity.

A 2nd ingredient found in the best skin care products is called Phytessence Wakame. Phytessence Wakame is a seaweed found around Japan and which is eaten by the Japanese. Japanese women have the worlds best skin and it has now been confirmed by science that Phytessence Wakame is packed with a wide range of minerals, vitamins and anti oxidants essential to skin health.

So if you're looking for the best moisturizer the most important thing to know is what to avoid. Avoid modern mainstream big brand name anti aging skin care products with chemical and petrochemical ingredients. You need to source skin care products with naturally occurring ingredients that are highly effective and safe to use.

One company that makes the worlds best moisturizer does not make a moisturizer. That's because there entire range in care products all use the same natural ingredients as I have mentioned above and so they do not need to produce a moisturizer. All their products moisturize equally successfully.

An essential component of great skin care is moisturizing and all good skin care products should moisturize effectively.