Keys® Natural Skin Solutions

Episode 12 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Preservative That Has No Business Being on a Face Hey, welcome back to KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty. I'm Bob Root. Today we are talking about Formaldehyde. Yes. That Formaldehyde. The stuff they use to preserve biological specimens in science labs. It is in some people's skincare. Its function in cosmetics is as a disinfectant, germicide, fung...

Episode 11 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Nail Polish Neurotoxin Welcome to the Dirty Thirty at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Episode Eleven is about Ethyl Acetate — a solvent found in nail polish, mascara, tooth whitening products, and perfume. So basically if you've done your nails, curled your lashes, whitened your teeth, and spritzed on some scent — congratulations, you may have had the...

Episode 10 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The pH Adjuster With a Hormone Problem You're listening to the Dirty Thirty at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Today's chemical is DEA — Diethanolamine. It's used as a pH adjuster, and you'll find it in sunscreens, moisturizers, foundation, and hair color. It adjusts pH. Sounds technical. Sounds boring. Turns out it's neither. DEA is a...

Episode 9 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Foam That Forms Cancer Compounds Hey, welcome back to KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty. I'm Bob Root. Today it's Cocamide DEA and Lauramide DEA — the stuff that makes your shampoo foam up and feel luxurious. These are foaming and emulsifying agents. They give shampoos, body washes, and cosmetics that rich, bubbly lather that the marketing world has...

Episode 8 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Shampoo Ingredient From a Tar Pit Welcome back to the Dirty Thirty at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Episode Eight is about Coal Tar — and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. Tar. From coal. In your shampoo. Coal tar is used to control itching, eczema, and scalp conditions. It also softens hard, scaly skin and is used in some hair dyes. It's b...

Episode 7 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Penetration Enhancers You Didn't Invite In Hey, welcome back to KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty. I'm Bob Root. Today we're talking about something called Ethoxylated Ingredients — specifically Ceteareth and PEG compounds. These are surfactants and emulsifying agents, and they show up in a huge number of cosmetics and personal care products. H...

Episode 6 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The "Antioxidant" That's Actually a Carcinogen You're back at KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty. I'm Bob Root. Today's double feature is BHT and BHA — Butylated Hydroxytoluene and Butylated Hydroxyanisole. Say those at a dinner party and watch people slowly back away. These are used as antioxidants in cosmetics — they slow down color...

Episode 5 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Nail Polish Ingredient That Wants to Get You Dizzy Welcome to the Dirty Thirty at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Today we're talking about Butyl Acetate — a solvent used in nail polish and nail treatments. Its job is to prevent chipping and keep that glossy finish looking fresh. Sounds glamorous. The side effects, less so. Repeated exposure to Butyl A...

Episode 4 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Preservative With a Lung Problem You're listening to the Dirty Thirty at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Today we're talking about Bronopol — a preservative with a name that sounds like a budget cold medicine but acts more like a slow-moving troublemaker. Bronopol shows up in moisturizers, body washes, facial cleansers, makeup removers, and anti-a...

Episode 3 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Antimicrobial That's Anything But Safe Hey, welcome back to KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty. I'm Bob Root. Today's chemical has a name that sounds like a villain from a spy movie — Benzalkonium Chloride and its buddy Benzethonium Chloride. Try saying that three times fast. These two are antimicrobial agents, deodorants, preservatives, and bio...

Episode 2 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Fragrance That's Hiding a Cancer Risk Welcome back to the Dirty Thirty series at KeysPure.com. I'm Bob Root. Today we're talking about something that sounds innocent enough — Benzyl Acetate. It's a solvent, and it hides inside the one word you'll never get a straight answer about on a label: "fragrance." That's right....

Episode 1 — Dirty Thirty Chemicals: The Deodorant That Might Be Eating Your Brain Hey there, welcome to KeysPure.com's Dirty Thirty series. I'm Bob Root, and today we're kicking things off with a chemical that might literally be in your armpit right now. Say hello to Aluminum Zirconium — and its sketchy cousins, other aluminum compounds. So what does it do? It's the stuff in an...

Skin Myths: The 12-Step Program Your Skin Didn’t Ask For Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: the more products and steps in your routine, the better your skin will be. Somewhere online there’s a twelve-step skincare routine with seven serums, four essences, and a product who...

Skin Myths: The $300 Moisturizer Myth Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: the more expensive a product is, the better it works. We’d all love for this to be true, because then shopping would be easy: just buy the priciest jar and glow. But your skin cannot read price tags. I...

Skin Myths: Your Skin Doesn’t Need a Juice Cleanse Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: you need to detox your skin to get rid of toxins. Detox. It’s on masks, on cleansers, on teas, and possibly on a candle somewhere. It sounds healthy and vaguely spiritual. It’s also, skinc...

Skin Myths: It’s Not Just Dry Skin Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: eczema is just dry skin — slather on lotion and it’ll go away. If you’ve got eczema, or you love someone who does, you already know it’s not that simple. But the just-moisturize-more advice is everywhere,...

Skin Myths: There’s No Such Thing as a Healthy Tan Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root. Today’s myth: a base tan protects your skin, and a tan looks healthy. Oof. This one’s going to be unpopular at the beach, but somebody has to say it. A tan is not a sign of health. A tan is your skin’s r...

Skin Myths: Eight Glasses to Glowing? Not Quite Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: drinking tons of water will fix your dry skin. You’ve heard it from every magazine, every influencer, and every well-meaning aunt: “Just drink more water and your skin will glow!” If only ski...

Skin Myths: Pores Don’t Have Doors Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root. Today’s myth: hot water opens your pores and cold water closes them. We’ve all done the routine. Steam the face to open the pores, then splash icy water to slam them shut. Feels scientific. Feels powerful. Is mostly non...

Skin Myths: Poison Ivy Is Natural Too Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: if an ingredient is natural, it’s automatically gentle and safe. Now, you might think a natural skincare company would just nod along here. Nope. We’re going to bust our own side’s myth, because we lik...

Skin Myths: Drier Is Not the Answer- Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root.  Today’s myth: if your skin is oily, you should dry it out and skip moisturizer. This one feels logical, which is exactly why it’s so good at ruining people’s skin. Oily skin — more oil bad — so remove all the oil, pr...

Skin Myths: No Pain, No… Actually, Just Pain Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root. Today’s myth: if it stings or burns, it’s working. Somewhere out there is a person wincing into the mirror going, “Ahh, feel the burn — this must be great.” No. That’s not your skincare working. That’s your sk...

Skin Myths: Scrub Harder, They Said Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root. Today’s myth: the harder and more often you exfoliate, the cleaner and smoother your skin gets. Ah, the apricot-scrub-to-the-face-like-you’re-sanding-a-deck approach. We’ve all been there. More scrubbing equals more cl...

Skin Myths: Yes, Water Is a Chemical (Nice Try) Welcome to Skin Myths, Busted — from Keys Natural Skincare, where we take the skincare nonsense apart so your skin doesn’t have to. I’m Bob Root. Today’s myth: chemical-free is meaningless — after all, water is a chemical. You’ve heard this one, usually from someone feeling very clever: “Chemical-free? Ha! Water is a chemical. Oxygen is a chemical. E...

From Inflammaging to Everyday Practice Hi, Bob Root here, Keys Scientist. I want to connect the dots between a technical term—inflammaging—and the practical daily routines you can control. Inflammaging is the idea that, as we get older, a low-level fire of inflammation slowly burns in the background. It is subtle; you do not feel sick, but your body is constantly responding to small ongoing irrita...