Thursday, November 08, 2018

News.com.au site published an article indicating water mist could hydrate the skin. The article appears to be misleading and could be considered a hoax.

I read yesterday on the News.com.au site an article titled "Scientists claim this one thing will boost hydration" and goes on to say it's water. More specifically mist. At the end of the article are number of mist hydration products are listed with their prices.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/scientists-claim-this-one-thing-will-boost-hydration/news-story/50867e602c4ac6cd2645151705c0a581

This article is a HOAX like those HOAX emails you receive.

HOAX emails take certain believable facts but in the end what is purported isn't true. The information misleads people who then go on to spread the information as if it's true. Whether the sharing of information is forwarded as an email or passed on in conversation.

What is staggeringly unbelievable is the article appears in a reputable news site. News sites pride themselves on the integrity of their journalism.

I was interested in the article because if water mist is a good way for women the hydrate their skin for up to six hours that would be very good. All women need is a misting bottle and some water, even better if the water is distilled. There are products that women can buy that are listed in the article. Sadly it is not that simple.

I did some searching and found articles from the mentioned Aichi Medical University in Japan which lead me to the following article which is the result of the research.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/srt.12648

What is important to note in this research is the water droplet size for the mist that made the difference in the tests is known as a water nanodroplet. A water nanodroplet in this case being 0.5 μm, or half a micron in size.

In essence the size of the water droplets is incredibly small so the droplets can penetrate the skin. These droplets would be invisible to the naked eye. If you can see the mist when you spray it, then the droplets are not small enough.

I found this chart on particle sizes I thought may be of interest.

https://www.coloradoci.com/bin-pdf/5270/ParticleSize.pdf

The article indicates the water nanodroplets were produced by an air conditioner and further reading indicates this was probably a desiccant air conditioning system.

The HOAX aspect of this article is the information is believable, backed by science, and provides products that can be purchased that would appear to align with the science. However, it is unlikely any of the products shown would produce water nanodroplets of the size required to penetrate the skin.

Kelvin Eldridge

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