Prevodorant

Dr. Kasting’s work has been invaluable to us during the stages of final formulation of Simplify by Kim products. He has personally encouraged us to keep going, telling us that few manufacturers of personal care & hygiene products (outside his clientele list) actually take his research into account. We can NOT say that Dr. Kasting actually participated in formulation, nor that he endorses Simplify by Kim products, but we do want to give him a public “Thank You” for his words of encouragement and all the research summaries and articles he provided us along the way.

So what is his work about?

In plain English, which he excels at, Dr. Kasting is a world leader in the field of “transdermal absorption;” the study of how various chemicals and/or drugs absorb through the skin into our blood, fat and lymph cells. That process can be a very helpful thing — imagine someone with a debilitating disease being able to take live-saving drugs without having to give themselves shots. And, it can be a very negative thing — imagine having potentially carcinogenic chemicals in products you thought you can trust get into your blood or lymph cells where they can travel around your body and alter DNA replication and thereby causing cancer.

From Dr. Kasting’s vitae page: Expert Profile: Gerald Kasting | Research Directory (uc.edu)

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Professional Summary

Dr. Kasting is Professor of Pharmaceutics and Cosmetic Science at the University of Cincinnati’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.  He teaches in the College’s graduate and professional programs and serves as chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences.  His research is in the area of percutaneous absorption.  Prior to beginning an academic career in 1999, he served as a senior scientist with the Skin Beauty Care Technology Division of Procter & Gamble’s Miami Valley Laboratories, working on the development of improved skin care products.  He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1975 and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT in 1980.  He has published over seventy papers in the above areas and holds eight patents associated with his work.  He is a two-time recipient of the Shaw Mudge Award from the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and was the 2005 chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin.  He serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research and Development and as a referee for several other major pharmaceutical journals.  His current research is focused on the development of improved computational models for topical delivery and dermal risk assessment based on a mechanistic understanding of the percutaneous absorption process.  Projects include development of microstructural models for transport through the stratum corneum and hair follicle, prediction of solvent and pesticide absorption and evaporation rates from skin, estimation of the epidermal bioavailability of contact allergens and iontophoretic drug delivery to the nail.
In 2013 Dr. Kasting received the Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring Award from the University of Cincinnati for his work with graduate students. 

Education

Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, 1980 (Physical Chemistry)

B.A.: Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN, 1975 (Chemistry)

Research and Practice Interests

Development of computational models for absorption of materials into and through the skin with the objective of developing better tools for prediction of topical drug delivery, transdermal drug delivery, and dermal exposure to noxious agents.

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We’re not trying to sound the alarm bells to loudly, but while the original ideas for Simplify by Kim Prevodorants did not involve analysis of Dr. Kasting’s work, our final development was motivated by summaries of his work because it helped us realize that we were on to something — a healthy deodorant alternative product to replace what most people in America use every day and which could potentially lead to healthier bodies and immune systems. We don’t make claims that you will enjoy any specific health outcomes or cure any conditions; but, it only makes sense that the healthiest, “do-no-harm” ingredient list in the industry can be an improvement to your health & hygiene routines. Dr. Kasting’s work helped us raise the bar on the hygiene industry, and we’re grateful.

In an effort to modulate the alarm levels, we have seen that some personal care product pages online have quoted his research inappropriately when they claimed his work demonstrates that ALL chemicals applied to our skin (particularly armpits and privates) absorb through the skin into our bodies. Our discussions with Dr. Kasting, and our readings of the research he has graciously provided us, demonstrates that about 4% of chemicals applied to armpits and genitalia absorb through and into our blood, fat & lymph cells, but that is dependent on at least three factors: molecule size, mass, and polarity. Let’s say that some of your deodorant chemicals (including synthetic fragrances) are able to get through the skin: at 4%, that means that you would have to apply 25 deodorant sticks before all the target chemicals would be inside your body from a single stick; and that would likely be a small minority of the total ingredients in your favorite deodorant. That said, at Simplify by Kim, our concern is that only takes a very small amount of a toxic chemical to get into your cells near the mitochondria where DNA & RNA replication goes on to cause potential health problems. We want to believe that our bodies have mechanisms to rid themselves of those chemicals as quickly as possible as waste stream, but any time foreign chemicals that have no nutrient value get into our bodies, we’ve created excessive work for our immune system to deal with and which could overcome our capacities to prevent diseases like cancer. At least we hope to offer a solution that allows you total peace of mind on those issues in regard to your fight against body odor.

We believe that there’s a reasonably good chance that Dr. Kasting’s work, and the work of those he has trained over the years, has had a positive impact in your life, and we feel he deserves our attention and kudos. Thank you Dr. Kasting for your research and your encouragement. Your responsiveness to our questions deserves our gratitude and recognition.