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ISO 9001:2015: Quality Management Systems
September 30, 2026The Library · Decode the Label ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems. It covers how a company organizes its processes, assigns responsibility, keeps records and reviews its own work. The 2015 edition was replaced by ISO 9001:2026, published on 16 September 2026, but publication of the new standard does not invalidate an ISO 9001:2015 certificate, and its expiry date stays the same. Companies get a three-year transition period to move to the new edition.  What it means on a beauty product: "ISO 9001 certified"... Read more...
Pregnancy-safe
Nobody checks this claim. Here's what to look for instead. No authority approves the words "pregnancy-safe." A brand decides to print them. That's it. So read the ingredients yourself. It's easier than it sounds. Stop using Retinol and anything like it — retinal, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin, adapalene Hydroquinone Salicylic acid over 2% if you leave it on. In a face wash you rinse off, 2% is usually fine Oxybenzone in sunscreen Strong essential oils Used retinol before you found out? Don't panic. Stop now and mention it to your doctor.... Read more...
Hair loss & thinning
The Library·What's bothering you Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Seeing them on the pillow, in the drain and on your shoulders is not evidence of a problem, it is evidence that you have started counting. The useful question is not how much is coming out, it is whether your parting is widening or your ponytail is thinner than it was a year ago. What's actually going on: hair grows in cycles, and at any moment some proportion is resting and due to shed. Sudden diffuse shedding... Read more...
Anti-ageing
The Library·What's bothering you Nothing on this page will lift anything. Topical skincare works on the surface and the upper layers. It can soften fine lines, even out tone and improve texture, and the evidence for that is good. It cannot change the shape of your face, and any product implying otherwise is describing surgery it did not perform. What's actually going on: two separate processes. Intrinsic ageing is genetic and happens regardless. Photoageing is sun damage, and it accounts for the large majority of what people actually dislike: the... Read more...
Dry & damaged hair
The Library·What's bothering you Hair is dead. That is not a pessimistic framing, it is the whole reason nothing you buy can repair it. Everything below the scalp is protein and keratin with no blood supply and no ability to heal. What products can do is coat, smooth and slow further damage, and that is genuinely worth doing. What they cannot do is undo. What's actually going on: the cuticle is a layer of overlapping scales protecting the cortex inside. Heat, bleach, sun, chlorine, hard water and mechanical friction lift... Read more...
Scalp care
The Library·What's bothering you Your scalp is skin. It has oil glands, a barrier and a microbiome, and it responds to everything skin responds to. Most people treat it as an inconvenience between shampoo and hair, which is why so many hair problems start there and never get solved. What's actually going on: flaking has two common causes and they are opposites. A dry, tight, lightly flaking scalp is barrier damage, usually from over-washing or harsh surfactants. Greasy yellowish flakes with itching are usually seborrhoeic dermatitis, driven by a yeast... Read more...
Frizz & damage
The Library·What's bothering you Frizz is not your hair misbehaving. Frizz is dry hair drinking humidity out of the air. The cuticle lifts, moisture rushes in, the strand swells unevenly, and by 11am you look like you have been electrocuted. Karachi and Lahore in monsoon are simply the worst possible conditions for it. What's actually going on: a healthy hair cuticle lies flat, like roof tiles. Heat, bleach, hard water and rough towels lift those tiles. Once lifted, hair loses water fast and grabs it back from humid air just... Read more...
Dry & dehydrated skin
The Library·What's bothering you Dry and dehydrated are not the same problem, and treating the wrong one is why your skin still feels tight after three moisturisers. Dry skin lacks oil. Dehydrated skin lacks water. Oily skin can be dehydrated. It usually is, in summer. How to tell which one you have: dry skin flakes, feels rough, and does this all year regardless of weather. Dehydrated skin feels tight and looks dull, but still gets oily by afternoon, and it changes with the season, the air conditioning, and how much... Read more...
DRAP: Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan
The Library·Decode the Label DRAP is Pakistan’s federal regulator for therapeutic goods, medicines, medical devices, and health products. It sits under the Ministry of National Health Services. What it means on a beauty product: here’s the part most people don’t know, ordinary cosmetics (a basic moisturiser, a lipstick) don’t go through DRAP. What DRAP regulates in the beauty space is anything medicated: medicated cosmetics, medicated shampoos, medicated soaps, and products making therapeutic claims (treats acne, treats fungal infection). These go through DRAP’s Medical Devices & Medicated Cosmetics Division for enlistment... Read more...
Oily skin in Lahore: the humidity survival guide
The Library·Routines & How-Tos From April to September, Lahore is a steam room with traffic. If your skin is oily, this is your hardest season, and most “oily skin” advice written for mild climates will make it worse. The counterintuitive rules: 1. You cannot wash the oil away. Cleansing more than twice a day strips your barrier, your skin panic-produces more oil, and by 2pm you’re worse off. Twice daily, gentle, done. 2. Skipping moisturiser backfires. Dehydrated oily skin over-produces oil. You want the lightest possible gel, and in peak... Read more...
Salicylic Acid (BHA)
The Library·Ingredients A–Z the exfoliating acid that gets inside pores - the single most useful active for oily, congested, blackhead-prone skin. What it actually does: salicylic acid is oil-soluble, so instead of working only on the surface like AHAs, it dissolves into pores and clears the plug of oil and dead skin from the inside. It’s also mildly anti-inflammatory, which is why it calms angry breakouts rather than aggravating them. Who it’s for: oily skin, blackheads, whiteheads, texture, mild acne. In our climate: where six months of the year your... Read more...
Niacinamide
The Library·Ingredients A–Z the most forgiving active in skincare. It helps oil control, barrier strength, and uneven tone, and almost nobody reacts to it. What it actually does: niacinamide is vitamin B3. It supports ceramide production (stronger barrier), moderates oil production over time, calms visible redness, and interferes with the transfer of pigment to the skin’s surface: which is why it shows up in every “brightening” product on the shelf. Who it’s for: honestly, nearly everyone. Oily and acne-prone skin gets the most obvious benefits. Sensitive skin tolerates it when... Read more...