However, as you can tell from how infrequently I post, I have lost the focus needed to keep this blog vibrant and up to date.

As Paula’s Choice continues to grow (we had a brilliant year: my international distributors are doing great, and I launched some of the best products I have ever formulated), I just don’t have time to do my blog justice and neither does my team.

Aside from the many responsibilities I have of running my company and formulating products (thank God for the team I have around me), I have a fervent desire to make the information and articles on PaulasChoice.com and my other intertwining websites—Beautypedia.com and CosmeticsCop.com—more dynamic, current, and scrupulously accurate.

As a result of all this, our brains and energies are maxed out. The reality (and this was a big wakeup call) is that none of us have room in our schedules to pay attention to this blog so it can flourish.

Therefore, as of today, January 6, 2011, the Beauty Bunch blog will become inactive. I will definitely miss your feedback and the questions you shared here. To those who took the time to comment, whether it was positive or negative, thank you for joining the conversation.

Going forward, my team and I will be more involved on Facebook (I sporadically go on to answer questions live). We will announce the updates we do to articles and product launches that appear on PaulasChoice.com or CosmeticsCop.com at our Paula’s Choice Facebook page, as well as @PaulasChoice on Twitter.

I want to thank you again for sharing this incredible forum with me. In the future I look forward to reading your comments and concerns on Facebook!

Warmest regards,

Paula

CEO and owner of Paula’s Choice

www.PaulasChoice.com

Out of the thousands of products we use and review each year, these standout favorites are bound to be a hit, whether you’re treating a loved one or yourself. Best of all, you don’t even have to leave your couch to find them!

Paula’s Perfect Presents:

• Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid ($18.95). I use it every evening and wake up with the smoothest skin imaginable. This never fails to amaze me, and I’ve been using it for years.
• Paula’s Choice Pure Mineral Sunscreen SPF 15 ($15.95). I use this every day on my hands and chest. The result: no brown spots … and it holds up beautifully, even after washing my hands.
• Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream ($18.95). This is the perfect moisturizer for my eye area!

Nathan’s Not on the Naughty List Products:

• Paula’s Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner Skin Remodeling Complex ($18.95). Innovation was the word for 2010 at Paula’s Choice, and instead of raving once more about our 2% BHA Liquid, I cannot deny (resist?) that the unique and complex formula in this newest addition to the RESIST collection is my new favorite body moisturizer! I have never been a fan of lotions for the body, so the Skin Recovery Toner was the perfect substitute … until now! With incredible benefits, the unparalleled array of antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients in the RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner soothed my winter dry skin, without the “lotion feel.” (Bonus: It takes only about 15 seconds to apply!)
• Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing System ($195). This was a gift from a friend—and it has been a fantastic alternative to the washcloth! I’ve dealt with ingrown hairs from shaving (endlessly, it seems), but after a few weeks of daily use, the Clarisonic, along with my  CLEAR Normalizing Cleanser, has made for the perfect shave and is a splurge-worthy gift!

Desiree’s Dream Gifts:

• Paula’s Choice RESIST Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid ($26.95). Even though I already use a BHA exfoliant that I love, I decided to give the Weekly Resurfacing Treatment a try after hearing all the rave reviews from customers. To my delight, I really did wake up with glowing, radiant skin the next morning. After using Paula’s Choice products for over a year now, I didn’t think my skin could get any better, but with the help of this product, it did!
• Too Faced Naked Eye Kit ($35). I fell in love with this eyeshadow palette the instant I laid eyes on it. There are nine gorgeous shades, including gray, beige, black, brown, and light pink, in either soft matte or shimmer finishes. It’s rare to find an eyeshadow set in which all the colors are beautiful and usable, but this kit nails it, offering endless combinations for subtle or sexy eyes!

Daynah’s Decadent Delights:

• Paula’s Choice Beautiful Body Butter ($16.95). This decadent hydrating cream is a staple in my life (especially in winter), and it makes an excellent gift because it’s so versatile and luxurious! You can use it on dry elbows, heels, or all over your hands. (I keep some right at my desk!) The texture is rich, but it absorbs so well you’re never left feeling greasy. The packaging is unisex, and an added bonus is the delicious chocolaty cocoa butter scent—and zero calories!
• Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour ($30). Very few shoppers are going to drop $30 on a lipstick, but that’s the joy of gift-giving, getting to spoil your loved ones (or yourself, we won’t tell!). I consider this lipstick a worthy splurge for any lady on my list—it’s absolutely divine! I can’t get enough of its creamy texture, incredible stain (which means it has staying power), and the gorgeous, sleek Chanel packaging. Lipstick may seem tricky for gifting, but the now-famous Mademoiselle shade is amazingly universally flattering (a blend of mauve, pink, and peach), and it will work on most fair to medium skin tones. In fact, it’s such a hit that Chanel counters all over the country sold out of the shade the first day it was on the market!

Bryan’s Buzz-Worthy Favorites:

• Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Moisture Gel ($18.95). It’s not an easy task picking my favorite Paula’s Choice product, but this one is my go-to. A “never-fail” option for handling minor dryness, it keeps my skin smooth (never oily,) especially after shaving. I use it every day, and during the winter months, I follow with one of our more emollient moisturizers for my eye area, which is drier than the rest of my face.
• Bumble and bumble Sumowax ($25). I discovered this styling wax back when Paula and I were working on the last edition of “Don’t Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me,” in 2004. Needing a wax for the way my hair was cut at the time, I figured, “Why not?” Almost seven years later, I am never without this product. It’s expensive, yes, but a little goes a long way; I can make a jar last almost a year. And it works so well for finishing my hairstyle that the expense is worth it. I also love Bumble’s Styling Spray; it works great for normal to fine hair that needs light hold and body without stickiness.

Happy holiday shopping, and don’t forget to check out Beautypedia.com for more product recommendations from The Cosmetics Cop Team!

My favorite part of this work, however, is coming across bizarre studies that I can’t believe anyone ever took the time to dream up. Every time I think I’ve seen the strangest one, I encounter another that’s even stranger, or perhaps one that just doesn’t seem to have any purpose whatsoever. Some sound more like elementary school science fair entries than medical studies. Either way, for your amusement, I share with you some of the sillier studies I’ve found recently.

• Pop your pimples while you ovulate. This study (from a group that must have little else to do) measured the size of facial pores during ovulation. They asserted that if you time the extraction of your premenstrual acne comedones with ovulation, at which time your pores are slightly larger, you will increase “facial attractiveness, well-being, social function and thereby decrease psychological stress.” They want you to actually time ovulation? Really? Well, that never worked for birth control, and it sure doesn’t work for acne!

• Expression lines predetermine wrinkles. It’s tempting to file this one under “Duh.” This 8-year study found that, all else being equal, “the pattern of expression lines predicts the pattern of future persistent wrinkles.” So, the smile lines and crow’s-feet that appear when your face is animated is essentially a wrinkle blueprint…. And that took them 8 years to determine?! They could have called us (or a lot of other folks) for the answer and saved lab time for something meaningful.

• Young women are better at guessing age. 20 men and 28 women, ages 22 to 64, were asked to guess the age of Caucasian women after viewing a series of nearly 200 different facial photographs. The study concluded that the women under 35 guessed the ages most accurately. Well, we can all sleep better now knowing that! Can you imagine anything more useless to study?

• Men have larger pores. This study assessed the relationship between sebum production and pore size. It turns out that the more oil you produce, the larger your pore gets, sort of like the more calories you store, the more you weigh. But, this study made an additional conclusion: being male is associated with larger pores, which is like saying that being male is associated with larger feet. On average, men are larger than women, pores and all!

As easy as it is to poke fun at some of this research, I know that for every needless study conducted to confirm common sense, there are dozens more that are making huge strides in the science of aging and skin care. Thanks to universities and medical labs all over the world, Paula and The Cosmetics Cop Team have the facts we need to formulate state-of-the-art Paula’s Choice skin-care products and to educate consumers about the products they use (or are thinking of using) on Beautypedia. Now that’s real progress!

Shortly after dinner on my flight, I got food poisoning (not from the food served because no one else was affected, and thank goodness it was only me or it would have really been a disaster). I was having waves of nausea, cold sweats, and a feeling I was going to fall if I stood up. Simultaneously, I was also developing a raging flu with a fever and cough (can you believe that!). I needed a wheelchair to get off the plane. Geesh!

Aside from my traumatic trip, everything else was spectacular and fascinating (I was in perfect health until my plane ride home). Taiwan is a small part of the world with a population of 24 million, in comparison to China which has a population of 1.3 billion people. It is so hard to fathom that number!

Taipei has a mix of old world and new development with one of the tallest buildings in the world. Beijing and Shanghai have very little that isn’t new. These two cities are a maze of endless towering buildings enveloped day in and day out with a thick haze of pollution that blurs the horizon as well as buildings just a few blocks away. Picture New York City on steroids with minimal visibility in any given direction.

Beijing has a personality that is a mix of Washington D.C. and New York City as it is the financial and political cornerstone of the country. Shanghai, on the other hand, is a shopping Mecca. You can’t imagine the number of department stores, clothing boutiques, and home décor shops there are.

Despite all this potential to spend money on enhancing my wardrobe and home, it was sheer agony because there was no way anything was going to fit me. I was trapped in a world where on rack after rack there were stunning outfits but only with sizes ranging from 00 to 6. Can you believe that double-zero is actually a size? I don’t think I could fit a double-zero on my forearm, let alone try to make a top or pair of slacks work!

The media attention for the launch of my book in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese and my Paula’s Choice product line was astounding. My reputation as The Cosmetics Cop preceded me, and, not surprisingly, I was asked the same questions in China that I am asked all over the world (what gets rid of dark circles, what stops wrinkles, what products clear up acne), only with a few twists.

Asian women wanted to know what products were best for their skin because they believe they can’t use products designed for Caucasians. From a chemistry standpoint, there aren’t products specially formulated for Asian skin but, not surprisingly, cosmetic company marketing departments reinforce this false notion with products labeled clearly as being designed for Asian skin.

The fact is, physiologically, there are no differences between Asian skin and Caucasian—or darker skin tones, for that matter—when it comes to skin care. Skin is merely the human body’s largest organ. The same way the heart, kidneys, liver, or other organs don’t require different foods to be healthy, nor does skin.  Can you imagine going in for, say, heart surgery and telling the doctor you need a special procedure because of your nationality?

Skin color does not change what skin-care products are needed to fight wrinkles, acne, rosacea, oily skin, dry skin, uneven skin tone, and on and on. The protocol is the same for everyone, and there is no research to the contrary.

I was also asked a great deal about skin-care products that could make skin white. At the cosmetic counters and drugstores in China and Taiwan there are countless products branded as ”whitening.” Whitening products are actually the most popular skin-care products sold in Asia. Wanting to have lighter skin has been part of the Asian culture for hundreds of years, and most Asian women are diligent in this pursuit.

It isn’t so much that Asian women want to be white, they just don’t want to be yellow. In China, I was told there are age old sayings illustrating this beauty issue. One such idiom I had never heard before was, “One white face erases 100 ugly.” Loosely translated, this phrase in essence means that if you have whiter skin, 100 other flaws such as acne, a large nose, or thin hair don’t exist anymore and you are beautiful nonetheless. Another expression describing an unattractive older woman was to refer to her as a “yellow-faced old woman.” Now that was culture shock for this Cosmetics Cop!

Just to be clear, I have no judgment about the pressure Chinese women feel about the color of their skin. Every culture has women fretting about some aspect of being beautiful that sounds oppressive, and Asian women are no different, which is why they need a Cosmetics Cop as much as other women do anywhere else I go.

Speaking of skin-care products, I am thrilled my products are doing so well in Asia despite the fact I don’t sell “whitening” products. I am proud beyond words to find Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese women so warm and open to my information and the skin-care philosophy and research Paula’s Choice provides.

Despite some bumps along the way, I am looking forward to going back. There is so much more to learn and to see. Plus, I continue to be acknowledged around the globe for being The Cosmetics Cop! This international recognition has brought new meaning and challenges to my life. I am grateful for the privilege and am eager to continue and expand the passion I have for this perpetually wonderful, yet at times infuriating, business of beauty.

By “work,” I mean we literally hit the streets, notes in hand, ready to visit drugstores, department stores, and specialty shops to personally look at dozens upon dozens of skin-care and makeup products. As you might imagine, this process requires lots of preparedness and concentration, not to mention a comfortable pair of walking shoes!

A co-worker and I recently did some research in Vancouver and it went beautifully! Not once were we asked to leave a store (yes that actually happens to us) or suspiciously questioned as to what we were doing, or even eyed with nervous apprehension. It seemed the salespeople simply viewed us as conscientious consumers with a rather intense curiosity about cosmetics—and that’s just fine with us!

What really struck me during this last trip was how different it can be doing such research in Vancouver vs. Seattle and environs. When we’re out doing our work in the U.S. we’re almost always on guard, ready to explain why we’re taking notes, why we need to see every shade of foundation (not just those the salesperson thinks will match our skin), and why we need the complete ingredient list rather than just the buzz-worthy ingredients the cosmetics industry loves to emphasize. We were careful in Vancouver, too, but found that for the most part, the salespeople weren’t all that concerned with what we were doing (and when they approached us they were always polite as opposed to the terse “What are you doing?” we normally get). 

I don’t know why this is, but we really appreciated just being able to go about doing our research without being questioned or treated like we’re up to no good. It’s amazing how often we’re either viewed as shoplifters or, more often, as employees from another store, there to check out the prices at a local competitor (I’ve been accused of this at Walgreens and Wal-Mart, and have had my notes scrutinized by management at Wal-Mart, not to mention questioned by security at Sephora stores) despite the fact the information we are gathering is mandated by the FDA to be available to the public.

The department stores can be the worst. Salespeople are often rude, they tend to hover, or they protect their products as if we were going to steal something. We gladly go through these experiences for you and have for years (even Paula has been thrown out of stores for writing down ingredients lists), because our goal is to do what it takes to get you the facts about the products you are buying. We truly want to help you spend your cosmetics dollars wisely, because wasting money is never pretty.

Of course, we’ve had lots of pleasant experience doing cosmetics research in the States. I can think of several salespeople who’ve been exceptionally helpful and who’ve willingly provided the information we need. These encounters are always appreciated. But I do need to send a great big “thank you” to the city of Vancouver for being such a great overall place for The Cosmetics Cop Team to do the work that so many consumers rely on to make informed decisions about what they buy. Until next time, Vancouver, THANK YOU!

From the beginning my goal has been to help women find products that will give them the skin they’ve always wanted. Over the years, I have watched my passion of providing brilliant skin care products for every concern grow from being just distributed in the United States, into Paula’s Choice products being distributed in 42 countries around the world. Adding Thailand to the Paula’s Choice family is a dream come true!

Visit the official Paula’s Choice Thailand website here!

Warmest regards,

Paula Begoun

At Paula’s Choice, we believe that environmental sustainability requires a greater awareness of the impact we have from daily business, and how we can ensure we’re doing business with the least harm. As we’ve grown globally, so has our concept of what it means to be sustainable—ecologically, economically, and socially. Did you know that Paula’s Choice is one of the few cosmetics companies that have had a policy of sustainability from the very beginning? It’s true!  Our packaging and printing materials have always utilized sustainable methods, and we source the ingredients used to formulate our products responsibly. For the ingredients used to develop the skin-care products that you’ve come to know and love, Paula looks for the sustainable alternative—not the least expensive option.

As a new employee of Paula’s Choice, I’ve observed extraordinary steps made towards environmental responsibility. Many cosmetic companies are only now showing interest in sustainability, either in response to controversy (with the vague promise of implementing new, “greener” policies within the decade), or with superficial efforts to appease questioning consumers. Paula’s Choice has never felt it necessary to choose between having a conscience and turning a profit. In our ongoing efforts to develop state-of-the-art skin care, we routinely seek out the most sustainable methods of doing so.

Recently, a Facebook fan asked the source of our palm oil in our RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum. She mentioned that palm oil production has its destructive sources, some of which have had devastating effects on rainforests along with human and animal habitats.  Naturally, she was concerned about our use of this ingredient, and there was good news to report: We’re one of the few cosmetics companies in the world to be able to state that from our first use of palm oil, Paula and her team chose the sustainable premium.

The palm oil used in Paula’s Choice products originates from a Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Certified (RSPO) farm—Malaysia-based Carotech. The process to achieve RSPO certification has become much more aggressive than when it first became an option in 2002. Although sustainable palm production may not be widely accepted, major environmental organizations strongly believe that the transparency and independent process for certification is an important step towards maintaining the sustainability of palm oil.

This was a single instance of a Paula’s Choice customer wanting more information about why we make the choices we do, and assurance that our products were not only ethically produced and packaged, but had sustainable origins. In our efforts to bring you the best skin care that advanced science can offer, we will never forget the impact we have on the environment. While the road to sustainability is never a perfect one, Paula’s Choice has worked hard to make sure our customers never have to make the choice between great skin and ethical skin-care products.

We’d love to hear from you—how do you define sustainability—and are you living up to your own standards?

The years of negative experiences I’d had with exfoliation were written all over my face: dry skin, acne, blackheads, and overall dullness. What I didn’t know was that exfoliation didn’t have to hurt, and that a well formulated exfoliant could very well be the answer to solving the majority of my skin problems. It only took a few minutes of reading the dozens upon dozens of customer testimonials raving about Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid for me to decide to give it a try. Anything was better than that awful scrub!

When I started using a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) exfoliant, I was sure I was doing it all wrong. It all seemed too easy! At night after using a gentle cleanser, I applied a small amount to my face with a cotton ball and that was it. I couldn’t believe it. Nothing burned, and there was no grit—how could this product actually be working without me having to scrub? Skeptical, I went to bed thinking I’d missed something, but when I woke up, my face had an unmistakable glow. Looking in the mirror, I didn’t care how it worked—I was just overjoyed that it did!

As a member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, I now understand the science. Exfoliants that aren’t scrubs usually contain beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), both of which encourage cell turnover without the risk of tearing skin. At this point, it’s impossible for me to go back to my old ways, and my husband’s tub of St. Ives is long gone! I also now know that it’s very difficult to find products that are carefully formulated to actually work like Paula’s exfoliants do. Doing research for Beautypedia, I see promising product after promising product come through our offices, only to discover that the pH is too high to permit exfoliation or that it contains some deal-breaking irritant that will cause more harm than good for your skin. Paula’s Choice customers were right all along: Paula’s exfoliants truly stand alone!

A few months ago, I blogged about the one product I really can’t go without: Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid. And, yes, this is yet another blog singing its praises. I guess even I’m one of those crazed fans, but I can’t help it. I credit that one product with breaking my acne and blackhead cycle, staving off fine lines and wrinkles (even as I turn 34 next month), and giving me the skin I always hoped I could have. My only regret now is that I didn’t start exfoliating the right way sooner!

Adding a BHA exfoliant to my daily skin-care routine was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made—period. What about your experiences with exfoliants? Did you notice an about-face after switching from scrubs to an AHA or BHA product? How has your skin changed since you began using an exfoliant?

For example, if you decide to look up decyl glucoside you’ll find out it is a gentle cleansing agent. But how much of that ingredient do you need and what other ingredients does it work best with? Or what about the dozens of other gentle cleansing agents that can be used instead? The same is true for antioxidants and countless other beneficial ingredients.

Making it even more complicated is the more than 20,000 cosmetic ingredients that a cosmetic chemist can select from to use in any formula in an endless variety of amounts. Now that’s really confusing!

Here’s what you need to know to make the most sense of it all:

1. The benefit or risk of any ingredient is in the dose, the form, and the delivery system. For example, salt is composed of sodium and chloride. Pure sodium and chloride by themselves are corrosive (think what happens when salt is sprayed on ice-covered roads), but together they become a tasty seasoning for food. But consuming too much salt can be a serious problem for high blood pressure. It works this way for each and every cosmetic ingredient as well.

2. While concentrations and formulation are everything, there is very little consensus in the cosmetic industry on how much of an ingredient is best or in what combination with other ingredients it should be used with. What studies do exist have limitations as the possible combinations are, quite literally, endless.

3. For most ingredients, knowing the percentage doesn’t give you much information at all because ingredients often work in combination with other ingredients, or as a part of other products’ formulations it is meant to work with. How much of each, and with what other products it’s to be used with, is the art of the formulator. I could never explain that for the large range of ingredients and products I’ve chosen to use for Paula’s Choice various skin-care systems, which is why, with a few exceptions, I have chosen not to reveal specific percentages for ingredients.

Delving a bit further into individual ingredient percentages, we always disclose the percentage of active ingredients required by the FDA for sunscreens, skin lightening, and acne products. We also share concentrations of the salicylic acid and glycolic acid we use because those ingredients do have specific research about how much is needed for optimal efficacy. But for the other ingredients I use in my products the specific percentage is what makes each formula unique to Paula’s Choice. Most important for you to know is that I have formulated my products based on my 30 years of experience in the cosmetics world using a cocktail approach to skin care.

Why “cocktail”? Research makes it abundantly clear that skin requires a cocktail (mixture) of ingredients to keep it healthy. Just like your diet requires many different foods to keep you healthy, skin is just as complex. No one skin-care ingredient can provide what skin needs.
Mixing different, state-of-the-art, and effective ingredients results in a more powerful blend that can make your skin look beautiful and radiant. Now that’s great skin care—even though the ingredient lists may stir more questions than answers!

 1. Avon Anew Clinical Body Contouring Treatment ($25 for 5 oz)
Claims: “Tightens, smoothes and lifts in all the right places. Lifts sagging and reduces crepiness. Nearly 100% of women showed tighter skin on abs, hips and thighs, plus more lifted buttocks. Up to 93% showed firmer skin. Up to 50% more lifted buttocks.* Up to 50% tighter skin. Instantly skin feels firmer and more toned. In just 2 weeks 82% of women saw a more contoured-looking body. Over time reduces the look of excess skin on abs, hips, thighs and buttocks; works like an invisible body shaper to minimize unwanted curves.”

The first thing we asked is how does this product know what needs lifting and what doesn’t, given you’re applying it all over? Also, when would it know when to stop lifting? Who needs their thighs up around their waist? 100% of women had tighter skin, but only 93% had firmer skin? And up to 50% tighter skin? First, what’s the difference between firmer and tighter, and second, who was doing the counting because these are the oddest totals ever? And what does 100% of women mean? If there were two women who worked for Avon that would be 100%? It’s just all utter nonsense. There isn’t one ingredient in this product that is going to change the shape of your body. Perhaps this product should be called Clinical Downsizing of Your Wallet for $25!

2. ReVive Serum Presse ($295 for 1 oz)
Claims: “Instant gratification in a bottle…the first RéVive serum to give skin the look of instant lift and radiance. Noticeably lifts and firms the skin immediately with an advanced polysaccharide tensor while brightening soft-focus optics give skin an instant glow.”

Notice the words “the look of” before “instant lift.” That’s a clever way of stating what consumers with sagging skin want to hear, but in truth it isn’t saying your skin will be lifted at all. Quite the contrary, all you’re getting for $295 for 1 ounce is “the look of lifted skin” but that isn’t remotely the same as actually lifting sagging skin back into place. And even if it could do that, what happens to the excess skin? Does it shrink? Of course not, and there isn’t one ingredient in here that will give you the results you are hoping for. As for the “soft-focus optics” this is supposed to contain, it is a sham way to describe the shiny particles this product contains, the same shiny particles a $10 blush uses.

3. Clarins Fix’ Make-Up ($25.50 for 1 oz)
Claims: “A refreshing mist that sets make-up and prolongs its hold, while providing a feeling of instant freshness and well-being. Also provides continuous hydration and comfort.”

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we read this claim! There is nothing about this that translates to a real-life experience. It is designed as a spray-on mist to set your makeup, but this product does little more than make skin feel damp and slightly sticky. It contains nothing that enhances makeup wear; in fact, overdoing this can lead to makeup meltdown or streaking. Plus the fragrance from both synthetic and plant extracts are over the top and made us gag. Whoever thought this overpriced, gimmicky product was a good idea needs to rethink their career!

4. Nu Skin AgeLoc Gentle Cleanse & Tone ($53 for 2 oz)
Claims: “Gently purifies and primes skin morning and night. This sophisticated foaming cleanser combines cleansing and toning into a single step, while providing the skin with advanced anti-aging ingredients. This luxurious formula delivers your first infusion of ageLOC and leaves your skin feeling soft and refreshed.”

We had to double-check the price for this cleanser to make sure we weren’t seeing things, as this just may be the most expensive cleanser in the cosmetic world that ends up being nothing more than an exceptionally standard, detergent-based water soluble cleanser, and we mean really standard. Even if it did contain anti-aging ingredients, in a cleanser it would just be rinsed down the drain. Yes this works to clean skin and remove makeup, but the price is sheer lunacy. Similar cleansers are available from Olay, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, and Paula’s Choice for a fraction of the cost (and in sizes that won’t be depleted in two or three weeks).

5. Serious Skin Care Eyetality Total Eye Care ($36.50 for 0.5 oz)
Claims: “Eyetality takes a leap into the future of skin care and brings you our first all encompassing eye beauty treatment that addresses each and every specific need of the complete eye area.”

Talk about outrageous claims—how can any one product take care of each and every specific need of any area, especially considering this product doesn’t contain sunscreen! What about that need, given the wrinkles around the eye are almost all about sun damage, shouldn’t a “Total Eye Care” include an effective SPF? Even more implausible is the fact that there are no skin-care answers for puffiness, droopy lids, dark circles, or pouching around the eye. This is just yet another addition to the thousands of eye creams on the market making the same claims they can’t live up to.  

We just had to throw in one more:

6. Glamoxy Snake Serum ($150 for .85 oz)
Claims: “This revolutionary oxygenated, viper-inspired serum contains syn-ake; a neuro peptide that mimics the effects of the Temple Viper’s potent venom to instantly lift the face, freeze muscles and plump fine lines and wrinkles.”

We had to hiss at every claim this product makes. It is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to prove Glamoxy can mimic the affect of Botox. The entire notion is laughable and completely bogus. Snake venom doesn’t work like Botox in any shape or form. First, given you are applying it with your hands, if Glamoxy actually worked, wouldn’t the muscles in your hand be frozen as well? You would also likely be applying it to areas of your face you don’t want to freeze. The star ingredients listed on this product’s website with names such as Proturon and Ronasphere are trade names for sodium hyaluronate and silica, which are about as special as white bread! These are standard ingredients and completely without any Botox-like properties for skin.

Another overblown ingredient is listed as Fiflow BTX which is supposed to carry oxygen to the skin. The actual ingredients for this are perfluorohexane, perfluoroperhydrophenanthrene, perfluorodecalin, and perfluorodimethylcyclohexane, which obviously are not as impressive sounding as Fiblow BTX. These substances are fluorocarbons that do indeed bring oxygen to lungs in some medical situations, but the effect on skin, if any, is not known. After all, oxygen causes free-radical damage. Not to mention the EPA is considering taking these off the market. All in all, this product gives an entirely new meaning to the term “snake oil.”

Now let’s hear some of your favorites…