Those of you who still have the freedom to make plans on Sunday nights might not know that there’s a full-blown beauty/gender debate unfolding on the fourth season of AMC’s stellar show Mad Men. The television series is set in the ‘60s and centers on the forward-thinking Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. Recently, they landed a big account with Pond’s Cold Cream. While brainstorming for the Pond’s campaign, the marketing team was at a stalemate: Freddy, the sexist but harmless fuddy-duddy, says that if they market Pond’s as a means for women to land a husband, it’ll sell. Peggy, the young proto-feminist copywriter, insists that focusing on Pond’s as part of a woman’s beauty ritual will speak to women who wish to indulge themselves in front of the mirror.

Of course, it’s clear that Peggy has her finger on the pulse of the women’s movement to come, but that doesn’t mean that Freddy’s take on what motivates women to purchase beauty-related products is all that archaic, even by today’s standards. Believe me, I would know. As someone whose job description means being uniquely steeped in beauty product marketing with a critical eye, I can assure you that while the goal may not be to get married, it’s definitely still important to get noticed by men. Don’t believe me? How many beauty products—makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance—are described as flirty? Sexy? Seductive? A lot. If sex sells anyplace, it’s with beauty products, which are almost exclusively marketed to . . . straight women.

This Pond’s debate on Mad Men got me thinking about what marketing angle sparks my own interest in a beauty product. With everything that Paula has taught me about the beauty industry and as a bona-fide member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, that’s not an easy question to answer. While I can’t say that I shop Dove exclusively, their Campaign for Real Beauty ads have definitely resonated with me. And Dove’s short films like this one that critiques the power that advertising has on women from an early age is compelling. I’m well aware that there’s an inherent hypocrisy to Dove’s marketing angle (particularly the image retouching), but the campaign’s aim seemed true enough to make a lasting impression on me.

What do you think? Are beauty products still aimed at helping a woman find a man or is it about female empowerment? And, for better or worse, which products’ ad campaigns speak to you?

After years of writing books that were actually too cumbersome to tote to the cosmetics counters (though many of you did just that), I am thrilled to announce that we are now completely mobile—and taking our reviews with you won’t be any heavier than your smart phone!  My Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews of over 45,000 skin-care, makeup, and select hair-care products are now available on the Beautypedia Mobile platform! That means anyone with an iPhone or an Android-equipped smart phone can access our unique, world-renowned database anywhere they take their phone.

Now we can really be with you at the cosmetics counters or salon, spa, drugstore, in-home demonstration, when you are reading a fashion magazine, and when you are watching an infomercial! Regardless of your budget, wasting money is not pretty!

And you do need me and my Cosmetics Cop Team! The cosmetics industry is so universally crazy that women from countries all around the world including Korea, Russia, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, Singapore, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China use our reviews to save their skin and save their money. 

All around the world, regardless of the beauty culture, women always ask me the exact same questions: what products really work for acne, wrinkles, sensitive skin, rosacea, dry skin, oily skin, blackheads, brown discolorations, scars, dark circles, cellulite, and on and on. My team and I have the answers, and it’s all there for you to access on your smart phone!

Everyone has wasted hundreds of dollars on products with claims that lied about what they can do. Our extensive research, relying on published information and our scrupulous analysis protocols is the only way you can shop safely knowing you are getting the absolute best products available for your skin and hair type.   

My team and I have written 18 books on skin care, makeup, and hair care, and each one has gotten bigger and bigger as more and more brands have hit the market. The most recent edition of Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me is over 1,000 pages. I know, I know, there is no way you could take that with you, but without the one-of-a-kind information we provide in hand when you were shopping, how could you know what you were really buying and how it compared to thousands of other products making the same claims? You couldn’t, and that is not a good situation for your skin, hair, or budget.

That dilemma is over now as long as you have an iPhone or an Android-equipped phone. My tech team has designed an easy-to-use site that allows anyone to quickly access the Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews, even when you’re standing in the drugstore or department store wondering which mascara or anti-wrinkle cream is the best.

Are you looking at a new product being promoted at the cosmetic counters? Sign in to Beautypedia Mobile and see what the Cosmetics Cop Team has to say about it before you spend your money and risk disappointment! This is truly smart, portable cosmetics shopping at its best!

If you’re already a Beautypedia subscriber and have created a My Faves list, all of those products will be accessible once you sign in from your smart phone. You can also add and edit the My Faves list anytime, anywhere, right from your smart phone! How cool is that? You can even email the Cosmetics Cop Team from your phone, alerting us about any product on Beautypedia Mobile.

My Cosmetics Cop Team and I know you will find Beautypedia Mobile to be one of the best parts of owning a smart phone. We designed it with you in mind, and its creation was a direct result of subscriber feedback asking for this service.

As always, we welcome your feedback and thank you for relying on us to keep you beautifully informed as you navigate the tricky, often deceptive world of cosmetics!

I have always been a huge sucker for reality makeover shows, from TLC’s What Not to Wear and 10 Years Younger to the CW’s latest attempt at a makeover show, Plain Jane. I admit these shows can be cheesy at times, but there’s something fascinating and inspiring about both the physical transformation and the newfound confidence the participants obtain—it’s even brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

So, I got into a little debate with someone the other day who thought it was shallow of me to enjoy these types of shows. Her point was that shows focused solely on how to improve your looks send the wrong message: conform to society’s standard of beauty so that you can find love, a better job, a better life.

Let me start out by clarifying that I absolutely agree that what’s on the inside is what matters most. No amount of makeup, plastic surgery or designer clothes can make up for an “ugly,” mean-spirited personality, and beauty has never made anyone a better person.

But I do think there is something rewarding about taking care of yourself and putting your best face forward. This is clearly demonstrated in makeover shows when you see the participant’s eyes light up and their confidence soar after their transformation is complete. How you achieve that is up to you—whether it means taking care of your skin, wearing makeup, exercising, or anything else that makes you feel good about yourself. The point is: It’s ok to care about YOU.

I know there are plenty of you out there who are thinking, “I don’t need that stuff to feel better about myself.” You know what, good for you! However, if reality shows prove anything, it’s that there are people who, for whatever reason, aren’t giving themselves what they need. If that’s you, I urge you to get out of your beauty rut and take control of how you feel about yourself.

Here are a few tips to jump start your process:

• Don’t think you have time for good skin care? Here’s a guide to beautiful skin in five minutes!
• Have no clue where to start with makeup? Take a trip to your local department store and have several of the makeup artists there show you some techniques and help you pick out flattering colors.
• Are you worried about spending money on beauty products? Visit www.beautypedia.com where you can find cosmetic products in all price categories. Some of the top rated products are under $5!

The rest is up to you! Whether you agree or disagree with my thoughts on makeovers and the shows that focus on them, one thing is undeniable: Taking care of your overall wellbeing is important and sometimes that means making your exterior beauty a priority. Now, let’s hear what you have to say…

Many of you have asked The Cosmetics Cop Team about our take on The Story of Cosmetics video sponsored by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. It is clear the information in the video is inaccurate, unsupported, and is merely a vehicle to scare consumers—for some unknown reason—about the cosmetics they use. However, we strongly recommend watching this video from YouTube’s HowTheWorldWorks channel. It is well thought-out with independent research, so you can see for yourself what the real facts are instead of being misled by stick drawings and undocumented assertions as made by The Story of Cosmetics.

Because The Story of Cosmetics video is so shockingly biased, what you don’t know is that the assertions of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are routinely discredited by the independent scientific community. No one is dying or getting sick from using cosmetics and the environment is not falling apart. Rather, we now have safer and more effective skin care, better makeup, impressive shampoos and styling products, and more remarkable hair dyes than ever before. There is not a shred of evidence proving otherwise.

Bottom line: The information in the video sponsored by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is either misleading or 100% false. Much of what’s stated is not based on solid science, and only loosely (and we mean really loosely) based on facts. The truth is that there are some cosmetic ingredients to be concerned about; however, those ingredients are prohibited by regulatory groups worldwide, or the studies concerning their risks don’t relate to how they are used in cosmetic products.

The real story behind The Story of Cosmetics video is to tell you about The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. This Act seeks to put much tighter restrictions on what can and cannot be used in cosmetics. The problem? They are using information that in comparison would make sugar and salt in food illegal. The explanation they use that Europe has taken a lead in this arena is also ludicrous. My products are sold easily in Europe, but the proposal here in the U.S. would put my products in question and, regardless of brand, would leave consumers without many of the tried-and-true products essential for keeping skin issues like acne in check, not to mention helping your skin look younger, longer.

Preservatives are, without question, an important part of any cosmetic you buy. This is especially true for products that contain plant extracts—just think about how long a head of lettuce lasts in your refrigerator before it becomes a moldy, bacteria-laden mess.

Whether it is a cleanser, lotion, toner, blush, foundation, or mascara, without preservatives these everyday items would become overloaded with microbes you don’t want on your skin or near your eyes. But what makes a good preservative or a bad one? In the cosmetic industry with insanity prevailing these days, it’s getting harder to tell as most websites want to scare you to death about the ingredients in beauty products.

In reality, the amount of an ingredient is everything. What is dangerous at a 100% concentration or when it is fed to rats or injected under their skin doesn’t often, if ever, apply to a 0.1% concentration in a skin-care or makeup product. It is also important to understand that one person’s allergic reaction doesn’t speak to the millions of other people using it safely (just because you are allergic to cats doesn’t mean everyone is).

Let’s look at the ingredient/dose issue. Take salt for example. Salt is NaCl, sodium (Na) chloride (Cl). Sodium and chloride by themselves are corrosive, but together they become a tasty seasoning for chicken. But consuming too much salt can be a serious problem for high blood pressure, but not necessarily for those who don’t have high blood pressure. It works this way for each and every cosmetic ingredient as well.

One other point: Because preservatives, natural or otherwise, exert their action by killing microbes they can also have an irritancy reaction on skin. However, because preservatives are often used in such small amounts they generally pose minimal to no risk for most people in that regard.

Trying to hone down this complicated issue isn’t easy, but here is a brief summary for some of the more typical preservatives you may find on an ingredient label:

Parabens. While natural cosmetic companies love vilifying parabens, it turns out parabens in the form of butylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and ethylparaben are some of the more effective and gentle preservatives used in cosmetics. They were originally derived from plants and are mostly manufactured synthetically.
Concern over parabens made headlines because of research showing that they are endocrine disrupters. This research involved both oral administration and injection into rat skin which did show evidence of a weak estrogen effect on cells in a way that could be problematic for binding to receptor sites associated with proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. That is scary sounding stuff.
Current research investigating how parabens act when administered orally, topically, and subcutaneously to rats has shown that parabens are metabolized rapidly in living organisms and therefore cannot exhibit any adverse effects. Parabens are fully metabolized before they enter the blood stream. (For more information on parabens, visit www.cosmeticscop.com and use our Ingredient Dictionary.)

Formaldehyde. Is a very effective anti-microbial agent and can be used in a very low concentration in cosmetics. However, even in small amounts it can be irritating and when combined with amines (such as triethanolamine), can create nitrosamines. Formaldehyde in its pure form is a suspected human carcinogen.

2-bromo-2-nitropane 1-3 diol. Is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative but is not associated with the same problems as pure formaldehyde.

DMDM Hydantoin. Is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative but is not associated with the same problems as pure formaldehyde.

Imidazolidinyl Urea. Is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative but is not associated with the same problems as pure formaldehyde.

Phenxoyethanol. Is a preservative that breaks down into phenol, which is one of the reasons it is such a good antimicrobial agent. When ingested it can be problematic and exposure to the environment such as its effect on fish shows some concern, but when applied topically research shows it does not affect skin in any negative way for wound healing or other toxic reactions.

Benzalkonium Chloride. Is a relatively safe and effective anti-microbial agent.

Sodium Benzoate. Is considered to be a mild preservative with no known problems when applied topically. It is also used as a food-grade preservative.

Benzoic Acid. Is an effective preservative found in nature that contains a form of parabens. For cosmetics it is almost always synthetically derived.

Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone. Are known to be sensitizing and are not recommended in leave-on products. They are not known to have any other problems associated with their use in cosmetics. A toxicology and medical literature search shows no other issues with these two ingredients.

EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid). Is a chelating agent used in cosmetics to prevent metals such as copper or salts in water used in the formula from causing changes to the texture and efficacy of the product. It is not known to have any problems other than skin sensitivity. It must be used with other preservatives to be effective. Phytic acid is a possible natural alternative to EDTA.

Plant-based Preservatives. While certain ingredients have potential for preserving cosmetics, there is very little research showing they can carry the burden or remain stable to keep a product free of microbes over the life of the product. Further, because plant-based preservatives require larger amounts to preserve a product they also can become irritating or cytotoxic to skin. Plus, many of these extracts have limitations and are not without their own “scare” factor. Much research is being done on this issue.

Clove extract (eugenol). Can cause respiratory problems when inhaled.
Eucalyptus extract. One of the components of this plant is cresol, a possible carcinogen.
Cypress extract. Is a natural emission of methanol, which can cause irritation.
Sorbic acid. Can be found in nature, but is more often synthetically derived.
Tree lichen extracts. Are effective against mold and fungus, but not bacteria.
Lonciera Japanese. Is better known as honeysuckle and is a natural source of parabens and therefore can be an effective preservative.

When all is said and done, there is truly no reason to be scared of the preservatives in your product. The alternative is not a pretty picture, and natural ingredients are not without their risks. Beautiful products stay beautiful and effective when a safe level of preservatives is used in the formula.

There is some pretty silly and often imprudent advice floating around on Internet sites and in fashion magazines offering beauty suggestions for traveling women. Traveling is challenging enough without having to waste time packing things you don’t need, or won’t help you get through security. The tips below will help you arrive looking gorgeous and feeling great!

Here is absolutely what you need to do so you can be a happy camper anywhere you go:

• Pack your carry on wisely. Do not try to get cuticle clippers, scissors, razors, or bottles over 3.4 ounces through airport security. Sharp objects of any kind are not allowed (I had a pointy pair of tweezers confiscated recently).
• Use a quart-sized plastic bag as recommended by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). You are only allowed one plastic bag, and because it can’t be said too often, the enclosed containers must be 3.4 ounces or less.
• Wear sunscreen! Not only are you going to be dry up there, you’re going to be exposed to intense UV light when the windows are open (it really helps to close those windows if your neighbor doesn’t mind).
• Wear shoes that expand. Your feet will swell up. Think brands like Clarks, Munro, Merrel, and Fitzwell.
• Forget the heels. Watching women all over the world teeter on heels trying to get through airports is just sad to see.
• Don’t wear flip flops. They offer no support which will make you feel and look tired and put your body into an unattractive and unhealthy posture (almost as bad as really high heels).
• Wear loose, nice clothes that expand and don’t wrinkle; you will look and feel great. Stretch jerseys are the absolute best. For high end, check out Misook at Nordstrom.com, and for less-expensive options check out MyShape.com! They have the most amazing collection of stretch jersey clothing ever!
• Whatever makeup you wear, be sure it is easy to remove for long flights. Sleeping in your makeup is awful for your face. You can end up with swollen, puffy eyes, breakouts, and dry, flaky skin.
• Wear lip gloss or a creamy lipstick. Lips dry out in an airplane and at high altitudes. You can also try a lip stain like Revlon’s Just Bitten Lipstain and keep reapplying the gloss that’s part of the packaging.
• Bring oil blotting papers. They help anywhere you are, but are especially helpful after a long flight.
• Do drink a lot of water and don’t have more than one cocktail. Your body and head will thank you for it.

What you should bring on the plane that can get through security:

• Afrin or some other nasal spray for when your ears get plugged during landing. It can make all the difference and can be used in the moment when you start feeling uncomfortable pressure.
• Bring a travel size container of your favorite fragrance, but don’t overdo it. The person you are sitting next to might have a sensitivity or allergy to fragrance (I know I do).
• Travel-sized packets of your skin-care routine are a must, and include a toothbrush and tiny travel-size of toothpaste. At the end of the flight it helps to do your skin-care routine, brush your teeth, and apply simple makeup. It will feel wonderfully refreshing and look beautiful.
• All Paula’s Choice skin-care products come in travel sizes, and I’ve never had them questioned at security so I don’t pack them in my quart-sized bag.
• To get your makeup on the plane, pack your foundation in the quart-sized bag. Other than my foundation I’ve never had my lipstick, concealer, mascara, or other makeup products questioned at security.
• Include a travel-sized packet of a rich moisturizer for your hands. My Beautiful Body Butter is perfect. It is dry up there and your hands will feel it. And don’t forget to apply sunscreen as a finishing step.
• Lubricating eye drops—what a difference these make! Not only does your skin get dry, but so do your eyes!
• Hair does dry out up in the sky; a silicone serum spray can instantaneously put shine back in your hair and make it feel soft and silky. Garnier Fructis Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray, $4.99 for 3 ounces, is perfect and can get through security, too.
• For more detailed information about security at the airport, check out www.tsa.gov, especially their travel assistant section. This is a thorough and easy-to-navigate site.

What you absolutely don’t need to do:

• Don’t spray your face with water; what a waste of time! Water isn’t moisturizing, it just evaporates and leaves your skin feeling drier. What your skin needs is to keep the natural water content (which is about 30%) and healthy substances in skin so it feels soft, smooth, and looks radiant. Using a brilliant skin-care routine will get you through life anywhere you are.
• If you are flying first class or business, don’t use the hot face cloth they hand you on your face. I never recommend steaming the face (heat can cause spider veins to surface and create irritation).
• Don’t pack aerosols because they can drain out under the pressure of traveling at 30,000 feet up in the air.
• Don’t pack pumps that don’t lock down. They will leak.
• Some caps come loose no matter what you do. If you are packing a particularly greasy item put it in a separate plastic bag.
• Don’t pack full sizes of your skin-care or hair-care products in your checked luggage. Travel kits are the best. You can find them in drugstores, online, and Paula’s Choice will be launching one this fall!

A Facebook fan of ours wanted to know more about how I develop Paula’s Choice products from concept to the final version, ready to be launched. They also wanted to know how my process is different from the way other companies create beauty products. I have to say, I love this question!

It is astonishing even to me how incredibly different my product development methodology is from other cosmetic companies’.

Creating new products and improving our current formulations is my passion and it has been my life’s work. Every product is my achievement or concept and I personally oversee the formula from every perspective. That alone is rare.

There are no owners or formulators for cosmetic companies who have spent the past 30 years writing 18 books on skin care and makeup. Most of the people developing skin-care products either don’t take the time or they don’t know how to evaluate a peer-review scientific study.

Many of the scientists who work for cosmetic companies are not penetrating past the claims of one product, or they don’t actually understand or are involved in an entire skin-care routine. You only have to look at the vast number of products in jar packaging, or that contain alcohol among other notorious irritants, or are antiquated formulations; for some reason this still shocks me.

My team and I always obsess over:

1. What the research says about the ingredients we want to use.
2. Analyze what the actual overall benefit to skin will be for a specific skin type or concern based on published research and then on our own clinical panel testing.
3. How it compares to other products (if I can’t make it far better and sell it at a more reasonable price than other cosmetic companies, we won’t make it).
4. Most importantly, it must work within a framework of superior skin care (gentle cleansers, toners loaded with “bio-active” ingredients, sunscreens enhanced with antioxidants, moisturizers and serums containing substances that repair skin and fend off environmental damage, effective exfoliants—not scrubs which tear at skin, etc).

What makes our process different is basically the following:

1. I have a unique concept of skin care based on published research about different skin-care concerns ranging from acne to rosacea, wrinkles, sensitive skin, oily skin, and dry skin, etc. Most cosmetic companies don’t approach skin care in a cohesive, systematic fashion; they follow trends or an exotic ingredient they can build a story around.
2. We never jump on bandwagons. Just because apple tree stem cells or ingredients claiming to work like Botox are being thrown into moisturizers, I would never include it simply because it would make for good ad copy or a fashion magazine editor would think it was new and different. The research must be there to support adding it to a formula.
3.  My fundamental philosophy is to never harm skin: Irritation and inflammation is bad for skin. There is no contradictory evidence on this one. Other companies throw in known irritants ALL the time because it sounds natural or they just don’t know what they are doing.
4. In the world of cosmetics most product development people are in the marketing department (that never fails to kill me). They decide they will be able to build a story around some new ingredient and then give that information to the chemists and a new product is born. That process has nothing to do with skin care.
5. Because my team and I have reviewed thousands of products and have spent every day poring over published research about skin, we know up close and personal what hundreds of other brands are creating and understand their formulations. We have a bird’s eye view of the industry and we can avoid formulary mistakes and can discern formulary excellence from every angle.

I’ll never forget the time when my product development manager, Kate Mee, and I met with a prominent cosmetic lab down in California (they did work for many of the major cosmetic companies). We sat around the table with three of their cosmetic chemists, two of the owners of the lab, and two of their main sales representatives. When we began discussing the formulas they had been working on for us, they were taken aback at the research we had done and the meticulous detail we went through to evaluate the ingredients.

I said, “Doesn’t every cosmetic company you work with do this?”
They said, “None of them do this.”
I said, “Then what do they do?”

Their response was that they “talk marketing ideas and what star ingredient they want the product to contain, or how the product should smell, or what natural ingredients we can put in it, but never research and definitely not an analysis of every ingredient.”

I said, “But if the product is for acne and they don’t have acne, or if the product is for dry skin and they don’t have dry skin, why would they try it?”

Their response: “They don’t really care about the ingredient deck. The people we meet with are from the marketing team; they don’t know anything about the science of skin, skin problems, or cosmetic chemistry. They care about appearance and how they can sell the product.”

Geesh! That was one of the most eye opening experiences of my career. I have written extensively about what can and can’t benefit skin. As new research comes to light we change or improve what we do. As new requests come in from our readers or customers we examine how we can meet those needs—often we can, but often we can’t. What we will never do is pretend a product can do more than what is possible. All of this adds up to skin care you can trust, whether it is from my product line or from other cosmetic companies’ products we recommend on Beautypedia.com.

For a lot of men, there is nothing new about the three-step approach to the morning skin care routine. Unfortunately, these three steps often only consist of drinking coffee, showering, and shaving. Most guys are professionals at using as few skin-care products as is humanly possible. The thing is, how we approach this morning routine says a lot about how we see ourselves. Confidence starts (or can be boosted) with better care of your face, and an effective skin-care routine can be both easy and quick.

Do you fit into this classic “I could care less about skin-care” category? If your morning grooming routine is strictly about shaving and nothing else—ignoring sun damage, oily skin, blemishes, or rosacea (lots of guys have rosacea)—you may worry that skin-care is a strictly feminine concern. Beyond the razor everything else is irrelevant and well, not “masculine.” And honestly, taking care of a guy’s skin is not any different than it is for women, just like taking care of a cut or burn has nothing to do with gender.

This stubborn mindset prevents us from taking really great care of our skin. Don’t kid yourself: Blemishes, sun-damaged skin, and razor burn impress no one. I am not suggesting you obsess over your appearance, nor is it necessary to adopt a ten-step skin-care routine. The basics of a man’s skin-care routine can be just that, basic. Easy, no sweat! Here’s what you need to know:

• Just because a skin-care product comes in masculine-looking packaging doesn’t mean you should buy it. Packaging tells you nothing about what’s inside.
• The vast majority of products aimed at men are pathetically formulated, mostly useless, and often overpriced—one more reason to ignore gender when shopping for the best skin-care products.
• Repeat after me: skin care has nothing to do with gender. A blemish is a blemish and sun damage is sun damage whether you’re male or female! Guys do not need stronger products because, in most cases, “stronger” means “irritating” and that’s not a manly move. Men need products that work without damaging their skin!

Aiming for well-formulated essentials that will protect your skin should be the goal, and that’s where the Cosmetics Cop Team comes in. However, you can also check the ingredient label yourself and avoid ingredients that literally hurt your skin such as alcohol, citrus oils, fragrances, menthol, peppermint, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Using products that contain irritating ingredients is almost as bad as neglecting your skin entirely.

Finding great products is simpler than it sounds, stick with me for a moment longer—going from shower to out the door in the AM can still happen in a blink. Here’s how it shakes out:

• A well-formulated daily facial cleanser that’s easy to rinse is the backbone of your routine.
• Choose a proper exfoliant based on your needs. Are you battling acne or blackheads? Go for a BHA (beta hydroxy acid, listed as salicylic acid) to exfoliate your pores and use a benzoyl peroxide disinfectant to kill acne-causing bacteria.
• If your skin is sun damaged and you have normal to dry skin consider using an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid, listed as glycolic or lactic acid) exfoliant. An AHA will greatly reduce the damage done from too many days without sunscreen.
• During the day, a broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 15 or greater is the last and most important step. You can find options that double as moisturizers if you have dry skin. If you have normal to oily skin there are lightweight sunscreens you won’t even feel, which most guys love.
• At night, if you have normal to oily skin a lightweight gel or liquid “moisturizer” loaded with state-of-the-art ingredients is incredibly helpful, or if you have dry skin a more traditional lotion or cream moisturizer loaded with great ingredients is essential. Check out Paula’s article about what makes a great moisturizer here.

Wondering how that new skin-care product you’re eyeing shapes up? The Cosmetics Cop Team product reviews at Beautypedia.com lists all our top recommendations. Following these simple tips can change how you feel about yourself, and on how others perceive you. You’ll see in no time that it’s so easy to improve your appearance!

If you would like information on which Paula’s Choice products may be right for you, call our Customer Service Department at 1.800.831.4088, email us at custserv@paulaschoice.com, or talk to us in a live chat session.

First things first: I love my mom. She’s an incredibly sweet, caring woman and it is because of her nurturing I was able to develop an inquisitive, determined nature (as a kid, I was the human version of Curious George and no end of exasperation for my mother).

Like women all over the world, my mom checks with me in my role as the director of The Cosmetics Cop Team about some of her beauty concerns. Lately, it’s been about hair-care products. At age 63, like many women Mom is experiencing thinner, more fragile hair. Mom states that her hair is thinner, drier, and harder to manage than ever. She’s always on the lookout for new styling products, and often asks me about the Redken items her salon uses (I advise her to save her money and she typically doesn’t fall for the sales pitch).

Not too long ago, she became overly interested and excited about Kerastase, the ultra-expensive salon brand owned by L’Oreal. It didn’t help that her sister (who definitely has money to burn) raves about the products. My mom took her recommendations seriously because they have similar hair types. Eventually, she wrote to me asking for less expensive alternatives (I had a feeling the high cost of Kerastase would get to her). Her Kerastase phase seems to be over, and she’s been happy with some of the comparable products I recommended from another L’Oreal-owned company, Garnier Fructis.

Here’s where things went awry: Mom’s looking for a lightweight styling product to tame her hair and add shine but not weight. I recommended the Aveeno Nourish + Style Volumizing Foam. It’s a good, inexpensive liquid mousse that should work really well for her, as she heat-styles her hair. She thanked me and then proceeded to check out this product online. Several minutes later, another email from Mom landed in my Inbox:

“Honey, one person who reviewed this product said it left a residue. Now I’m not so sure about it.” I wrote back and asked why she zeroed in on the one negative comment (which we didn’t find to be true in our review for this product) and seemed to ignore the 20+ positive (I mean really positive) reviews also posted there. She didn’t have an answer but that one negative comment stood out like a sore thumb and her trepidation soared despite what I had told her. She was worried it would feel heavy on her hair, too.

I responded as follows: “Mom, I understand your concern, but you don’t know anything about that woman and why she wrote what she did. For example, what if this reviewer doesn’t wash her hair that often? What if she uses a hairspray that leaves a residue, or double processes her hair? What other products does she use? What is her definition of residue? What kind of hair does she have? Without more information there is no way to know why she liked or disliked a product.”

Of course, the sobering truth is Mom just didn’t believe me—at least not 100%. She’d rather believe an anonymous woman online than her own son, despite the fact I’ve been studying and writing about cosmetic products (including hair care) for over 10 years. I mentioned this exchange to Paula, and she could relate. She remarked that it was years before she could get her mother to stop shopping for skin care at Neiman Marcus in tandem with her friends who only wanted to believe expensive meant better (Paula’s mom didn’t break this habit until Paula created her own line PaulasChoice.com).

Sigh. It isn’t easy being a Cosmetic Cop. There are so many hurdles to overcome like obnoxious advertising and thousands of opinions from people without the research or expertise to evaluate or really understand what they are using. Personal experience means something, but given the wide, often fickle range of preferences and expectations, it’s not the most reliable way to assess a product’s value or efficacy.

But my own mother! That is just disheartening. I love you Mom (and, to be fair, I’m not the perfect son and, like everyone else, have my weaknesses) but sometimes I just want to pick up the phone after these email exchanges and yell saying, “Mom, just buy what I tell you, I am 1000% right. I have the science, research, and the largest comparison database of cosmetic products in the world I use to base my recommendations on!” Of course, if I did that she’d likely acquiesce and promise to listen better next time. But I know it’s only a matter of time before she sends me another question about a product a friend, co-worker, or her hairstylist mentions, and we’ll go around and around again.

Most cosmetic companies don’t help us with the work we do at Beautypedia, especially not in comparison to what they do for fashion magazine writers. Even asking for something as simple as a press release is often like pulling teeth. That isn’t the case with Procter & Gamble, the company behind Olay, Pantene, Aussie, Cover Girl, SK-II among other beauty product lines. More often than not, P&G has provided us with the information we ask for. They have been more transparent than any other cosmetic company we reviewed, and considering we haven’t always reviewed their products favorably, that is really saying something!

So when P&G’s well organized and professional external relations department cordially invited us to tour their innovation labs in Cincinnati, I was sent to represent Paula’s Cosmetics Cop Team. Lucky me!

I wish I could tell you everything about my trip, but to properly document the whirlwind, three-day experience would take several blog entries (however, if there’s something specific you’re curious about, let me know in the comments and I’ll let you know what happened). I will say that P&G kept me busier than I thought possible: virtually from the time I landed until it was time to board the plane back home, I was immersed in a veritable Willy Wonka’s Factory for beauty.

As I toured the facilities, each room was a new laboratory or product in development (all with code names!) to discover. Some rooms were tiny and full of microscopes and slides, while others were auditorium-sized spaces with giant mixers and drums full of products. To my delight, the chemists who oversaw my tour told me that they have well-worn copies of Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me in their offices! How cool is that?

One of the most impressive and memorable parts of the tour were P&G’s hair labs, which seemed an endless maze of zigzagged hallways filled with people busily researching, developing, and testing Procter & Gamble hair products (they own Pantene, Herbal Essences, Nice `n Easy, Frederic Fekkai, etc…). In addition to housing a full service color salon for product testing on real people, P&G also owns thousands of pounds of human hair. This hair is made into small sample sets called “switches,” used to test the efficacy of hair products.

And when I say test, I mean they literally wash, condition, dry, flat iron or curl and then style the hair switch to see how it behaves with each product. Any room I entered revealed dozens of employees, decked out in lab coats and safety glasses, working with the hair: washing, drying, styling, etc. Once they’ve styled the hair switch, they run the tests with machines to measure shine, strength, volume—just about every aspect of hair care you can imagine.

I had absolutely no idea the extent of testing P&G does before a product goes on the market. Most fascinating to me was that a lot of the product testing isn’t done for efficacy, but also for cultural and regional preference. It was explained that consumer research shows that Latin Americans, for example, prefer their shampoo not to lather for fear that it’s too drying, while North Americans prefer silkier textures and lots of lather (but not too much), so that these consumers can tell it’s “working.” None of these aesthetic aspects really affect the efficacy of a hair product; they’re all tweaked based on what consumer feedback and trends tells the company they’d prefer.

As a result of P&G’s ongoing regional market research, there are seeming endless permutations of product formulas for Procter & Gamble customers across the globe. And now that I understand how contrived the texture and consistency of products can be, it’s also made me much more aware of some hair care products with aesthetic-based claims regarding silkiness, lather and so on. Good to know!

All of this hair hub-bub leads up to P&G unveiling their massive re-launch of their Pantene hair care line. Even though I’m forbidden (until June) from sharing any of the salient details of the new Pantene products, I can say that we’ve already received all 66 products here in the offices (I know, 66 can you believe that?) and we’ll have each and every product reviewed this summer on Beautypedia!

What about the current crop of Pantene? Expect to see those gone from store shelves by the end of May. And expect to see me back in Cincinnati should P&G extend another invitation to view their remarkable facilities!