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…

Oops, I did it again. Even though I know better—and even though I’ve endured the aftermath the next morning in the mirror too many times before—I still fell asleep in my makeup, again, last night.

I knew I’d regret it, but the choice between getting up to cleanse at the sink or staying in bed (and sometimes the couch) is too overwhelming. At the end of a long day, my body longs to lie down rather than stand at the sink ritually going through my skin-care routine, and flossing and brushing my teeth, and using Latisse and using Minoxidil, and putting body lotion on, and putting a foot exfoliant cream on. Damn I have a long routine!

So I tell myself, “I’ll just lie down for a few minutes and finish the end of CSI or Glee.” Yeah, right. Who do I think I’m fooling? I know the odds are 10 to 1 that I will ever get up to do what my boyfriend affectionately calls “exit procedures.” But I stay lying down, nonetheless, knowing there will be hell to pay in the morning.

Foundation, blush, mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick look like hell the next morning when you’ve slept in it all night. The smeary, flaky mess you see looking back at you in the mirror is a disaster. Speckles of black mascara in and around your eyes, the streak of lipstick across your chin, and dark rings of shadow are a sight to behold. It looks like something out of a bad movie about the drug underworld.

But how bad it looks is only half of the disaster. Swollen, red, irritated eyes with veins bulging are coupled with crusted tears at the corners to create an itchy, sore, and uncomfortable mess. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, your skin is about to punish you for your negligence.

One of the problems with sleeping in foundation, pressed or loose powder (whether they’re labeled mineral or not), and blush (cream or powder) is that they all keep skin cells from sloughing off your face as they should. The combination of makeup and built-up dead skin cells ground into skin immediately clogs pores. For those prone to breakouts, it will trigger a new crop of pimples or blackheads that will appear first thing in the morning or will creep up on you by the end of the day. For those with dry or sun-damaged skin, it will just make your skin look dull and ashy. Yuck.

Though you shouldn’t have done it (and, as evidenced above, I’m just as guilty as many of you), here’s what you can do to minimize the repercussions of falling asleep in your makeup:

• Wash your face twice, and use a soft washcloth to be sure to manually (but gently) exfoliate your skin.
• You must absolutely use an eye makeup remover that has no chance of further irritating your eyes, and get every last trace and fleck of makeup off and out of your eyes. Paula’s Choice Gentle Touch Makeup Remover fits that description.
• Use lubricating eye drops (not Visine-like products) to soothe your eyes (this really helps!). The Refresh brand is excellent!
• Go over your face with a well formulated toner to add antioxidants to your skin and remove last traces of makeup from your face, particularly around the hairline.
• If breakouts or blackheads are a concern, it is essential that you apply one of Paula’s Choice BHA exfoliants (I prefer my Exfoliating 2% BHA Liquid, but you can always check Beautypedia.com for our list of best BHA products from other lines).
• If you can grab a minute, lie down with your head elevated and place an ice pack over your eyes (it will feel great and reduce puffiness and swelling).
• Apply a lightweight moisturizer such as a serum or a gel on your face and, if needed, a more emollient moisturizer around your eyes.
• If you can wear a lighter makeup than you did the day before you fell asleep with your makeup on, that would help a lot.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Do not fall asleep in your makeup again tonight. Taking brilliant care of your skin at night will always reap far better rewards than those five extra minutes you get by lying down before you get your makeup off. I know, better said than done, but my job is to say it. Now if I could only practice what I preach!

As if it isn’t bad enough having to battle wrinkles, but having to also struggle with acne is just depressing and confusing. Women don’t always outgrow acne, and lots of women who never broke out before can start breaking out in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and older; this is particularly true for women going through menopause.

So how in the world do you treat both? It’s actually easier than you think. The issue is that we think dealing with wrinkles is about heavy moisturizers or layers of creams and lotions, but it isn’t in the least. Those types of products don’t fight wrinkles! What fights wrinkles are specific ingredients such as antioxidants (like green tea or vitamin C), cell-communicating ingredients (like niacinamide or vitamin A), and skin-identical substances (like ceramides or lecithin). The texture of the product (cream or gel) is irrelevant.

Think about it like your diet. Salmon is good for you, but whether you eat it chilled, raw, broiled, stir fried, or poached, you are getting the benefit of the food. “Anti-wrinkle” ingredients can be found in a wide range of consistencies.

For someone struggling with blemishes, the ingredients that give lotions and creams their feel and appearance can clog pores so those types of products should be avoided. Gels, liquids, light serums, or watery lotions are unlikely to cause problems for blemish-prone skin. Every ingredient skin needs to fight wrinkles can be found in those types of products if they are well formulated.

To fight mild to moderate acne, the absolute best option is to start with a product containing 1% to 2% salicylic acid. This not only exfoliates the surface—which is one of the absolute best ways to fight wrinkles—it also has the ability to reduce, and in many instances practically eliminate, breakouts.

If you still need help resolving breakouts you should add a benzoyl peroxide-based product with a 2.5% or 5% concentration once a day, preferably at night. Research has clearly shown that benzoyl peroxide can be as effective, if not better than, prescription options to deal with mild to moderate acne.

Of course you still need a sunscreen because up to 70% of the wrinkles and aging you see on your face is a result of sun damage. Although if you are experiencing breakouts, a moisturizer with SPF in a lotion or cream form is likely to make matters worse by clogging pores. What I strongly suggest is wearing a foundation with SPF 15 or greater and a pressed powder with SPF 15 or greater.

You would also want to use a more emollient moisturizer just around the eyes. The eye area rarely, if ever, has a problem with breakouts and because the skin is drier there it helps to use that kind of moisturizer only around that area. But of course, it absolutely does not have to be labeled as an eye cream; any well-formulated lotion or cream will do.

It takes experimenting with effective products to find out what works for you. Here is what I recommend from Paula’s Choice:

Skin Balancing Cleanser (twice a day)
Skin Balancing Toner (once a day, under makeup as your moisturizer)
Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate (at night, over dry areas)
2% BHA Liquid (at night, but can be used twice a day)
CLEAR Regular Strength Acne Fighting Treatment (at night)
Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream (around the eyes twice a day)
Healthy Finish Pressed Powder SPF 15
Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20

My August 5 Online Radio Show was all about rosacea and what you can do to treat it. You can listen to the archived version here.

We were delighted to answer many of your questions about rosacea, but we know there were lots of questions that time did not allow us to answer. Here is a link to our complete guide to understanding rosacea which covers everything you need to know to gain control of this frustrating skin disorder.

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.

Our Cosmetics Cop Team analyzes hundreds of ridiculous, implausible, and downright false claims cosmetic companies make about their products every day. Even when beauty products really do turn out to be excellent formulations, the marketing mumbo jumbo used to describe them is akin to a Looney Tunes cartoon about skin care more than anything else. We wanted to share with you our top five product claims that just had us rolling our eyes last month.

 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…

Mendi A.
I would like to see a blog about the truth regarding sunscreen and how it’s allegedly preventing us from getting enough Vitamin D from sunlight, which is causing all sorts of different problems for people, some of whom I personally know (low Vit. D). The different info is really getting confusing. I want to protect my skin from damage and wrinkles, especially my face, but am I also hurting myself in other ways by doing so?

My team and I have written extensively about this issue. The articles are all on PaulasChoice.com. Click here for our article on Vitamin D and Sun Exposure. 

Kate B.
I would like a blog on how you defend your condemnation of alcohol and witch hazel in skin products to alternate-medicine people (like Dr. Weil) who vociferously promote them.

I’ve searched Dr. Weil’s website and he doesn’t seem to like alcohol, either. He has pages explaining it can be a causative factor for cancer, erectile dysfunction, dementia, osteoporosis, dry skin, and on and on.

For what I’ve written, there is nothing to defend; I am merely reiterating what the research shows is true for this ingredient. The studies we have cited on PaulasChoice.com for alcohol makes it abundantly clear that alcohol (in the form of denatured alcohol, benzyl alcohol, SD alcohol, and ethanol) causes irritation, free radical damage, cell death, and dryness. A martini isn’t a health food for your body any more than it is for skin. Alcohol is also a poor antibacterial agent for acne (the bacteria that causes acne isn’t on the surface of skin it’s in the pore and alcohol can’t penetrate that deep into skin), and because of the irritation it causes, it stimulates oil production directly in the pore.

The problem with witch hazel is that it can be a skin irritant when used daily and is often stabilized in alcohol.

Lisa D.
Color trends. I know how you feel about blue eye shadow but the group that grew up wearing it is now in charge and color is just as popular as ever. Is there any color(s) you find appropriate or have you changed your mind about blue at all?

Actually, the people developing makeup products are younger than you can ever imagine. They are not the baby boomers. Kids run the cosmetics industry when it comes to marketing and those are the people making decisions about the products being sold.

In terms of colors, I have never changed my viewpoint about blue or other pastel, overly obvious colors. But the fashion world has supported that viewpoint month after month, year after year. You only have to look at the makeup worn by celebrities when they are on the red carpet, or models in fashion magazines in ads for clothing companies, or the makeup on the cover girls on magazines—they aren’t wearing blue, purple, pink, orange, red, burgundy, or mauve eyeshadows. The neutral brown, tan, beige, charcoal shades are, and always have been, the best options for the eyes.

Kyra M.
I’d love to read about how and where Paula’s Choice is giving back to the community. Where does Paula see the greatest need?

At Paula’s Choice our mission is to take brilliant care of your skin, whether you use our products or someone else’s, but we also strive to do all we can to be of service to the community. There is no need that isn’t important. All any of us can do is be involved, donate our money and/or time and care, regardless of the cause. Paula’s Choice commitment to give in this way comes from our hearts and we are honored to participate in this effort.

Paula’s Choice and I personally and proudly support:

American Cancer Society
American Humane Society
American Red Cross (Disaster Relief Fund)
ASPCA
DAWN (Domestic Abuse Women’s Network)
Dress for Success Seattle (a division of the YWCA)
Habitat for Humanity
Humane Society of the United States
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Save the Children Federation, Inc.
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
United Negro College Fund
YWCA