We routinely receive emails (lots of emails) from new and longtime readers asking us to review a specific brand or product. It never ceases to amaze us how many brands are out there that we’ve yet to review—given the millions of products available, you’d think no one in the world would have a single skin-care complaint!

Lately I’ve received a series of emails from readers that leave me shaking my head at the audacity some of these cosmetic companies have. These women who write to us have the best intentions of finding products that work for them, but they’re increasingly up against some of the most ridiculous claims and prices we’ve ever seen. I wasn’t a bit surprised when I explored some of the products these women were intensely curious about…and found out that they were terrible in most respects. Good thing they checked with us first, but imagine all of those who don’t and wind up financially and emotionally down when the wow-factor claims don’t show up in the mirror. One more reason why, as Paula states, “You need a Cosmetics Cop!”

 But back to these emails I field daily…the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t put my finger on why even well-informed, Paula-educated consumers still get curious about products with miraculous claims and stratospheric prices. For example, one of the messages asked about a serum with placental enzymes that cost $200 for an ounce. Not only was the price outrageous, but the formula, quite frankly, sucked. Alcohol was a major ingredient, and it contained irritating plant extracts, too. Of course, placental enzymes (which come from animals, not people) have no effect on skin, but that’s fodder for another blog. This woman must’ve felt that the price and claims added up to something special, because she honestly wanted to know if this serum was worth abandoning the one she normally uses from Paula’s Choice. That’s a hard question for me because after reviewing thousands of products, I know the value of our formulations but at the very least if a woman is going to make a change it should be for the better, not for worse. 

I know women are always looking for the best products. They always want to know if some secret ingredient or formula really exists. The perpetual lure of advertising and dollar signs makes us second-guess ourselves. Is the grass really greener if only we spend a lot more money? With so many products vying for our attention, it’s easy to let our hopeful human nature to take over regardless of how much it costs. That’s not the most rational or pragmatic approach, but in the midst of seeing things we don’t like about our appearance (wrinkles, sagging skin, discolorations) who isn’t tempted to ignore reality and wish for the fantasy? I imagine many women, despite being consistently disappointed by products that don’t work as claimed, remain hopeful because of the boost they get from feeling as if they are doing something to address their appearance. It may not be the best thing and it may cost much more than it realistically should, but simply making the effort and refusing to give up has to count for something, right?

What do you think? Are my theories spot-on or did I completely miss the mark? As cosmetics consumers, how vulnerable are all of us to fantastic claims coupled with jaw-dropping prices?

I don’t often get press releases. Most companies, actually 99% of all cosmetic companies, don’t want me to know they are launching a new product because they don’t want to risk a negative review (who does?) Given that most every skin-care product on the market can’t live up to a fraction of the claims on the label, why risk close scrutiny when the scrutinizer isn’t tied to advertising dollars? If you think about it, even the cosmetic companies don’t believe their own claims or a company like Lauder wouldn’t be selling over 300 antiwrinkle products from the numerous lines they own from Clinique to La Mer. If one product could live up to the claims on the label, what is the need for all the other products sold at the same counter or the new ones they will be launching next month or the month after with the same exaggerated claims? But I digress.

When I do get a press release I automatically assume the company really doesn’t know what I do (which is often the case and then once they find out we never hear from them again). That might be the case for this company who sent me the following press release:

“I thought you might be interested in this new underwater cellulite treatment: Regardless of weight, diet and exercise routine, 90-95% of women will be struggling with cellulite this bathing suit season and all year round. Cellulite Reduction Water Therapy, a new non-invasive treatment offered at The Medical Spa at Nova in Ashburn, Va., uses warm water under pressure to break down fatty deposits and increase blood flow, effectively reducing cellulite. This 60-minute treatment is a targeted underwater massage performed in a hydrotherapy tub. The result is the breaking up of fibrotic connective tissue. The underwater massage also assists and enhances the body’s microcirculation and lymphatic drainage system by disposing excess metabolic water fluid. Because the massage is gentle, it is suitable for fragile or brittle skin or skin with vascular problems.

First and foremost their numbers are meaningless, 90% to 95% of women? Where did they get that number from? The actual statistic is that 85% of women have cellulite but not almost every woman born (isn’t 95% of women close to everybody?) worries about cellulite, but that’s a minor point. Second, there is no research showing this method of massage or any massage method is effective for dealing with cellulite. If you could get rid of cellulite with any cosmetic method who would have cellulite? No one, right? But that is clearly not the case, at least based on the number of letters I receive from women battling cellulite.

The other point is that fat has nothing to do with cellulite, though the idea of breaking down fat with massage is nice, if that was all it took to lose weight who would be overweight? It is important to realize that normal weight women, thin women, and extremely thin women can all have cellulite, ergo the statistic that a vast majority of women have cellulite. Blood flow doesn’t affect fat or the appearance of cellulite either; again there isn’t a shred of research supporting this nonsense. What is most ludicrous is the notion that fibrotic connective tissue is the problem. Fibrotic tissue or Fibrosis is the formation of scar-like, hardened formations in skin tissue. There is no research indicating that the healthy skin on 85% of women’s thighs is fibrotic.

Given the almost universal complaint  of cellulite from women of all weight and sizes, a hormonal issue is believed to be the cause of this condition. Since women are genetically predisposed to have babies, as a result their skin is structured to expand to accommodate a growing fetus. The skin’s laxity doesn’t keep fat in place allowing it to poke through weak areas of connective tissues fascia and collagen.

Once again, someone is ready, willing, and able to sell women some kind of “snake oil” promising to rid them of their beauty woes, when all they can deliver is a way to throw money down the drain. Well, that and the disappointment that comes when the consumer realizes her cellulite is still there!