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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?

As researchers for Beautypedia, it’s fair to say we work the beat for the Cosmetics Cop precinct. Every day we take to the phones and to the streets in an effort to track down complete and correct ingredient information for the thousands of products housed in Beautypedia. Considering that no formula-specific or trade secrets are revealed within these lists (and that these products go on our bodies and faces) it’s simply baffling that this information isn’t made readily available. Companies like to boast about their newest, magical ingredients and then suddenly get shy when you want to know anything more (basic stuff like studies or research details). The more time we spend patrolling the industry for Beautypedia, the more we feel that you should know the kind of lengths we have to go to do our jobs– it’s sometimes amusing, often maddening, and always makes us shake our heads in disbelief.

What’s so infuriating is that sometimes even the bigwigs in the cosmetic industry agree that disclosing ingredient information is important, and yet either hypocritically or just because they think no one will notice they keep this information deliberately unavailable or difficult to access. For example, in this month’s ELLE Jane Lauder (VP and GM of Origins, not to mention Estee Lauder’s granddaughter) went on the record as saying “Every company should be clear about what ingredients it is using.” If only that were true! This quote brought a groan from all of us here at Beautypedia that could have been heard around the world. First of all, Estee Lauder is one of the more notorious companies for making it almost impossible for us to get ingredient information from – their web sites are void of ingredient listings. For us that means we have go to the cosmetic counter and transcribe it by hand, or contact their call center and wait 1-5 days for the ingredient list to be sent to you, if it arrives at all.

I hate to get in a pissing match. That isn’t what I wanted this blog to be about in the least. Fun, upbeat, iconoclastic, ironic, challenging, pushing the envelope, and open minded but not rude or insulting. Please, let’s keep it that way.

The post that I’m not the only one “asking” about ingredients isn’t the point I was making. We don’t just ask about ingredients or ask what the chemist thinks. We ask to discuss the properties of the ingredients, compare research (which they usually don’t have because these people are chemists, not researchers), and look at the ingredient manufacturers’ data with a skeptical eye because that is rarely published research. Of course I’m not the only one but my team and I are among the few who come in with research and facts, not press releases or articles from fashion magazines. As someone who’s been in this industry for 30 years and has worked with hundreds of cosmetic chemists, what each and every one has told me (and I even belong to he Society of Cosmetic Chemists not to mention all the other work I do) the people they meet with have no idea about cosmetic formulations and ingredients. Of course, people are curious about ingredients. The fact is marketing people are not researchers either, they don’t know how to read scientific data or studies, and they are at the forefront of getting a product on the shelf, for makeup that’s fine, but for skin care, it is really unnerving.

The 3rd edition of my book The Beauty Bible will be out next month! It just blows me away as to how much new information there is. Everything from controversies in sunscreens, the organic natural debate/hysteria, antioxidants, inflame-aging., and on and on has all new research and studies concluding different aspects of how best to take care of skin.

Perhaps the most stunning part for me is the research of why irritating ingredients are so bad for skin but in particular oily skin. This is where my endless recommendations and nagging not to use alcohol or menthol, citrus, eucalyptus, volatile fragrance components (natural or otherwise) makes even more sense. It turns out irritating ingredients can stimulate oil production by triggering a neurogenic response that release androgen receptors in the pore thus producing more oil. (Sources: Archives of Dermatologic Research, July 2008, pages 311–316; Dermatology, January 2003, pages 17–23; and Medical Electron Microscopy, March 2001, pages 29–40.) This means when you use products that contain irritating ingredients, though you may initially feel less oily because they decrease the oil on the surface of skin, they stimulate the pore to make more oil then you hade before which creates an endless cycle.

I met with a business reporter yesterday who interviewed me about my business and my role as the CEO. Her questions were a great exercise. Really made me think about how I run my company and what is important to me. Here are some of the questions she asked and my answers:

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
It was from my father. He always struggled to keep his own business. I was very young when he told me nothing was as important as being your own boss. He said you will work harder then you can imagine and the money risks will be frightening, but at the end of the day, no one controls your time but you. It has been my mantra since I was 12 years old.

How do you motivate your team?
Mostly through empathy and blatant honesty which can be quite a balancing act. A fundamental concept of my company is don’t do to anyone else what you wouldn’t want them to do to you, and don’t ask anyone to do what you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself. I’m in there doing it with them every day. We also often talk about our fundamental mission is to change the world for women, giving them what other companies won’t. It’s important to almost all of us.

What is the most remarkable thing you’ve done to increase your business?
Found a way to maintain my integrity and retail skin care and makeup products. Believe me, that is unique in my industry.

Ihave been doing speaking and book-signing appearances at bookstores around the country over the past several months. It has been wonderful meeting women who have known me for a long time as well as women who are just getting to know my work. The feedback and questions I get range from the basic fundamentals of skin care to the challenging scientific queries about formulations. That’s what I love about the up close and personal interactions. That’s the upside, but there is a downside.

What I can live without are the women who want to tell me what they know about skin care and makeup that is as far removed from the facts as you can get.

A perfect example of this happened recently. I won’t tell you the city, but this woman came up to me and said that she just used olive oil because Cleopatra used it and ancient information is the best source of tried and true skin care. She was so certain she was right. Her emphatic tone made me hesitate responding. It isn’t my goal to get into arguments (I know that’s hard to believe given how opinionated and critical I can be, but all I really want to do is present information based on research and then let women decide for themselves what they want to use).

This time I couldn’t resist. Her comment was so wrong and silly. I just let it fly and said you’ve got to be kidding, you don’t really believe that do you? Cleopatra? Do you really know anything about her? No one has ever seen a picture of her. What did she wash her hair or face with, brush her teeth with (or if she lost a tooth what replaced it?), use for toilet paper, tampons, sunscreen, or acne?

Cleopatra died young so maybe her beauty was fleeting. Maybe she wasn’t beautiful at all and she was just politically advantageous for the men involved? If she was beautiful it certainly wasn’t about olive oil any more then it would be for Beyonce or Angelina Jolie today.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t use “ancient” information that was even a decade or two old more or less a few thousand years old. Research, technology, science, knowledge, capacity, and on and on are light years ahead of where we have come from and still have yet to go. (Had she never heard of the genome project?)

Relying on ancient information, whatever that means would suggest the world is flat, the gods are appeased by human sacrifice, body sweat and mud makes a great skin care product (really, that’s what the Greeks used), and lead in powder was a great makeup base (which caused necrotic skin and that was only from the 1700s).

Facts are so much better then bromides and myth. I hate the term ‘old wives tales’, but when the phrase fits, it fits.

Hi Paula!

I’ve never written to a company before regarding their products, but I feel compelled to do so with Paula’s Choice! Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with mild acne and oily skin that can be super-dry in certain areas. I’ve tried it all – Proactiv, Murad, Clinique, Philosophy, prescription topicals, antibiotics, Eucerin, Neutrogena; you name it. I decided to try Paula’s Choice on a whim, ordered a bunch of samples, and am loving it. Your products are state-of-the-art, made with some of the finest ingredients out there, including antioxidants, and non-irritating. I no longer feel like I need to dry out my skin with harsh products to get it to clear up; with your products, my skin is the healthiest, most hydrated and most balanced it has ever, ever been. THANK YOU SO MUCH! You also operate on a wonderful business model. I love the fact that you sell samples and provide honest reviews of products other than your own. My favorite products of yours are: any of your cleansers, Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner, Skin Balancing Moisture Gel, and 2% BHA Lotion. I’m so glad I’ve found your products; no more searching, no more wasting money on awful products–just clear, soft, healthy skin! I actually look forward to my skin care regime every AM and PM! You are the best.

Thanks again so very much,
Jodi

Dear Jodi,
What a great letter to start the week with! Thank you very much for taking the time to share your Paula’s Choice experience with us. Paula is thrilled to know your skin is in such great shape now. Testimonials like yours are a key reason Paula and her Product Development team strive to offer our customers the best products possible. It is incredibly gratifying to know that we’re succeeding and making people excited about skin care without false claims.

Thanks again for your comments,
Bryan Barron

Can a friend tell a friend she doesn’t like her hair?  makeup?  shoes? outfit?  Some might say, “Who are we to judge?”  My response, “We’re women, and we all have an opinion about how other women look!”

After reading hundreds of fashion magazines and watching countless celebrities walk down the red carpet, we judge other women’s appearance all the time. Who wear’s this dress better?  Brittany, Nicole, Kate?  We comment and critique appearance all the time, but it seems to be okay only if it’s a stranger or a celebrity or someone we’re “gossiping” about, not someone we care about.

As a psychologist, what I find most fascinating is that I can tell my friends something I don’t like about their husbands, their jobs, their kids, or the way they handle splitting a restaurant bill, but I can’t tell those same women to lose the black hair dye, stop over-bleaching their hair because it looks like straw, or change foundations because the one they use makes them look like they’re wearing spackle.

How do I tell a dear friend that her bulky unplucked eyebrows look like a forehead moustache, or tell another friend that her thick gray mane that she thinks makes her look like a feminist, actually makes her look like she’s ready to go out Trick or Treating.

So, what’s a beauty critic to do? Just ask my sister, which is why she reviews products and not the way women look?

My recommendation is to be open to feedback. Talk to your friends whose beauty sense and compassion you trust and ask them “What do you really think?”  Then listen openly, undefensively.  You don’t have to take anyone’s advice.  You can do whatever you want.  But, most importantly, know that if a friend doesn’t like something about the way you look, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.  Quite the contrary, I believe loving friends tell each other what they think.  And always remember, that whatever you might do, hair grows back, roots grow out and makeup washes away.

I had an interesting discussion with a producer of an infomercial last week. Because of confidentiality I can’t tell you which one, but it really doesn’t matter because they are all the same and they all lie through their teeth the same. This producer knew that the script she was going to be videotaping was mostly misleading or untrue. Don’t get me wrong, she was very nice and she appreciated my research and critique of the topic, but of course there was nothing she could do about it. And nothing I could do either.

There are things I put up with in the world of beauty that just drive me crazy, and I mean a lot of things. Of course I put up with it because what else can I do? I can’t struggle with everyone I encounter (well I could, but there just isn’t enough time!).

One of the more irksome moments outside of the industry is the number of women I encounter who love bragging that the skin-care products they use that are all natural. Once they tell me what products they are using I know there is no way in hell what they are putting on their face is all natural or even part natural, except for the 70% to 80% water content the product contains. There just isn’t time to explain why what they believe isn’t true.

Or women who insist that they simply love the $$$$ anti-wrinkle product they are using. I bite my tongue because what I want to say that I can’t say is, you’ve got to be kidding. Can you really be that clueless? And of course the answer is yes, lots of women are that clueless. There is no way that product is worth the price (and it’s often in a jar package which makes it practically useless). No one should love anything that costs that much money when it’s just a moisturizer and often it isn’t even a well-formulated one at that. What does it take for women to realize that expensive doesn’t mean better in the cosmetic industry? There just isn’t time to explain this to the women I meet who don’t know my work.

What most women don’t realize is how everyone in the beauty business knows how the marketing and advertising for cosmetics is all BS. They all talk about it. They all know it. They shrug their shoulders and say, well it’s a living. Or they laugh about it. Either way, they meet women every day that are being suckered into products that can’t possibly perform as the claims on the label assert.

See what I mean about frustrating?