My partner and I recently took a trip to the beautiful Chelan area of Washington State, an area known for its scenic beauty as well as an abundance of wineries. Given that we enjoy Washington wines immensely, both of us were eager to explore some wineries and see what was new.

While visiting a hilltop winery that overlooked Lake Chelan and the surrounding valley (a stunning view), I struck up a conversation with the young woman in charge of the winery’s tasting room. After small talk and lots of accolades from me about the wines she was sampling that day, she asked what I did for a living. I mentioned I was a writer, which immediately prompted my partner to chime in “He’s a published author who writes books with one of the best-selling beauty authors of all time!” Well, so much for being low key about my career…

Once she learned this, she paused mid-pour. Then she asked for the name of the book. I told her it was Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me—and she went nuts. “Are you serious? I love that book. We all do.” I have to admit I was a bit surprised this young woman (she was only 20) had heard of the book. Come to find out, she holds a second job as a saleswoman for Lancome at Macys in a neighboring town. She told me that her district manager is a big fan of Paula’s work and insisted her teams have our book at their cosmetic counters! Imagine that!

I stopped to enjoy a sip of some estate-grown Syrah before responding, after which I asked “But didn’t your manager notice that we don’t say a lot of nice things about Lancome, especially their skin care?” She knew, but apparently that didn’t bother her. In fact, the young woman stated that she agrees with a lot of what we wrote, but was glad we were complimentary about Lancome’s makeup (Lancome has always excelled with makeup). As it turns out, she and her co-workers routinely consult the book while at work! They use it to learn more about what they’re selling as well as what neighboring lines offer.

I can’t tell you how great it was to visit a small town and run into someone who was not only aware of the books I write with Paula, but truly appreciated our hard work (really hard work!). In fact, as a thank you, she gave me a complimentary bottle of merlot (we bought a few bottles of their other wines, too). I felt like a celebrity.

Most of the time, and understandably so, cosmetic salespeople are quick to dismiss the vast amount of work that goes into each book unless we only write positive things about the brand they represent. I definitely raised a glass to this young woman’s cosmetics manager for not being afraid to show her team the perspective of someone not unduly influenced by cosmetics industry’s hype! And that brief exchange set the tone for a great weekend; after all, who doesn’t enjoy hearing that what they put out there in the world makes a real difference in the lives of lots of women?

I know “mineral” makeup remains a popular choice for many women. There are some great mineral makeup options available for those who are fans of this type of product. But without question this is one cosmetic product where the claims has spiraled out of control and taken on a fairytale life of their own (and I don’t mean Aesop’s Fables, because at least those have a good homily at the end, the story behind mineral makeup is all lies and puffery to the max!).

I read an article about mineral makeup in the April issue of Day Spa magazine. This is a publication that is tailored for estheticians and other spa professionals (the ones that are going to be selling you the myth). There were so much false, ridiculous information I lost count. In fact, I couldn’t even finish the article; it was that bogus. Here are a few of the big lies the article intended to position as key selling points and benefits of using mineral makeup, followed by my response.

• Cleopatra started the mineral makeup trend centuries ago, so once again modern-day women can learn from the ancient wisdom of this Egyptian ruler.
  Does anyone still believe that Cleopatra had such forward-thinking knowledge of beauty? The woman lived at a time when products resembling what we refer to as mineral makeup were impossible to make. And if they dug up iron oxides, titanium, and other earth minerals they had no idea these were contaminated with toxic minerals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. Cosmetic-grade ingredients are what are allowed today, and they’re purified to remove contaminants. And ancient wisdom? The Egyptians sacrificed human beings to their gods, buried family members alive with the king, and had hordes of slaves. Clearly an advance civilization we should learn from! Puhlease!!!
• The spa industry likes mineral makeup as something that sets them apart from the cosmetics industry at large.
  Perhaps that was true several years ago, when the only place to find mineral makeup was in small salons and spas carrying such lines as Youngblood or Jane Iredale. That’s definitely not the case anymore—mineral makeup is everywhere, from small cosmetic lines sold at Ulta to brands known worldwide such as Estee Lauder and Lancôme and Neutrogena and Maybelline. If anything, these non-spa cosmetic lines have improved mineral makeup considerably while many spa brands seem to be resting on their laurels and have not kept up with new technology.
• “Mineral makeup is all-natural and there are no by-products created during their production.”
  This one is patently false. Although the minerals in mineral makeup may have begun as a natural source, the process that turns titanium into titanium dioxide or bismuth into bismuth oxychloride is anything but natural—and it certainly produces by-products as they are chemically manipulated and manufactured to be suitable as cosmetic pigments and binding agents. Remember, in most cases these naturally-occurring minerals must be purified to remove harmful elements that, while also natural, aren’t what you’d ever want to put on your face.
• Mineral makeup is a green alternative to chemical-based cosmetics.
  This is a big selling point used by many lines selling mineral makeup exclusively. They attempt to scare consumers into believing that mineral makeup is the only safe, pure option and everything else is laden with “chemicals”. The word “chemicals” is used to inspire fear (and it works remarkably well, at least based on the emails we get) even though the basic truth is…..EVERYTHING is made up of chemicals! Yes, even natural ingredients are composed of chemicals (so many, in fact, that in some instances a synthetic version of a natural ingredient is actually safer and more beneficial because the potentially harmful chemicals are not included). Please don’t fall for the “chemical-free” claim many mineral makeup brands promote. It’s a lie, and the consumer is being duped big time.
• Bismuth oxychloride is “one of the best ingredients because it helps clear bacteria and heal skin”.
  The quote above is from the owner of a small mineral makeup company, and she is soooo wrong! Bismuth oxychloride is a synthetic ingredient that has no substantiated research anywhere proving it has antibacterial properties or has any healing effect on skin. It is used in mineral makeup due to its opacity and pearlescent finish, plus it adheres well to skin. In contrast, zinc oxide (another ingredient in some mineral makeups) has healing properties for wounds and there is documented evidence to support this (Sources: Wound Repair and Regeneration, January-February 2007, pages 2-16; and September-October 2006, pages 526-535) but lots of cosmetic companies use zinc oxide, this is hardly unique to mineral makeup!
• Mineral makeup helps keep skin hydrated.
  Anyone with dry skin who has tried mineral makeup without the benefit of a moisturizer underneath knows what a bunch of bunk that statement is! Traditional loose powder mineral makeup is composed of absorbent materials that are incapable of hydrating skin. Some of the ingredients may have natural water content, but their absorbent nature won’t transfer that water to your thirsty skin. Even it did, skin needs more than water to rebuild its barrier and reduce dryness. Believing that mineral makeup is the least bit hydrating is akin to thinking you can scrub away acne and blackheads. In both cases, it just isn’t going to happen.

There’s more, but I am sure by now you’re getting what a puff piece of reporting this story is—and this is the type of garbage well-meaning estheticians read, believe, and then pass on to their clients. Misinformation begetting misinformation, but hey, it’s selling product so why not? I’m not out to bad-mouth any esthetician. Even with their skills and experience, they can be just as prone to hyperbole as the rest of us. But if you are an esthetician and you read this blog, please think twice before jumping on the mineral makeup bandwagon for the reasons listed above. Mineral makeup has its place and certainly its proponents, but it doesn’t deserve its prefabricated status as the safe and natural.

Every day, the emails arrive, asking about the latest anti-wrinkle/firming/lifting/brightening/re-contouring product to hit the cosmetic counters. Message after message implores us to review these items. And all of them are geared toward one burning question: does “Product X” really work as claimed? Don’t get me wrong, we love hearing what our readers want us to review (it is a major factor when we make these decisions) but every now and then I have to step away from my desk, take the dog for a walk, and rant a bit.

Here’s my issue: why do we (as consumers) have such a disconnect when it comes to believing cosmetic companies marketing anti-wrinkle products that seem too good to be true? Why isn’t an air of skepticism our default? Instead, hope springs eternal as month after month all of the major cosmetic lines (and every fashion magazine) herald the arrival of their latest youth-in-a-bottle product. No one ever stops to think about last month’s wonder product because now there’s something new essentially stating it does the same thing.

What never ceases to amaze me is that no matter how many times Paula and I have debunked fantastic-sounding claims (and supported our conclusions with published research) many of our readers remain faithful that the next product will get it right. It doesn’t faze them that Lancome (for example) has had products claiming to work like Botox and lasers, yet none of them performed remotely as claimed. Not a single consumer saw their forehead creases go away or saw their imperfections zapped with laser-like precision. Yet many of us bought the products anyway, hoping against hope (and reality) that they’d work. Now Lancome has a new anti-aging serum claiming to boost the activity of the genes in our skin, resulting in renewed youth. It’s scary how many skin-care products are making ever more remarkable claims, yet rarely are they backed by formulas capable of doing what’s stated in black and white. But still, we believe. We really want to believe these cosmetic companies have our skin’s best interests in mind.

My mother is guilty of this, too. She knows what I do for a living. She’s read the books. She’s met Paula. Yet at least once per month I get an email or phone call from her asking about a line-erasing product or eye cream claiming to tighten bags under the eye and turn back the clock on wrinkles. Every time I tell her the same thing: Mom, stop wasting money on these products and start saving for a cosmetic procedure that really will make a difference—and please Mom, start using sunscreen. I guess she, like many consumers, doesn’t want to face facts. After all, it’s easy to look past the truth when the temptation to get what you want from a readily-accessible skin-care product is all around us.

As you can imagine, Paula and I do a lot of reading about the goings-on in the cosmetics industry. Not a lot of what occurs genuinely surprises us, but sometimes an article comes along that just makes us shake our heads and let out a “they’ve-got-to-be-kidding” chuckle. Here’s the latest antic that reminded us that there is no end in sight to how much cosmetic companies think consumers are willing to pay for skin-care products with a premium positioning (meaning really, really expensive products!):

Shiseido is aiming to become the top Asian cosmetic company in the next three years. Their sales by 2011 are expected to top $8 billion, with almost half of that revenue coming from outside the United States market (Shiseido has more clout overseas, though there is very little about their skin-care that’s worth the hype or money). One of the ways in which the company decided to streamline their product range is to go from offering consumers 27 sub-brands to 21. That isn’t my definition of streamlining, but on some level 21 is better then 27. You’d think Shiseido would instead be more interested in creating some truly unique, beneficial formulas rather than doing what they usually do which is recycling the same base formula into various lines such as Bio-Performance, Benefiance, and The Skincare. But I digress. What really takes the cake (actually, the whole bakery) is the company decision to add a high-end line to their already overpriced Cle de Peau brand. Yes, cosmetics fans, you read that correctly. Shiseido-owned Cle de Peau, which sells moisturizers for $500, cleansers for $60+ and toners for $80+, is crafting an even higher-end line of products to complement their existing, wildly overpriced collection.

Can you imagine the discussion between a loyal Cle de Peau customer and the line representative? It might go something like this:

Customer to Cle de Peau salesperson: So the $500 moisturizer I’ve been using isn’t as good as your new Cle de Peau Ultra Extreme Moisture, which costs $1,200 for the same size?
Cle de Peau salesperson: I wouldn’t describe it that way; They are two very different products with completely different functions.
Customer:  But the ingredient lists are nearly identical. They’re both moisturizers making anti-wrinkle, skin-firming, and lifting claims. So why does one cost over  twice as much as the other?
Cle de Peau salesperson: The extra cost means fewer wrinkles and our studies show that using Ultra Extreme Moisture eliminates the need for a face-lift! It’s all because of our rare seaweed, which many deep-sea divers gave their lives for off the coast of Japan’s most fertile sea. You won’t find it in any other product; this cream must be applied at night only, when skin is most receptive to rejuvenation and repair.
Customer: OK, but if that’s true, why are the ingredient lists so similar?
Cle de Peau salesperson: It’s not the ingredients themselves but they way they are blended that counts most.
Customer: So my $500 Cle de Peau moisturizer doesn’t have the same “blend” as the more expensive moisturizer?
Cle de Peau salesperson: Correct. And the Ultra Extreme Moisture has the rare Japanese seaweed. Think of all those deceased divers who left behind wives and children! At least they’ll get a lifetime supply of this cream and won’t ever have to worry about wrinkles…and a portion of the proceeds from this moisturizer goes to support the Miracle Cosmetic Divers Association, too.

OK, the conversation wouldn’t be quite that dramatic but come on! Are women really going to go for the concept of one of the priciest skin-care lines offering a collection of even more expensive products? You know Cle de Peau’s idea of ‘high-end’ means whatever they produce is going to carry record-breaking prices. If they succeed with this, other lines may follow suit! We might see such new items as:

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Premium Luxuriant Plus Cream
Lancome Absolue Anti-Gravity Monumental Lifting with alpha-omega peptides
Chanel Ultraluxe Dermal Densifying Wrinkle Obliterator

You think I’m kidding? Well, if this Cle de Peau high end concept helps Shiseido achieve their three year financial goals, you can bet the only ones with smiles on their faces will be the cosmetic industry executives! Consumers looking for the fountain of youth in a jar will merely come up dry.