I listen to women say this all the time. It doesn’t matter if it is reporters, beauty editors, or women I encounter every day. They exclaim how much they love a product and this love is almost always for an expensive product, especially if it’s skin care. And other women listen (or overhear) and wonder if they would love it too. After all, love is a pretty powerful sentiment. Why would someone love a bad product or one that didn’t work as claimed?

Regardless of price, proclaiming that you love a product is one of the most useless remarks to make about any skin care product (makeup is another story altogether). First we all “love” things that are bad for us. We love that guy who won’t call us back or is rude and demeaning. Or we love chocolate cake and french fries. Or we love skin care products with bad formulas (useless or harmful ingredients), jar packaging, low SPF ratings, and on and on.

Of course makeup is a completely different issue because the benefits are completely subjective (there is nothing subjective about what is healthy for skin any more than it is subjective about what is healthy for your heart and hips—yes, I went back to the chocolate cake and french fries example).

My message is that it’s a good idea to stop loving your products until you know what you are buying and whether or not the product (or, if you prefer, object of your potential affection) is beneficial. Once you have that information then you can decide whether or not you “love” the way it feels on your skin. And I’ll be among the many women ready to listen as you spread the love for whatever product is truly giving you the results your skin deserves!