F rom the time I was a teen I have found it hard to believe the marketing claims that cosmetics companies make about their products. With all the outlandish claims about making your pores disappear, wrinkles vanish, blemishes be gone, lift this, plump that, it’s difficult to discern fact from fiction. So my solution before I began working for Paula was to take the easy route and not believe any of it. That doesn’t mean I never purchased any of these products- I still did, but did I truly think they would live up to their claims? Not really. Still I had to try.

And try I did! Of course there were times that I was pleasantly surprised by a great cosmetic product that lived up to its claims or was at least well formulated no matter what the claim. But most of the time, I was left with an empty wallet and heart filled with disappointment because of another blasé mascara, foundation, lipstick, or acne treatment.

Eventually I decided to quit playing cosmetic Russian roulette and actually put some effort into finding good products ahead of time. I know for many women like myself, it’s easy to think that we don’t have time for the research process or it is altogether overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you arm yourself with the right tools and lay down a little ground work in the beginning you can save yourself tons of time, heart ache, and money.

 Here’s how I did it:

Step One: Brush Up on the Latest Research
Find out what ingredients and treatments really work. For instance, I used to think that antioxidants applied topically to the skin were little more than another marketing gimmick. Boy how wrong was I? Paula’s The Original Beauty Bible is a great one-stop shop to read up on the latest and greatest and with the internet at your fingertips the resources are endless. (Just make sure you’re getting them from a reliable source.) If you really want to get in depth information you can also subscribe to a peer reviewed cosmetic journal.

Step Two: Get Familiar with Your Skin
It seems pretty self explanatory, but take a moment to identify whether your skin is normal, oily, dry, combination, acne-prone, sensitive, etc. From there you can make an educated decision on factors best suited for your skin like what textures work best on your skin, how emollient a product should be, and what ingredients will target your skin type concerns. For example, I have oily, blemish prone skin and prefer liquid and gel textures when it comes to my skin care. With foundations I look for something light weight with a matte finish, and I avoid cream blushes and shadows as they tend to not work well with my skin.

Step Three: Make a Game Plan
If you have a particular product in mind, why not look into what Paula’s team has to say about it. Beautypedia.com and Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 8th Edition are an unparalleled resources as they offer an extensive database of candid and objective cosmetic reviews, as well as alerts on overpriced items. This step can help you save yourself from throwing money down the drain on ineffective, poorly formulated products.

Step Four: Play with Samples
If you are shopping in a department store with testers, try before you buy.* This is the best way to see how a particular shade looks on your skin and how it feels. Pay attention to how long it takes for the product to set, how intense the color is, how well it blends, if it flakes or smudges, the list goes on and on. It never hurts to ask if the salesperson can provide an individual sample in which case you can safely take it home and try it out. The same applies if you are shopping online. Look for samples on the company’s website or contact customer service to see if they can offer a complimentary trial product.

 *For hygiene purposes, do not apply the product on the actual areas you will be using it (eyelids, lips, face). Instead test it on the back of your hand, and when possible wipe the top layer of the product with a clean tissue before applying. Never user a tester product over broken or infected skin. Use a hand sanitizer when finished.

Now you’re on the road to becoming a savvy cosmetic consumer. Happy shopping!

I just got off the phone with a reporter. I could scream. It was a completely bizarre conversation that went something like this.

Reporter: What skin care products are worth splurging on?

Me: None. Save your money, there isn’t an expensive skin care product that can’t be replaced by an inexpensive option.

Reporter: But aren’t there advances in skin care that are worth spending your money on like Estee Lauder using situins.

Me: Sirtuins are a group of enzymes that protect cells. Lauder is using an ingredient they are calling resveratrate in their Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Crème. It is similar to resveratrol, an antioxidant from grapes. That’s nice but there are lots of great antioxidants, this isn’t the miracle one. And does that mean all the other Lauder anti-aging products (think Clinique, Aveda, Prescriptives, La Mer etc.) should be dumped? And by the way, did you notice the product comes in a jar and that antioxidants don’t stay stable in jar packaging?

Reporter: Oh right, jars. But I’ve talked to the President of Lauder and they are reformulating all their products.

Me: I don’t believe that for a second, but assuming that’s true shouldn’t they write a press release saying this is the best of our products forget the others? Or at least alert their loyal customers that, oops, they goofed but this time they’re really going to get it right and tell you the truth?

We had a few more back and forths that didn’t make any sense either but this was the kicker:

Reporter: Nothing really works right so it doesn’t matter?

Me: That’s not true at all. There is a ton of research showing there are wonderful, potent, powerfully effective ingredients that can benefit skin. What’s true is that there just isn’t a magic bullet. There isn’t one ingredient that is the final miracle for skin.

Reporter: There is no research showing that to be true.

Me: Of course there is, just check the National Institute for Health’s database of over 5,000 science journals.

Reporter: I don’t believe research done by the cosmetic companies.

Me: There are mostly studies done outside of the cosmetic industry, but even if the studies are from the industry as long as the studies are published and you can evaluate how they were done and the results, you can make an informed decision.

Reporter: Those studies are always biased.

Me: Then ignore the studies from cosmetics companies and just focus on the ones that are from independent sources.

Reporter: They’re all biased except the ones from Universities.

Me: But cosmetic companies often pay institutions for their studies. But this is all off topic… you were asking about products that are worth splurging on and I’m saying there aren’t any so I’m probably not the best person for your story.

Reporter: But what about sirtuins and clock genes?

Me: Well I could quote you the research as it relates to the cosmetic industry but you just said you don’t believe any unbiased research exists, you don’t trust the research from cosmetic companies but you believe the press releases you get from cosmetics companies? I’m confused.

There was a bit more, but you get the gist of it. And these are the people writing stories about skin care “breakthroughs” that my readers find and then ask me about. Sigh. I really did try to help this reporter but somehow I think I only made matters worse by stating the facts!

My team and I recently reviewed the Isomers skin care line on www.Beautypedia.com. Within hours of the full review being posted, the Isomers forum (on the company’s Web site) was buzzing with comments, mostly in defense of Isomers. I certainly understand consumers wanting to defend the products they’re using, and without question there were many Isomers products that didn’t get a favorable review (yet many also received happy face ratings). What really struck me was the catty response from Manuela Marcheggiani, a co-owner and spokesperson for Isomers on www.shopnbc.com. I’m not going to post what she wrote, but the summation of her defense to my reviews (which, as always, are based on published, substantiated research or the lack thereof, not my personal opinion of the products) included the following:

• I’m self-serving so what I have to say doesn’t matter
• I look too old, so I couldn’t possibly be using good products to take care of my skin
• My background as a makeup artist disqualifies me from possibly knowing anything else other than how to paint faces
• I’m not respected by any professional associations or professionals in the cosmetics industry
• My reviews are meant to serve as a distraction to make my readers feel insecure and keep them from finding “their own truths”
• The only reason I negatively review a product is to make myself feel better (so according to her, the crux of my work is about nothing more than stroking my ego)

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea. Here is what I wrote in response to Manuela’s comments; feel free to comment about this on my blog. I look forward to your feedback, for better or worse (I can take it, so don’t hold back if you’re upset about my review of Isomers):

My goodness, not exactly loving, but definitely filled with feelings (a bit insulting but I’m sure you feel I insulted you so perhaps we can call it even and change karma.) Nonetheless, I do my work based on published research so let me state what I believe to be true by the facts and then we can simply agree to disagree.

• I have sold over 3 million books since 1984.
• I am a member of the Society for Cosmetic Chemists.
• I have presented papers at dermatology conferences around the world.
• I have consulted with many dermatology practices and pharmaceutical companies over the years (I used to be a formulary consultant).
• My books are in dermatology offices around the world (at least those that don’t sell skin care products).
• I have developed products for other cosmetic companies.
• I had a science background in college and continue to follow scientific advances and studies.
• I do love selling my books and selling my products (I assume you love selling your products too).
• I am the only cosmetic company in the world that recommends hundreds of other products besides my own. How self-serving can any company be who isn’t afraid to say someone else has great products too and give them great big happy faces when they do and publish that information?

If you or someone in your company will send me the published research disputing the facts in my review (which we called and asked for before we wrote a word, we were told once that there wasn’t any and the next time that it wasn’t available to the public) I will alter my reviews. For example, what evidence is there, except from the manufacturer, that matrixyl or Accelerated Recovery Complex has benefit for skin in comparison to other products or even by itself. Please provide me any and all research you have and I will be glad to correct any errors.

Paula Begoun, Author Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me and www.beautypedia.com

I received this letter from a reader:

Hi from Spain. I am independent journalist in nutrition and cosmetics and I have been reading your new book The Original Beauty Bible (its great) and I noted you talk about anti-inflammatory diet. First of all I believe you are so influenced in nutrition by Dr Weil, but the original creator of anti-inflamatory nutrition is Dr Barry Sears (read for example THE ANTI-INFLAMMATION ZONE). Second, it’s so odd for me that you recommend anti-inflammatory diet and then you say diet is not linked with acne and there aren’t studies about this. Really there are many important clinical and published studies about how a high glycemic diet and a low Omega 3 diet worsen acne. You can read chapter 8 of “Cosmetic Dermatology” (2009) by Leslie Baumann MD or all literature of Loren Cordain (in “The Dietary Cure for Acne” explains based on studies how diet affects acne, for me the very best book about this topic). And really all my readers have improved their acne condition following an Omega3 anti-inflammatory diet.

Here are my comments:

While I apprecaited the feedback and the great compliment there were a few things wrong with the assessment. First, in terms of influence, I actually rarely use Dr. Weil, rather I use a vast number of research journals that I have online access to. In terms of Cosmetic Dermatology, I know that publication well and have a subscription to it, though it is a bit suspect because so much of the research published is paid for by manufacturers of skin care products (both prescription and non-prescription brands) and some of the doctors who write the articles are on the payroll of cosmetic companies.

Yes, nutrition is important to skin care, after all if we don’t eat we die and then we don’t look so good, but the research about a specific diet and skin care is lacking, especially for acne (research about diet and wrinkles is also sparse but growing).

In terms of diet and acne I have seen the research about the glycemic index association but that is hardly conclusive and is more theory at this point then anything else.

Here is some information you may find interesting from the American Academy of Dermatology:

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) still says that diet does not cause acne. After all, haven’t research studies found that certain foods cause acne? If you have acne, you may even have noticed that when you eat certain foods you break out. With all this evidence, why does the Academy still say that food does not cause acne?

What the Research Really Shows
While studies have been conducted, more research is needed to conclude that what we eat can cause or prevent acne. What these studies have found suggests that diet may play a role in acne. Here is what the research has shown so far.

Milk and acne. Could drinking milk cause acne? One researcher reports that between 75% and 90% of the milk and milk products consumed in the United States come from pregnant cows. Could acne develop because drinking milk exposes us to the hormones that cows produce when they are pregnant? We know that hormones clearly play a role in acne.

To answer these questions, researchers began by asking people to recall what they ate. One such study asked 47,355 women to remember what they ate in high school 9 years prior. Another study asked teenage boys to recall what they ate and to determine the severity of their acne.

After analyzing the foods eaten, researchers concluded that there was one association. Sodas, chocolate, and even potato chips were not associated with acne. Only drinking milk was.

These studies had limitations. Trying to accurately recall what you ate years ago — or even days ago — can be difficult, so the collected data cannot be considered entirely reliable. What the data does show is that there maybe an association between drinking milk and acne. An association means that more research is needed to prove whether this is just an association or a cause.

It is possible that other causes were at work. These studies did not account for known causes of acne, such as heredity. Acne is known to run in families, and some of the women and teenage boys may have had acne because they inherited genes for acne. The researchers acknowledge the limitations of these studies and conclude that more research is needed.

Western diet and acne. Some researchers hypothesize (explanation that needs to be proven) that more than milk could be causing acne. It could be our Western diet, a diet rich in refined carbohydrates. A few studies have looked at this possibility. One study observed that people in 2 non-westernized societies — Kitavan Islanders (remote islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea) and the Aché hunter-gathers of Paraguay — did not have acne. The researchers attributed this to the people’s low-glycemic diet. A low-glycemic diet consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

When people eat a low-glycemic diet, the body works more efficiently. The body needs only produce relatively small amounts of insulin to keep blood glucose levels (glucose gives us energy) within the normal range. When the body works this way, the person is said to be insulin sensitive. This means the body requires relatively small amounts of insulin.

A high-glycemic diet can lead to insulin resistance, which means the body needs to produce a lot more insulin to maintain glucose levels. Insulin resistance can cause numerous health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

The researchers concluded that a Western diet, which often causes insulin resistance, might also be fueling known causes of acne such as the production of excess sebum (oily substance) and inflammation. More research is needed to find out if a low-glycemic diet can prevent acne and lead to clearer skin.

To find out, small studies have been conducted to look at the effect of a low-glycemic diet on acne. These studies suggest that a low-glycemic diet maybe helpful, but further research is needed to explain the role that diet plays.

There are still many unanswered questions. One question researchers must answer is why every obese person does not have long-term acne. Individuals who are obese generally have had insulin resistance for years. If insulin resistance leads to acne, then everyone living with diabetes would be expected to have acne. Why is this not the case?

The diet-recall studies also did not show an association between eating high-glycemic foods such as soda and chocolate and acne. Why is this?

More Research Needed
While the research shows that there may be an association between diet and acne, the researchers conclude that more evidence is needed to prove this association. Until research proves that diet causes acne, this site will continue to state what the research shows. To date, the research does not prove that diet causes acne.

References:
Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS et al. Milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys. J Am Acad Dermatol 2008; 58: 787-93.

Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Danby FW et al. High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne. J Am Acad Dermatol 2005; 52: 207-14.

Arbesman H. Dairy and acne–the iodine connection. J Am Acad Dermatol 2005; 53: 1102.
Bershad SV. Diet and acne–slim evidence, again. J Am Acad Dermatol 2005; 53: 1102; author reply 3.

Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M et al. Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization. Arch Dermatol 2002; 138: 1584-90.

Danby FW. Acne and milk, the diet myth, and beyond. J Am Acad Dermatol 2005; 52: 360-2.

Smith RN, Braue A, Varigos GA et al. The effect of a low glycemic load diet on acne vulgaris and the fatty acid composition of skin surface triglycerides. J Dermatol Sci 2008; 50: 41-52.

Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A et al. A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 86: 107-15.

Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A et al. The effect of a high-protein, low glycemic-load diet versus a conventional, high glycemic-load diet on biochemical parameters associated with acne vulgaris: a randomized, investigator-masked, controlled trial. J Am Acad Dermatol 2007; 57: 247-56.

Thiboutot DM, Strauss JS. Diet and acne revisited. Arch Dermatol 2002; 138: 1591-2.

Treloar V, Logan AC, Danby FW et al. Comment on acne and glycemic index. J Am Acad Dermatol 2008; 58: 175-7.

Webster GF. Commentary: Diet and acne. J Am Acad Dermatol 2008; 58: 794-5.

However, what is 100% certain is that anecdotal feedback about what helps acne makes for good reading. Yet anecdotal information isn’t solid research. Someone’s individual success, and I’ve seen it all, includes things that could not possibly help and if anything can hurt skin. For example, you can start a diet at the same time your hormones are changing (such as associated with stress or someone’s menstrual cycle) and you would mistakenly associate that with your diet. When the acne returns you may not be the one to hear about it (that’s the nature of anecdotal information). I do suggest experimenting with diet and I mention the relation to certain foods to see what may work for you, including specific allergies to nuts or milk, but that is still not fact, just theory and personal experience.

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.

When I first started writing my books I was not in the position to have a research staff. Back in the day it was just me with pad and paper in hand fortified with enormous drive and conviction. I was going to get the information I needed to do my work, hell or high water. Regrettably it was often hell and even more often then that high water.

I remember once in the early 90s I was at Lord and Taylor in downtown Chicago shopping with my mother. I was going to do my thing at the cosmetic counters while my mother shopped. As my mother went to the handbag department, I approached the counters ready to do battle with whoever was lying in wait to stop me from my goal.

My technique was always the same, I would tell the salesperson that my dermatologist wanted to know the ingredients in the products I was using or wanted to use so he could determine if they were right for me. (Okay, I know that is a blatant lie and I’m not proud of it, but the truth rarely, if ever worked. This was the only way to accomplish what I needed to write my books.) This lie almost always gave me some amount of access for a period of time which could last with out incident anywhere from 15 minutes to occasionally even an hour. I would stand off to one side trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, then, as best I could, I began writing down ingredient listings as fast as my hand could fly across my notepad. The goal was to get as much done as I could before anyone took notice of me because once they did at some random moment the inevitable was sure to happen.

In this instance, the inevitable happened after about 30 minutes. One of the women from the other counters observed what I was doing and that was the end of my work. Usually the salesperson just asks me to leave but in this case she had actually called the store manager down and he arrived with a security guard in tow. Can you believe that! The store manager and the security guard, you would think I was shoplifting or worse wielding a weapon of some kind, my only weapon was my pad of paper which the security guard took from me. Now that was a first.

He told me I was to leave immediately and they would escort me out. As innocently as I could (though my anger and frustration I’m sure came through) I asked what the problem was given I was only writing down information that was legally there for the consumer and that I was almost done and I was going to go shopping in other parts of the store (by the way, that part wasn’t a lie). But nooooo, the manager insisted the information on the label was proprietary (yah, right, proprietary my ass) and that what I was doing could get me arrested but because I was there with my mother he wasn’t going to call the police. It probably didn’t help that my mother was yelling at him with full voice exclaiming that he should leave her daughter alone, by then he wanted us out of there as soon as possible.

The reason no one else writes the kind of books I do is because no one would put up with the insults and threats I’ve dealt with over the years to do their research. From cosmetics salespeople to angry cosmetic companies, I piss off a lot of people. Thankfully, I rarely make my readers mad, 7 editions of my book later there are enough people who don’t want to go to the cosmetic counter without me that I will continue doing what I do, and putting up with insanity at the counters. Although nowadays, thankfully, I have a team of researchers who for the past four editions of my book have saved me from the wrath, fury, and peril that I had to put up with at the cosmetic counters in the past.