Don't Get Duped! 3 False Cosmetic Claims

My blog post last week on Beauty Busted about cosmetic claims sure filled my email with lots of questions about sales pitches.  So many people wrote to ask if the information they had been receiving was accurate.

I answered every email personally and I thought I might share, with you, the most questioned sales pitches from those emails:

1. "You have to use products all from the same company to get the best results."

FALSE!  All over-the-counter cosmetics are formulated using the same approved list of ingredients. Granted, some formulations are superior to others, with regard to ingredients used, but the idea that if you use a moisturizer from one company and a cleanser from another you will not get clean, hydrated skin is just plain silly.  Each product does its task independent from the other.  Your moisturizer does not work more effectively based on which cleanser you use.  Also - and here is something worth noting - the top 50 cosmetics brands are owned by one of only two companies.  The reality is that you are probably buying your products all from the same company anyway.

Bio Oil: BUSTED!

2. "Rare extracts provide intense anti-aging benefits."

FALSE! There is no proof that an orchid extract or honey extract or a special form of silk (used only by the Japanese Royal Family - yes there is actually a product out there formulated with this ingredient) can in some way make the skin look younger.  In fact there are no products you can buy over-the-counter that will achieve that end goal.  Skin aging cannot be reversed with topical products.

What NOBODY tells you about aging

3. "It has taken our scientists over a decade to create this formula."

SO WHAT?!  The length of time it takes for a lab to create a formula is not an indication of its ability to care for your skin.  Just because something takes a long time to create does not mean it is a powerful skin care product.  In fact this marketing ploy tries to imply that the lab has been researching and developing the products ingredients for a decade when this is not actually the case.

Buyer beware at the beauty counter! Doing some research pays off - in both money and results - and you can start here by seeing five phrases you should never believe at a cosmetics counter.

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