RSSProduct Review : Paula’s Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer
October 19, 2009
This article may be better titled “The Language That Sells To Women”. It is not a review in the traditional sense. I apologize if I offend, that is never my intention.
I got my new bottle of Paula’s Choice Resist Barrier Repair moisturizer a few days ago.
I’m not going to go on about the ingredients. Anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-wrinkles?How would I know? How would anyone know except the guy who concocted the formula, did the math that balanced the ration, got out her measuring spoons and the scale, assembled the ingredients, and swirled it all together in the big tub?
It is highly non-greasy and fast absorbing. It feels fantastic and light. It doesn’t bug my eyes. Dry skin may not find this emollient enough unless you use 6 pumps of it. I still apply Skin Recovery Moisturizer about 15 minutes later. Otherwise, I haven’t much to say one way or the other. I’m not going to tell you that “my skin was smoother within a week”. Polysporin ointment, Vaseline, LaMer cream, or olive oil could potentially do that.
The day I got it, I applied a new layer every 15 minutes for a total of 5. Do I look different? No, no, I know the big pay-off comes in 10 years. It’s like brushing your teeth. Having the skin you have today, tomorrow is nothing. Can you do it 10 years from now? Commitment to prevention IS the name of this game. I’m still applying a new layer every time I go in the bathroom, but that’s just because it’s fun.
So, why will I buy more (and I’m buying 3 more on my next Visa bill)? Because I trust the company that made it. Their complete transparency is their biggest marketing asset. If they lie, Paula would have to close the doors on the whole show. Though Paula taught us not to take face cream, and especially the marketing of it, at face value, she also stakes her entire reputation on her own products. I accept her claims and her ingredient list.
Back in 4 Wrong Ways To Choose Skin Cream And One Way That Works, I talked about how a consumer hasn’t got a clue about what’s in face cream, any more than what’s in dog food. Unless you know the recipe and saw the ingredients go in, all you have to go on is how much you trust the guy selling it you. I can’t read the label on moisturizer, a tub of margarine, or a bag of pet food.
There is a whole lot too much trust going on where face stuff is concerned.
I made this same analogy, about face cream and pet food, to a woman looking for great kitten food the other day. She was floored. This was a whole new concept. Young woman. Educated. Professional. How could she have been so surprised? The consumer isn’t dumb, but we’re distracted by busy lives and willing to soak up some advertising too willingly .
Is there more? Is there an inertia among women that must be pierced before we will take action on our own behalf?
There certainly is in my case, not in the skin care arena, but in the finance sector of our household. I used to let my husband “take care of it”. I’m ashamed to say it. I know he’s no better at it than I would be. I use the excuse that I’ve been raising 3 kids and had a job. Not good enough.
What is it about women that makes us so trusting on one level and so mistrusting on another?
Why do we so complacently keep the advertising-based, truth-hiding, truth-lacking cosmetics industry so rich?
Do we not believe they’d really lie so blatantly without punishment or restrictions?
Do we want the hope they sell us, more than the result we don’t ever really expect? Do we figure that even if it does 1/10 of what it promises, we’ll forgive their lies?
Just too lazy and don’t care, don’t believe there could really be such disparity in face cream?
Deeper?
Do we want to avoid the consequence of making a wrong decision? If I bore deep into what I will barely admit, perhaps I don’t look after the family finances because of the fear of the repercussions if I make a mistake.
I work with a man. I admire his ability to use only the facts he needs to support a decision. Most of the time he’s right. If not, he reconsiders using all the data, not just the part that suited Plan A. Women stall. We delay. We need to know all the answers. We order more tests. We get caught up in the price of eggs and coffee, and don’t bother to look at where the big money lies. It takes us 3 months longer to get something done, unless we forgot about it altogether.
It must be difficult for a company to find a new language every time they have a new product to market. They have to differentiate it from every other cream, including their own. Are inflated claims the language that sells to women? Is that what breaks through our inertia? Then, when it doesn’t work, we can say “Yeah, well, they said the cream would move the mountains and it didn’t, so it’s their fault for making it sound so good, not my fault for buying it.”
Are we afraid of knowledge and power because we’d have to do something with it?
Are we making the impossible leap from “it doesn’t bother my skin” to “ it must be full of the best of what is known about skin today”? Or do we think there just can’t be that much distance between the two, even though they’re galaxies apart?
Are we worried that once we start caring even a little about how we look, we’ll find ourselves on the slippery slope of vanity and snowballing expense?
Do some of us just really, really not care one bit how we look or how healthy our skin is?
Am I more anal than average? I research a set of cooking pots and long underwear before I buy them.
Do some women see Paula’s Choice as just another company selling face cream, just like I appear to be just another vet trying to sell kitten food? If Paula Begoun could choose between having women buy her products over learning to make informed, empowered decisions about every beauty purchase, I wonder if she’d choose the second one. Like, I don’t mind whether women get their colours analyzed by me, or not at all. It really doesn’t offend me in the least if you don’t buy my brand of cat food.
What I want more is to see women no longer trying to be what parents, spouses, jobs, and kids expected or want. My goal would be to see women become responsible for their own happiness and success, and stop factoring in everybody else’s demands and desires.
Do we have enough spare cash to play the odds that we’ll choose a great product from the store shelf array, knowing the odds are about 70:30 AGAINST US? I think this is one of the most common, though we’d deny it.
Are we worried about hurting the Lancome lady’s feelings because we’ve always bought mascara from her?
Would it bother you at all to know that the soap/cream/sunscreen you used today is an “antiquated mess of a formula” (name of product withheld by Beautypedia copyright) (but I would bet 70% of us have used it and 30% of us continue to buy it)?
IMO, at the deepest core of the issue is that we excuse and forgive, over and over. Just as we do with everyone and everything in our lives, we can’t draw a line and say ENOUGH. We just come back for more until we’ve been wronged so thoroughly that me might react…and even then, we usually won’t. That is what they use to keep us buying.
Tell me. Tell me privately. Why do you not research a face product before you buy? Why do you not subscribe to Beautypedia?
Comments
11 Responses to “Product Review : Paula’s Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer”
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A Greener Tea
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I just got my bottle of Resist Barrier Repair moisturizer today and love it! I trust Paula’s Choice products and use them exclusively. The only other products I use are CeraVe and Cetaphil, also recommended by Paula. CeraVe is by far the best moisturizer I have ever used. My mother has chronic dry skin and I told her about CeraVe. She has not had any problems with her skin. I use CeraVe on my face early in the morning and then apply Cetaphil (with sunscreen) later. I don’t wear makeup. My skin, at 43, is better than it has ever been in my life. I attribute that to taking care of myself- eating right, exercise – and using Paula’s products and advice.
I have Norwich terriers. My oldest, 12 years, starting showing signs of age-related issues… a little harder getting through the doggie door, slower getting up the steps… (We can all relate!) I feed Evo to all my little guys but I switched Robin to a food called Dogswell Happy Hips after reading about the company in the Wall Street Journal. I’m usually very skeptical about claims from pet food companies, but the change in her is pretty amazing. She has more energy and is getting around better. Just thought I would share.
Hi Christine,
This article really made my blood pressure rise, which is good considering it’s usually so low my fingernails turn blue.
I have 100 things to say about what you’ve written, but that would take more time than I have right now. So I’ll just settle for 3:
1. I trusted Paula Begoun’s opinions until I found out she sells her own stuff. In my opinion she’s made an art out of bashing other’s products for the benefit of her own sales figures. There, it’s been said.
2. I used to have absolutely NO idea what the ingredients in skincare and makeup were. Nor did I care. Nowadays, being better educated, I mostly laugh at the ads for “revolutionary” skincare and “ground breaking” makeup. I wouldn’t put Imidazol Urea on my skin, knowing it releases formaldehydes, nor would I use petroleum-based products on a daily basis, to name a few. And sure, there may be face creams out there that actually improve your skin’s texture and all that. But so does plain old Nivea in the blue tin, and it’s packed with petrolatum and whatnot. My grandmother has used it forever, and she has the complexion of a 10-year old. She may have missed all the extracts and the concentrates and what have you, but she’s totally wrinkle-free.
3. Wrinkles are a part of life. We should embrace them as proof of having lived a life. But that aside, according to recent research there is ONE thing we can do IMMEDIATELY that will effectively slow down the aging process and reduce existing and future wrinkles: quit eating sugar. Sugar causes inflammation in your skin, and that inflammation causes wrinkles to form. I know, it’s not as exciting as buying a face cream for 50 bucks that promises the world. But try it for a month and I’m sure you’ll be surprised.
…according to recent research there is ONE thing we can do IMMEDIATELY that will effectively slow down the aging process and reduce existing and future wrinkles: quit eating sugar…
No, not entirely true. It is true that any processed food is bad. A good rule: You should only eat items that have a mother or come from the ground. Next week there will be a new study with more advise that will prove to be wrong/not quite accurate/revised, etc. in six months. The best guide to eating is http://www.mypyramid.gov. If you are following the recommended guidelines, you do not need to worry about all these studies. You are getting what you need daily.
The only true way to slow down the aging process is to workout-serious aerobic program and weight training. And that is SIX days a week. The best resource/guide is a book called Younger Next Year For Women. It is written by one of the best geriatric doctors in the country.
You cannot prevent wrinkles or turn back the clock. A strenuous workout program will keep your body in the best possible shape.
And I agree. There is nothing wrong with wrinkles. It is time women stop buying into what we are supposed to look like.
As far as Paula’s Choice, she started producing products because she could not find the best products on the market. I can afford expensive products but I choose to use her products. I’m 43 and I have been using her products for years. I look at least 10 years younger. I know some of it is genetics and my workout regimen, but my skin is beautiful. I had problem skin growing up. I tell people that and they are shocked. I attribute it to my lifestyle and her products. Paula also recommends other products, you do not have to buy hers. The best moisturizer is CeraVe. I read about it on Paula’s web site.
Hi Ami,
Well, we might see things differently. But that’s okay, diversity is a good thing.
Congratulations on your beautiful skin! Whether it’s genetics or working out or Paula’s Choice or all of them together, nobody could probably tell for sure. It’s still a thing to be proud of and cherish, so good for you!
My aforementioned grandmother, who is 75, has the most beautiful, soft and glowing skin and she doesn’t work out (except for regular walks out of doors), she uses only Nivea and eats whatever she feels like. She’s lucky, I guess. I know hormones play a big part in aging, and the sugar issue I mentioned was actually brought up by Dr. Oz on Oprah some months ago. I wouldn’t take everything he says for a fact just because it’s him that says it. However, I and my family have quit sugar from time to time, and I always notice the same things: my skin clears up, my hormones stop acting up, my kids sleep better and are calmer and more attentive, we all have better appetite and snack less between meals. In the long run those things make a difference in the ageing process as well.
As for Paula… I must congratulate her on her wonderful business idea. Still, I wouldn’t buy anything from her just because it’s HER. Her company is no worse than anybody else’s, I’m sure, but she’s certainly not the objective source she claims to be!
Ami and Kristina,
Isn’t it good when intelligent women can discuss a topic, learn from each other, and agree to disagree and part as friends? Exercise, diet ( and I agree about both sugar and processed food, both have a negative impact, and faster than one would think, and both are just a habit that can be easily broken), genetics, common sense (which is not very common) … all play a role.
I can understand your reservations with Paula’s objectivity, Kristina. I think many women share your position, though I’m not one of them. I think this woman has knowledge and consumer advocacy at heart. I’m always impressed with the journals she quotes from, highly respected scientific literature. I see her as more than someone who just has a good act down. With the marketing of the new Resist product, I can see how careful her company has to be to not come off as yet another face cream ad campaign that won’t deliver.
But then, any ad is just a company talking about itself. I’m not sure on what basis you choose Nivea, other than your grandmother’s lovely skin ( I have an aunt with that perfect skin, a Nivea user all her life – but I always credited it to not having kids!)
I don’t see Paula as a product basher, exactly. She can back up her claims. I agree with her assessment criteria. Would you buy ANY product she’s reviewed, or don’t trust the reviews in general? But then, who does one trust in the very bad world of cosmetic marketing?
Ami, you and I seem to live a similar life. I exercise 5-6 days a week, mostly because I’m too cranky and pessimistic if I don’t. I sometimes wonder if it can be aging to overdo it, like with marathon runners where the body interprets it as stressful and inflammatory, and so destructive (or at least counter-productive). But I have to do it, so I keep on.
Interesting about the CeraVe. How the heck have I missed that completely? I’m off to look at it.
Thanks to both of you for stepping out of the crowd and taking the time to think and type.
Read Younger Next Year for Women. There is no reason (other than injury) that we cannot keep exercising 5-6 days a week until we are on our deathbed. Especially resistance training. It is imperative for women.
Kristina,
You are right about your grandmother. Genetics play a huge part in how we age. I was naturally blond when I was younger (now thanks due to a wonderful colorist!), fair skin, blue eyes… textbook for someone who stay out of the sun. I could never tan, I would only burn. I walked around without sunscreen (we didn’t know back then), but I didn’t religiously tan like all my sorority sisters, who now look older than their age. I’m sure that has helped.
I don’t think I adequately explained what I meant about sugar. If the study was referring to processed sugar in foods, then yes. But then you should cut processed foods from your diet, period. You will see huge changes in how you feel, look etc. just from that alone.
I use organic sugar when I cook and that is a completely different animal. I love good food and I refuse to give up taste. Life is too short!
Hi guys,
Great to read some more input. Just a quick note, as the kids are waiting for their supper:
No, Christine, I’m not entirely against Paula Begoun, not at all. I would probably consider buying from her company, should the need arise. I don’t know, I guess I just bought into the whole concept at first, thinking she was the only person in the industry that was truly objective. Then, when I found out she sells her own products – out of which I’m sure there are plenty of really good ones – I just felt fooled. I still think I’d put much more trust in what she says if she didn’t sell her own stuff, because that takes the objectivity out of the equation. Know what I mean? Besides, she has at least 2 products listed on cosmeticsdatabase.com that include some really harmful ingredients (hydroquinone is one, if I remember correctly) and that adds to my not buying into what she says and does 100%.
And it’s my grandmother (well, she’s not my biological grandmother, but that’s another story) who uses Nivea, not me. Maybe I should have, instead of all the expensive brands I’ve shelled out money for over the years! But no, I actually prefer to use organic products on myself and my family nowadays. Weleda is a favorite, as well as Dr. Hauschka and some Swedish organic brands that are really good.
Ami,
Yes, I’m sure genetics play a big part in aging. I’m Swedish and both my mother and father are practically wrinkle-free, and so am I (I’m 44). I battle against broken capillaries, budding rosacea and acne scars instead. I’ve dreamed of beautiful skin since I was 11, to no avail.
It’s funny, I was thinking about the exercise issue today. Exercising vigorously is something that’s considered to be very healthy for your body – in the Western world. In Eastern practices the masters tell us to NOT spend our energy in that way, or else we will age faster. And if we do spend a lot of energy through sports or exercise we need to refill our bodies with energy through meditation, qi gong and yoga. Who’s right? I guess moderation is key in everything. I think a body can get worn out, just like any machine.
And yes, I agree with you on the sugar. I wouldn’t want to cut it out totally, as I become very grumpy if I don’t get a sweet treat every now and then. Life’s too short, yes indeed!
I liked your honest review of Paula’s Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer, so I ordered it. I trust her products and I respect your opinion. I’ve been using the moisturizer for a couple of weeks. I think it’d be perfect for fall and summer. I’ve been mixing it with jojoba oil for this dry winter, and it works just fine. But the difference between this and Cetaphil or Cerave? You’re right: we’ll know in ten years.
Post thought–
The ONLY thing I don’t like about Paula’s products is that the amounts of antioxidants aren’t listed. SkinCeuticals lists amounts. I wish that Paula would too.