RSSTHE COSMETICS COP
November 4, 2007
Do not wear makeup…but do it for the right reason
It is entirely unnecessary to wear makeup. It could be argued that caring too much about your skin’s natural appearance is also just vanity. Being healthy and clean should be enough, and if the skin changes as it ages or with exposure to sun, then so be it. These are normal changes and they do not affect the person you are or what you contribute to the universe. You should be able to present whatever face to the world that make you happy and be viewed only at the level of your character. I absolutely agree.
I don’t necessarily agree that we live in such an ideal world.
On the other hand, if you feel overwhelmed by the ocean of product out there or wear no makeup but you’re not completely pleased with the appearance of your skin, you are in the right place now. I’m going to give you a great option.
Do you mind being lied to?
If you wash your face with whatever bar of soap is sitting there because you don’t want to waste your money on products that don’t deliver, then I think you are a smart woman. You have reached a stage in your life when you can no longer accept being blatantly lied to. Under no circumstances will you use any product unless you are convinced, to whatever standard you hold, that it is worthwhile. Good on you.
Sucked in again and again
Almost every company makes some good products and some products worth less than the jar that holds them, but how is the consumer going to tell the difference?
What criteria are you using to judge a good product? That it doesn’t irritate? That is the least a product should do, but it is not reason enough to buy it. You can do far better.
Would it bother you to learn that your pricey cream has one of the most boring out-of-date formulations on the market? Is the company going to stop making it? Are you kidding me? Of course not, it happens to be one of the most recognized and sold products at the department store. Half of you who are reading this use it and will buy another bottle when you run out.
Check out this YouTube clip (about 5 minutes long). Everyone will find it extremely interesting. I would like to know how many find it surprising. This is Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop, discussing the high-end cosmetics industry.
Why do we endorse an industry that cheats and misleads us?
Why would you put up with it? Do you not feel a little fed up with being fooled over and over? Why would you not get what you can for your money, when all it costs you is a $25 book that will review almost any product or line you can name to tell you what you’re getting? You could be using only the most state-of-the-art products if you just knew which they were. Spend $25 and you’d be there.
You no longer stand in front of the display counter and listen to a spiel on whatever line the store is promoting today. You have all the ammunition you need to make informed decisions, with more correct facts than the saleswoman in most cases.
Beginning now, you walk into the store, find what you want on the shelf, pay for it like it’s milk or eggs, and go on to the next job.
Can they really lie outright? Oh, yeah. They can and they do.
For so many products out there, the cosmetics company lies to you in some aspect of their claims. Hard to believe, isn’t it? They can charge prices that should be making you laugh, and instead you line up to hand over your cash.
Are the dermatologist’s lines somehow better? You’d sure like to think so, wouldn’t you?
Part of it is that we so badly want to believe it’s all true, of course, that the magic will happen just like they say it will.
Here’s what I believe it really is : we simply cannot get our heads around the fact that they can be allowed to get away with it. We tell ourselves that there must be a government agency out there protecting us against this deceit. Guess what? You’re on your own.
Well, not quite on your own. Keep reading.
How mad do you have to get before you do something?
Get past the idea that cosmetics companies want to help you; this is like saying banks want to help you. They want to make money, a lot of it. In a free market; the worth of any product is nothing other than what people will pay for it.
If you’re willing to get soaked $75 for something someone else is selling for $16, that’s up to you. At least make the decision consciously. I only buy 1 sunscreen for everyday and it costs me $38 a bottle but I know what’s in it. I can pick it out among all the other $38 sunscreens with ease and confidence. There is only 1 foundation I would spend $75 on, but I’d spend it happily because the product is beyond amazing and the colors are spectacular. It makes your skin look incredible.
Does every company try to mislead you about every product? No. There are some brilliant products in the drugstore, like much of the Dove line, and some terrible ones as well. The same is true for the department store. How are you supposed to tell the difference? You get informed, that’s how.
Get off the latest-ingredient bandwagon.
Get past the all-natural craze. It sounds good but that’s all it does. What about Vitamin C? Retinol? Copper? How are any of us supposed to know how much substance there is to any of these claims? I have other things to do than research these things but I do wonder about the validity of the claims. They just sound so good.
Good luck finding this information unless you know where it is. I can’t read cosmetic labels or ingredient lists and even if I could, how can I know how much of the ingredient they put in there? It’s like trying to find unbiased advice during an election. It’s like trying to read a label on a bag of pet food and think you know what you’re getting. It cannot be done.
Real information, dependable products
Paula’s Choice is a breath of fresh air in an industry that desperately needs it. This company, led by Paula Begoun ( the woman in the YouTube clip above), publishes books and newsletters to empower women to find the great products. Here’s the best thing : all the work is done for you!! You don’t need to know all the ingredients or how much is in there because Paula does it for you.
They also produce a line of skin care products that do exactly what the product description says it will do, with no ridiculous inflated claims. They reaffirm what people know deep down to be true, and want to believe, which is that extra $$ gets you zero.
There are no celebrity endorsements which is good because I’m tired and sick of those. I could care less what the movie-star-du-jour looks like in the picture beside the product which she may or may not use.
You won’t see Paula in any magazines, the big companies would pull their big advertising money – because magazines are out to make money too, but you already knew that.
Come on already. What does it take?
We are women who care tremendously about our health, who care about consumer rights, who care about honesty in advertising, and who are willing to prove it by voting with our dollar bills.
If you are also someone who cares about how your skin looks and feels and wants to have a vitality that others notice the moment they look at you, then this company and their products are for you.
If you want to take advantage of the truly amazing advances in skin care research and cosmetic ingredient chemistry that we have available today, and have limited money and/or time, please go to Paula’ site. Click Learn in the horizontal link bar near the top of the page, and start reading.
P.S.
By way of disclosure, I will tell you that Paula’s Choice does not pay me or give me free product, or subsidize me in any other way, to market their learning tools or products. I just believe in the company and the person who leads it.
I am also secretly very pleased that such a great company is run by a woman.
Comments
5 Responses to “THE COSMETICS COP”
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A Greener Tea
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Interesting article. I also agree that a lot of money is wasted in cosmetics, and really you should be able to get away with just washing your face with water. Most guys do it and they often have great skin.
I do think though that people with skin conditions such as acne like me, do need to cleanse to help get rid of the bacteria. I also think it’s healthy for skin to exfoliate and moisturise if your skin is dry.
BUT at the same time I think natural essential oils and organic products are the way to go. Nourish your skin with 100% certified organic natural products and your skin and body will feel a lot better for it. Nobody needs chemicals on or in their body!
Thanks so much for your excellent comment, Frances. I absolutely agree about the cleansing,exfoliating, and moisturising. I’m not sure about the organic natural products,
though it does ‘feel’ right to think all natural is somehow better. I think it has to do with being very knowledgeable in their use and not writing off every chemical as bad. Some essential oils are certainly irritating, regardless of their purity. Many chemicals are extremely effective, safe, and have some seriously impressive independent research to substantiate those claims. There will be a chapter of Paula’s new book discussing this very topic. I can’t wait to read it.
Hi Christine. Yeah, I agree, chemicals in cosmetics can certainly do wonderful things. I for instance, have had a chronic acne problem and have just started using benzoyl peroxide to attempt to clear it up and I know it’s helped a lot of people.
However, I could also fix my problem with a macrobiotic and skin clearing diet, it would just take a lot longer. I’m actually choosing to do both at the same time.
The problem with chemcials in skin care products is how the chemicals soak into the skin. The skin is a massive porous organ, so anything you put onto it ends up in your body. Would you eat any of the cosmetics that you put on your skin? Probably not. That’s the great thing about natural products, you can eat them and they won’t harm you.
I also agree with you about how some natural products can irritate certain people who have sensitive skin or allergies. It’s trial and error I guess.
I take your point about chemicals soaking in through the skin. There is no question that total body exposure via cutaneous absorption occurs with chemicals - just look at cortisone. I’ll have to read on this as it pertains to cosmetics. Have you seen http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com ? it’s called Skin Deep, by the Environmental Working Group. It’s impressive and scary.
Yeah, I love the cosmetic database, it’s so informative. I agree, very scary though.