Self-proclaimed ‘Cosmetic Cop’ and American author Paula Begoun says women shouldn’t shop for beauty products without knowing more about the tricks cosmetics companies use. Paula gets to the root of the matter in her book of “Don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me“. Here are five common beauty myths.
Myth: Expensive cosmetics are better than inexpensive cosmetics
Paula says that there are good and bad products in all price categories and it’s about the formulation, not about the price. An irritant-free toner by Neutrogena can be just as good as, or maybe even better than, an irritant-free toner by Orlane or La Prairie (depending on the formulation), and any irritant-free toner is infinitely better than a toner that contains alcohol, peppermint, menthol, essential oils, eucalyptus, lemon, or other irritants, no matter how natural-sounding the ingredients are and regardless of the price or claim.
Myth: Eye creams are specially formulated for use around the delicate eye area
Paula says that there is no evidence, research, or documentation validating the claim that the eye area needs ingredients different from those you use on your face or neck area or décolletage. Even if there were ingredients that were special for the eye area, that isn’t evident in eye products; their formulations are random, with no consistency in the industry. All cosmetics companies put whatever ingredients they want to into their eye products (and usually give you half as much but charge you twice as much as the same product for your face). The ingredient label on these “specialty” products more than proves the point. Paula claims eye creams are a whim of the cosmetics industry designed to evoke the sale of two products when only one is needed.
Myth: You can’t repair damaged hair
Paula says in her book “Don’t go shopping for hair products without me” that there is no one miracle product that can cure your hair-care woes and there are hair-care products that can “repair, fix, correct, restructure, reform, change, reconstruct, restore, rebuild or alter damaged hair.” So unfortunately, if you have bleach damaged hair, split ends or damaged hair from straightening irons, while hair-care products may temporarily mask the damage and make the hair look superficially better, there is no choice but to ultimately trim or cut off the damaged hair and wait for it to grow back.
Myth: Drinking water helps cellulite
Paula says that while drinking water probably is beneficial (although there is really no research showing how much is healthy versus unhealthy), there is no research showing water consumption will impact fat anywhere on your body, let alone the dimples on your thighs. A healthy diet that encourages weight loss may help your entire body look better. However, because weight is not a cause of cellulite, dieting won’t change the skin structure of your thighs, which causes the dimpled contours to show. Exercise helps almost every system in the human body, but it won’t necessarily impact the appearance of cellulite she says.
Myth: Everyone needs a day cream and a night cream: Skin requires special care at night
Paula says the only different between a daytime and night-time moisturiser is that the daytime version should contain a well-formulated sunscreen and that there isn’t a shred of research or a list anywhere of what those ingredients should be. She says skin needs a generous amount of antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin-identical ingredients all day and all night. Paula says that for daytime wear, unless your foundation contains an effective sunscreen, it is essential that your moisturizer feature a well-formulated, broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher.
Not all cosmetics, beauty and hair products are created and priced equally so read more about Paula Begoun’s cosmetic truths and her books and find out how you can get the most for your beauty dollar.