Can You Trust Cosmetic Claims?
While we here at The Beauty Brains don’t usually put much stock in “research” done by television stations, in this story they got things mostly right. Essentially, they found that cosmetics which claim to be “dermatologist recommended, skin organics and hydrating,” are really misleading. Here’s what these claims really mean.
“Dermatologist recommended”
Companies make this claim simply by paying a dermatologist to endorse their product. Unfortunately, some of these doctors will do anything to make a buck. Don’t even get me started on Perricone! The prices he charges for the products he sells are unconscionable. But we digress…
“Hydrating”
The amount of moisture that a skin product actually adds to your skin is miniscule. The real benefit comes from the barrier that the product creates that inhibits water from naturally leaving your skin. The water gets trapped in the upper layer of your skin and makes it feel “hydrated”.
“Skin organics”
This doesn’t mean anything at all. In the business, it’s known as puffery because the phrase sounds like it means something but it doesn’t. Some other common claims like this would be “hypoallergenic” and “healthy hair”.
Claims confusion
You’ll note that we said they got things “mostly right”. The advice they give about reading labels and being weary of claims is exactly right. But the problem with television researchers is that they are really quite lazy. An example of this is the story we did about diverted product. In this current story, their research consists of an interview with one dermatologist. Who’s to say that this dermatologist isn’t biased? She does tell it like it is but she is a little misleading. The suggestion to buy a good sunscreen with retinol in it seems silly. Retinol is a great ingredient but most companies just put a small, non-functional amount in the bottle for claims purposes.
While it’s true that there is “no governing body requiring (cosmetics makers) to show any kind of data”, it’s also true that if a manufacturer is going to advertise their product on television, radio, or print, in the United States the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that they have supporting evidence in the event that a claim is challenged. And television stations are much more strict about the proof that manufacturers have to give them before they’ll allow a commercial to air. There is self regulation in this industry. More government regulation isn’t needed.
In general, you can trust the labels on products made by big manufacturers more than those made by small companies.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Be careful about claims you read on a cosmetic bottle. And be VERY careful about poorly researched television news programs.
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