Lack of information, which I feel covers a lot of smaller pet peeves! This runs the gamut from being incredibly nondescript when it comes to product shades, formulas, etc., not providing ingredients or disclosing fragrance, and not having swatches or having totally useless (aka digitally created) swatches.
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Lack of inclusion. I understand some brands are more tightly curated in terms of product offerings, but it should be a no-brainer to at least offer versions suitable for lighter and deeper skintones.
Hi Wednesday. I agree with you. Makeup has a lack of inclusion in shade offering.
Digitally created swatches! They are the WORST.
Mine is when they don’t indicate the inside color on the outside packaging. Especially lipsitck. I can’t read the tiny writing on the bottom of the tube.
Oh YES!!!! Or when the minuscule “writing” is a number, rather than the actual NAME of the colour (YSL and so many other companies – I am looking at YOU).
Especially when the packaging is clear with white 1 mm letter labelling. Milk does this a lot on all their packaging.
I have two: terrible swatches and whoever is writing the copy.
Dear god the copy…..You know exactly who companies think they’re talking to (and often are!!!!!) by how they say it. Just awful most the time.
One of my biggest pet peeves is whoever writes the product descriptions and copies for Charlotte Tilbury. 😅
Yes. It tells you exactly nothing!!! Not even a color family!!!!
For me, the biggest issue is availability – whether it’s built in “FOMO” stuff – LE products not produced in sufficient quantities to meet customer need, or just products not available in stores near me. I like and “need” to see the items for myself and I don’t enjoy ordering sight unseen/untested from companies that are only available online, which explains why I have nothing from Colour Pop, nothing from Clionadh (even though they are Canadian, I think), only one Temptalia palette from Sydney Grace….I could go on and on. I like instant gratification (take my money and give me the products in my hand right now!) but even more, I like to see and try the products for myself.
Some people will always want the gratification of limited edition (that’s why we have the whole culture of collectibles and now NFTs), but I wish brands would get it that it’s enough to launch limited edition packaging and make the actual shade / product permanent.
Not Cruelty Free-all because China requires animal testing. I am a veterinarian, and it is a really good feeling to look in the mirror and know I am not part of that market.
Products that smell awful, seriously, no need for ‘fragrance’ if they aren’t going to disclose it. I’m with you, Christine
The worse it’s when they add fragrance, but they brag it’s something natural. It might be the most benign fragrance ingredient, I just don’t want to smell my foundation after applying it. 😅
I completely agree with you. It’s great that more brands are on board with being cruelty-free, but there are many high end brands that aren’t budging on animal testing. Also, there is no need to add perfume to cosmetics, especially with eye products like mascara.
China has removed the requirement for animal testing! My husband is working for a vegan company right now, prepping for their launch in the Chinese market. I don’t know if it’s already been implemented or if it’s about to be, but the company (need to stay anonymous here for obvious reasons) isn’t one to move into a market without being absolutely certain.
Filed to “lack of information” : Brands that make it virtually impossible to find ingredients for their own products. Bad enough that many retailers (Saks and NM come to mind, iirc) don’t include that info, but when you go to the brand’s OWN SITE and still can’t find it, and have to resort to googling for a readably-large photo of the back of the freaking box? Most consumers are much more ingredient-conscious (and knowledgeable) these days, and particularly for things like foundation, concealer, moisturizers, and other complexion products?! My dudes, I have acne and sensitivities. If I don’t know what’s in there, I am *not* buying it.
You’d think they’d have wised up by now? Not accurately describing the product (including scent, omg) and not accurately depicting the colors = returns galooooore, which costs. you. money.
Celebrity worship – not all of us look like leggy blonde models. And ageism. It would be nice to see more advertising with models of all age groups.
Dishonest/limited swatching (you know, over edited photos or swatches only on white skin), limited edition, FRAGRANCE, and terms like clean/vegan/cruelty free- I’m not going to fool myself that it’s actually cruelty free. I would like to see more sustainable and accessible packaging.
I don’t like it when brands don’t include product amount / net weight. I don’t it’s fair to expect a buyer to pay for something based on a picture, and then it comes and the amount of product is incredibly small – that’s very disappointing, to the point where I stopped buying things that don’t list the amount unless I’ve had a strong recommendation from a friend and seen the product in person. Also, not disclosing the amount of product doesn’t allow us to compare effectively among products. Obviously, not as big a problem for bigger / seasoned brands, but indie brands take note!
YES TO ALL OF THIS!
I’m sick to death of having to hunt down ingredients lists – *PARTICULARLY* from the higher end/luxury brands. I have my own theory that they do it for mystique; so customers can’t see all the filler garbage in the luxury price tag and compare that to lesser expensive formulations from mid-range on down.
La mer cream has mineral oil and petrolatum in it. You’re welcome.
Ingredients are always my number one because I simply CANNOT use silicones on my face. As of two years ago I can’t use fragrance on my face either (probably another reason, goopiness and lack of preservatives aside, the RdF “cream” shadows caused such awful dermatitis in my delicate eye skin. they put lavender essential oil in their cosmetics.), vitamin c is a no-go, high concentrations of niacinimde are also a no-go. Those two being the currently hyped darlings of skin care means they’re in EVERYTHING.
I need to know that I’m buying a functional product and not future dermatitis issues. Give me an ingredients list. Give me a no BS list of what to expect from the product. Show me accurate color swatches. Those things aren’t hard. So why do companies spend so much effort obfuscating information about their products?
I am in a similar situation with Dimethicone. I can’t even get near it! But do companies post ingredient lists so I can avoid four weeks of massive outbreaks? NO!
Also why are we still putting vegetable oil in high end skin care, VOLITION?
Have you listened to the podcast ‘The Beauty Brains’? They are cosmetic chemists and they make it very clear that there are only so many products and suppliers of the raw ingredients, you don’t have to spend a lot for great skincare.
Companies are not honest about ingredients because they don’t want to be copied or for consumers to find that Olay or Nivea is using the same basic ingredients as La Mer.
The last time I checked La Mer packaging, they used NaOH, sodium hydroxide or LYE as a part of the preservation system.
There isn’t anything wrong with mineral oil or lye, unless you break out a lot, they are better on the body.
I do know that I love, love love anything with capryllic acid in it from checking labels.
Lack of information definitely makes my list, but for me it’s the overall spectrum of companies trying to manipulate costumers. They put poor quality (and/or few) photos and description to manipulate customers into buying without all information. They use marketing ploys like “clean beauty” to manipulate costumers who don’t do all the research.
And, controversial opinion maybe, I hate when companies brag about being vegan or not testing on animals when otherwise they don’t do anything for the animals. You can have a vegan formula, but hurt more animals from using unsustainable manufacturing practices, from the plastic than ends in the ocean, from the pollution you generate, etc.
My mild pet peeve is companies that try to do it all, just because it’s a trend right now. It’s ok to have 5 good products than 15 mediocre ones. It’s ok to have 7 shades and expands later than release a mediocre formula or 40 crappy shades.
Lack of WARNINGS!!! Especially either ingredient allergy warnings or safety warnings. For example; some lipsticks (possibly other lip products) have wheat gluten in them. This is hazardous for those with Celiac Disease. Or, a brand adds some other highly allergenic ingredient, but posts no clear, easy to see warning, such as: “this product contains sodium saccharine, those with sulfa allergies please be advised”, or whatever allergenic ingredient it may be. This is so highly negligent and irresponsible of brands not to!
Also, this also pertains to things that are potentially disastrous or harmful to ANYONE, or; pressed glitters, which are often included in palettes promoted towards the very young, like teens and tweens. One has to wonder how many have had to be seen in emergency settings for treatment related to injury because of users lack of information and CLEAR label warnings.
Like many others, the digital swatches. They don’t help me. Some brands, like Chanel, have limited availability in my city. Maybe 20-30 limited edition items for a city of close to 1 million people. Good luck in actually seeing and trying a limited edition item. I don’t also like the overhyping of products. Not all of us are influencers and unless I really want something and read about it before the release, good luck to me in ordering anything as within a minute, it is sold out. Very limited editions that sell out in no time. Finally, although I am sure there is more, that some brands have yearly price increases. Why. Some even have shrinkflation. Package looks the same, but no nice little envelope to put the palette in to, no more little foam brushes, and oh yeah, about 25% less product.
As I was reading through the comments I was like, “Yes, that’s my pet peeve.” I agree with all of them. Recently, what has really been bothering me is the product packaging and waste. I have always been frustrated by it and yet I am part of the problem because I have to buy everything online and so the products some with so much packaging, padding and more than one box. I was watching Michelle Wang’s channel the other day and she was sharing PR for Earth Day. She showed this huge box that had a green label with an Earth Day theme and when she opened the box it was 3 little boxes of skin care. It was from Kiehl’s. I couldn’t believe it. I have to say that another peeve is the lack of color on the outside of a tube of lipstick. I hate having to rummage through every tube looking for the right shade. I guess I could buy stickers, swatch a little lipstick on it and slap it on but it would be a lot better if they did it so that I wouldn’t be getting lipstick all over everything.
Just one pet peeve? Hmmm….let me see.
1. Brands that send just a selection of their products to Australia – you know we often only get half…and of course what I want is in the other half that doesn’t get sent – Maybelline, L’Oreal etc.
2. Brands that use numbers on their lipsticks and not names, so you have no idea when you go to look for a particular lipstick you are after (and the staff have no idea either) – Sephora.
3. Brands that don’t indicate on their foundation bottle (or even in their info on their own website) whether their foundation has pink, yellow or neutral undertones, let alone a cohesive grading system for their shades.
4.Brands that make their products difficult to purchase by being exclusive to Ulta – who don’t ship internationally – bareMinerals, Buxom, UD etc
5. No information regarding ingredients – particularly adding scents/tastes
6. Deliberately fudgy/dodgy about whether they are cruelty free or sell to China….
I could go on…..
Deliberately cloudy language surrounding the terms “cruelty-free” and “vegan”. Unless a person really does their research, they will assume one also means the other. They do not. Cosmetics can be both cruelty-free and vegan. They can also be cruelty-free, but not vegan. And in some cases, vegan, but not cruelty-free. Cosmetics companies count on you not doing your due diligence. Animals pay the price.
Oh those silly swatches. Pat McGrath takes the cake with her neon swatches. Not a fan of the Tilbury hyperbole of 301 percent saw a change. I just, in all honesty can’t support her brand due to her insensitivity of exaggeration.
Photoshopped swatches, or lack of swatches or wear photos. I really hate ones where they use the exact same photo and photoshop multiple palettes or looks. I was looking at Dior the other day, and I had to flip back and forth between photos for a while. On arm swatches as well as a model’s eye, they just photoshopped colors on the same photo! Can’t you at least apply real makeup to models and take a few photos? It makes me distrust the brand and I would never buy from them unless they score high on here. It’s always prestige brands (Dior, Chanel) that do this (or just don’t even have swatches, just a photo of the palette). These brands should have the money to do an actual photo shoot.
Having price yet cheap packaging