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Do you think that skincare brand’s claims are usually honest?
Do you think that skincare brand’s claims are usually honest? Or is it mostly exaggerated for marketing? Are some brands more honest than others?
I think certain types of products often exaggerate claims or must have had a very small sample size and miraculous results… When brands make more moderate claims (“intensely hydrating” vs. “rewind the clock by 10 years in just six weeks!”), they seem fairly honest and believable to me.
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I feel like a lot of skin care brands exaggerate what their products can do, and a lot of things they say are basically meaningless.
The more outrageous the claim, the less likely I am to believe it, and the less likely I am to try the brand. I prefer basic cleaners and moisturizers with quality ingredients rather than big claims. I don’t need anti-aging wrinkle-blasting made with water from a glacier on the North Pole skin cream.
I’m with you–the over the top claims make me roll my eyes. The language is usually calculated to just skirt the edge of false advertising. I’d much rather buy something that claims to do the possible.
I agree with Christine. As long as they don’t claim to magically give me my skin from college overnight, I generally believe them. I usually take everything with a grain of salt, though. Nothing will give me my 18-year-old-who-got-nine-hours-of-sleep-every-night-and-was-perfectly-hydrated-and-in-shape skin ever again, although I assume the high quality brands will at least give me a better version of my current skin.
I feel most of them are overblown, and the higher end you get, the more overblown and unbelievable the claims. In most cases, I find cheaper stuff works as well or better than high-end stuff, which reinforces that.
Not at all. I like my skincare to be free of gimmicks so I usually stick to no-nonsense brands and products. I’ve learned that it’s better to read the ingredients list and do a research than read labels, as sad as that might sound.
+ 1. I’ve been avidly researching my skincare since I was twelve and considered making a career out of it!
I think every single company exaggerates their claims. I’d love to see a company state simply that a product will soften the exterior texture of the skin and moisturize and protect from sun damage but even the companies that are making those simple claims seem to have to dress it all up in fancier language. I was at the drugstore yesterday looking at a new product from Bioderma and perhaps it was just a problem with the translation from French to English but, honest to God, the package reported that “87% of users noticed life-changing benefits” (or words to that effect – it honesly said “life-changing”….I joked to my friend who was with me that maybe we should buy it and then we’d be able to plan this great trip we’d like to take together!)
I think gone are the days of exaggerated marketing. Only the old dinosaurs of skin care make those crazy “fountain of youth” claims. There are lots of companies popping up (especially organic/natural brands) that are getting wise on how to market.
I think for the most part, skincare claims are disingenuous when it comes to anti-aging. Beyond that I don’t have a problem with the way they market themselves on hydrating, clarifying, etc. I HATE when they get into the “science” (or rather science fiction) of their products. It makes it much harder to sift through all the nonsense.
Not necessarily. I’ve learned to ignore those exaggerated claims of wrinkles, pores and more disappearing. It’s just not realistic lol. I do tend to believe regular claims like how moisturizing it may be or the exfoliating properties of a mask or something. That’s
Hardly lol
I think they usually stretch the truth a bit…
No way. I completely ignore them, I immediately flip the box around and read the ingredients instead the silly english ad and the sillier romanian translation.
…and usually, the first ingredient is WATER! And, high end or low, so many of the other ingredients in a lot of skin care products are so similar with a few fancy things added to the high end stuff and usually it’s at the end of the ingredient list (meaning there isn’t much in there anyway).
You are right :)) they all pick from a big list of ingredients that are in everything. It’s rare when smth has a special ingredient. I hate it when the nice stuff is only present in tiny quantities 🙁
I check beautypedia to be sure if a product is good. For the most part I think claims are exaggerated.
Most of the time, absolutely not. It’s an industry that relies on our insecurities, pseudo-scientific jargon, and placebo effects. I’ve heard that most topical anti-aging products are just glorified moisturizers, in which case I will stick with just that: moisturizers.
No.
Unfortunately no, I don’t think most skincare brands make honest claims. I think many assume that their customers are relatively ignorant when it comes to biology and take advantage of this situation to make delirious claims. What angers me the most is when brands claim that their skincare products will go all the way through your skin and basically penetrate your body. I also got really mad recently when I saw a shampoo that contained biotin and the brand claiming that it would make hair grow…
A lot of ones exaggerate. Or they use only one small study. I feel EL owned companies are the worst.
Absolutely not – I have purchased cheap and very high end products years ago and there was no change to my complexion. No difference whatsoever. You either have good genes or not. As long as people keep buying into their claims, they will keep making them. I did it once, never again.
Kind of like the thousands of ‘guaranteed’ weight loss pills etc. We want a quick fix without having to do a thing except take a pill – or cleans our bowels, etc. We are a very gullible bunch wanting what we see in magazines – photoshopped or born-with-great-genes pictures of people.
*cleanse
I’ve learned not to listen to a bit of it, no matter what the price point. Read the ingredients, make note of in what order they appear (the top five ingredients are the bulk of the product, and if something is further down than “fragrance” it might as well not even be in there), look up every single thing if you don’t know what it is and what it does. Often times I’ve chosen not to use something because of an ingredient vs. choosing to do so because of one. Once you start looking things up, you will be astonished at what they sell and expect you to apply to your skin.
After 30 years of using skin care products I’ve discovered simple is best. My skin is so much better since I tossed out everything and just went to oil, and consistent use of mineral sunscreen. I’ve used a few other things here and there since, but none of them really made any difference.. the only two I see an actual change from are vitamin C and hyaurlonic acid. If you need something, go to the source.. instead of a serum that contains a basket load of things, some of which may do more harm than good, get a simple product that does what you want it to. Will save you a ton of money as well.
I’m 62 & was a Reg. Nurse & 3 grown children. I believe everyone has different skin care needs. Most young people can get by on good drug store brands that are suggested by the pharmacist or their doctor. But have discovered that they contain high volumes of water or glycerin. So mostly cheaper to by higher end product tat costs more initially but cheaper because lasts so much longer. Not all Dermatologist are correct either. Research best with sites like these.
Totally agree with everything else said here.
Another issue for me is lack of transparency and lack of what would normally be considered common sense, when a good skincare or foundation product is changed to an inferior one or discontinued altogether, followed by no credible answers when the product’s most loyal customers complain and request the old product to be brought back. So not only are companies using paying customers for de facto market research, they proceed to ignore feedback from these experienced and savvy customers. Companies say a product is “improved”, maybe in some ways but in other ways it doesn’t work as well as the original, and the new features you may not want anyway. Companies say their product has been replaced with a different and better product, but the new product doesn’t work as well as the old product. Several Estee Lauder and Clinique products were altered or discontinued in that way. Sometimes I think the old product didn’t have sufficient marketing and training connected to it, and the company overlooked ways to capture and capitalize what fans loved about a classic discontinued product. If it’s not broken, don’t “fix” it !
I completely agree with you here! There’s nothing more infuriating than a reformulation or discontinuation of a product the consumers KNOW is good. So many gems in perfume, sunscreen, skin care and makeup have been lost that way. Everyone knows that the new Shiseido Ultimate isn’t as nice as the old one – same with their powder, so many lipstick formulas across brands… it boggles the mind!
Totally agree. Not to mention that skincare brands like to make you feel terrible about your skin as it is now so that you buy their products!
While I believe many skincare products exaggerate their claims, I think they are monitored and penalized if claims are false or too far off.
This isn’t true. When last have you heard of a skincare company being penalised for false claims??? The exaggeration is usually within the law of puffery, even when they’re downright ridiculous. And companies have entire ‘claims departments’ whose entire life’s work is devoted to designing those biased ‘studies’ to back these claims! Between those, you can’t trust a word a skincare company says about their products, usually.
I, like others, read the ingredients list carefully, along with the product description to see if there is truth behind the claims. It’s a huge red flag if companies don’t make available a full ingredients list. I buy all my skincare from Paula’s Choice, which is a very good company in terms of being forthright about its products, and even her descriptions are exaggerated or a bit off sometimes.
I don’t take any chances on skincare claims. I go straight to Beautypedia.com and read the reviews. They give honest reviews. They have saved me so much money.
No – not at all. Quite often they contain chemicals that may not suit your skin – so reading the ingredients list is important. Most of them are overpriced. Great packaging does not always make a great product either.
I get the angriest when I read somethig about some “natural” ingredient that “detoxes” or performs some other absurd function that is unproven by science. Also, all the _____ and _____ and _____-free products that are so ridiculously proud of not including safe ingredients because some geniuses so easily fall for pseudoscientific fear-mongering. Turns me right off. I am not their target audience, obviously.
I’ve been surprised at all the gluten free skincare lately, I have to admit. Maybe a few people will chime in that they have a specific reason for avoiding wheat in skincare, and it’s awesome for those people that the products are labled that way, but I can’t imagine that the warnings are really there for that one person in ten thousand who would otherwise break out in hives.
I never read the claims. The only thing I look for is the skin type recommendation. I think the claims are usually untrue and exaggerated.
I think their claims are largely what they have convinced they are, either honest or no quite honest. I generally go to other blogs or forums to find out what real women (not vendors), with their real experiences have to say about a product. Some claims by companies might be true, somewhat close to true, fairly distant or outrageous. As far as they’re concerned, it’s all about the bottom line.
I think that some companies are more honest than others, but I also think that they oftentimes exaggerate their claims. As for ingredients, they are obligated to reports all ingredients per the FDA. I don’t get sucked into the claims; I will typically read others’ reviews and even sometimes just “wait” it out, watch YouTubers, etc. to see what their take is on the product. But I won’t lie…..I have done impulse purchases, for sure.
Absolutely not. Many claims sound exaggerated at best to me–to the point where I’m instinctively skeptical of claims that even have research backing it (sometimes I need to read the study itself). I’m quite sure I missed out on several excellent products but that’s nothing compared to the number of products that messed up my skin bc I blindly trusted skincare brand SA’s. I’m pretty careful now. There are several brands I sort of trust–but those are the sorts of brands that already have a following (like Cerave, Cetaphil, Amlactin and Paula’s Choice). I now hang onto receipts and introduce one new skincare item to my regimen at a time to better notice any claims.
having talked to a lady who works in the skincare industry she revealed that a lot of the claims brands come up with are not only false but impossible. A lot of the brand ambassadors have been educated poorly and have no real grasp of chemistry. They are taught by the company and they believe their own claims. I’d say question everything and do your own research.
I think they are very rarely honest, in their implications, especially. Given that so many of them fall into the realm of anti-aging, which has largely been proven futile at present, unless you count moisturizer and sun protection, they often CAN’T reasonably advertise without creating unrealistic hopes of efficacy. I know it’s just what advertising IS in beauty, but I think it’s dishonest and bizarre that skincare is sold with retouched images of conventionally beautiful women with already beautiful skin who don’t use the products to apparently show us the sort of effect we can hope to achieve. lol. I know it’s the name of the game but I do think it’s a bummer that it’s also an implicit lie. I actually really like it when I read something that sets a low, achievable bar. lol
No, I don’t. Instead, I go by the ingredient list. I look for certain key ingredients that are truly known to work for the purpose intended. Also, checking MUA for reviews and thoughts on it, especially from others near my age or better still, skin type and tone. Many times I will also try samples from Sephora because they will give a generous enough sample to find out if it’ll really work. Have found some real gems doing this! And some real duds too, ie; the Dr. Perricone plasma that smells like rotten fish! Not only made my neck smell hideous, but it didn’t do diddly squat either!
sadly no…its usually through experimentation that i find things that work or don’t. i always get the free samples for eye creams or serums because then i dont have to buy expensive full size bottles 🙂
I think that perhaps you’re asking the wrong people! You would think that the grander the hyperbole, the more eye-rolling it would induce, but I remember rolling my eyes at the miraculous claim of special apple stem cells that turn back the clock in a room full of women and being practically jumped on “WHERE WAS THIS PRODUCT AND HOW MUCH IS IT?!” – perhaps it’s the fact that this is an avid area of interest or that the Temptalia Community is so overexposed to hype that we’re rendered somewhat immune to it, but actually, I’ve find that skin care claims are far more likely to be swallowed by people than most people in these types of online communities actually think, and it’s not that these people are stupid, it’s just that they don’t have the time or level of interest that we have to actually analyze all the ingredients in their pot of night cream.
In any event, I don’t think that skin care brands are generally honest about their products and what they claim them to do – of course not. Who wants to hear “This is just a pot of mineral oil with a few things in it that aren’t actually active by the time you apply them”, “this is full of micro beads that are just plastic fillers that don’t biodegrade”, or “this costs so much less to make than we’re selling it for!”? I don’t generally look towards the individual brand’s claims the majority of the time, I’m more interested in people I consider neutral parties, like Temptalia, or researching as well as testing things out for myself (One study may say essential oils are irritating fragrance-fillers and others natural, balancing moisturizers, but ultimately if it works well for my skin, I don’t mind if some research contradicts my experience).
I read labels, and I find the active ingredients are usually so miniscule, the claims made are highly exaggerated. I just try to get samples, and use something for a couple of weeks to see if I am getting the results I want.