Top Five Skincare Scams
Don’t let us stop you from spending exuberant amounts of money on your skincare products, but you better be seeing some serious results for all that cash. With so many options out there it’s hard to know what to do, so some think “the more expensive the better… right?” Well, not necessarily.
You should expect to invest in your skincare. Remember, good formulators need to perform clinical trials and use high-quality ingredients, so that raises the price of active skincare products – but when you get into the high $100+ range you can often see diminishing returns. Hate to call out fellow skincare lines (and treatments), but people often are shelling out way too much money (and far too often) for overrated skincare which forces them to skimp on what will give them long-term results. You know here, we are all about the end game.
5. The Miracle Night Cream:
Case in Point: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream ($280) & La Mer Creme ($360)
Both these spendy creams claim to have patented technology to forever abolish wrinkles and dryness. Good luck. Creams are meant to be occlusive and keep your skin from losing hydration and moisture. Little of the formulation really soaks into the skin, so putting a very vague proprietary “miracle ingredient” (that is mixed in with a lot of other lackluster ingredients) simply won’t do much of anything.
When reading an ingredient deck it lists ingredients from highest concentration to lowest concentrations. La Mer’s first ingredient is seaweed, a cheap and plentiful weed that grows in the sea. The second ingredient listed is mineral oil. Mineral oil can be a great healing ingredient for your skin. But it’s also called Vaseline… $360 will buy you a LOT of Vaseline.
4. The Fix-All Facial
Case in Point: Hydrafacial ($175+), Microneedling ($250+), Lasers ($300+)
We are in full support of all of these treatments but we do not support their claims of drastic results after just one time. Results of any facial treatment, procedure, or product are temporary, always. What is not temporary is the knowledge that you learn about how to take care of your skin.
Don’t fall for thinking a facial treatment or medical procedure will turn your skin around, that is not the case. Getting a “fancy facial” (here or elsewhere) is a way to treat your skin and boost results when you are already using the right products.
3. Vitamin C as a Cure-All
Case in Point: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($166)
Vitamin C is a must for a superstar skin regimen. But too often we see acne clients using this because they’ve read on the internet vitamin C (specifically this serum) will help clear their skin and hyperpigmentation. It won’t help clear your skin and we typically won’t suggest a vitamin C to you until acne is not your biggest concern. And as far as pigmentation or scarring goes, results are minimal because vitamin C is a brightening ingredient that protects skin from free radicals (AKA skin aging and damage due to environmental factors). And, unfortunately, many vitamin C serums barely work because vitamin C is hard to stabilize as a topical serum.
We call out SkinCeuticals specifically because this product continues to get too much credit for outdated technology and an unvalidated high cost. While the original formulator patented great vitamin C technology, L'Oreal bought this company in 1994, and skincare (but not theirs) has come a long way since then! If you want to use vitamin C (which you should) take the time to round out the rest of your regimen with a professional so your vitamin C can really shine.
2. Expensive Neck Cream
Case in Point: Revision Necktifirm ($92) and SkinBetter Techno ($140)
Neck cream: a brilliant necessity or wishful thinking? Sadly, the latter is often true. No one wants to protect your neck more than us, but the truth is that it’s really hard. You should absolutely use your skincare products on your neck, exfoliate it, apply your serums, and then keep it moisturized and protected.
Specific products for your neck certainly won’t hurt, but it is a bit of false advertising that overpromises and under delivers. Instead, one big thing that can really help your neck skin is microcurrent to lift and tighten. Plus, a NuFACE device (the gift that keeps on giving) goes for just a little more than the hot neck cream on the market. But in the meantime, the best thing you can do to stop inevitable genetics and sagging – is to just look up.
1. Designer Skin(care)
Pop stars, professional athletes, real housewives, and influencers are all about the in-your-face designer labels. Nothing makes a statement like the YSL logo or the double CC’s. For whatever reason, we are all drawn to designers – but do us a favor and keep them off your skin.
All the money you spend is just for that iconic label. But though it may give you pleasure staring at it on your vanity, it won’t give you designer skin. Most of those products are low quality and full of fillers and fragrances which can be irritating in moderate to heavy doses. They are also really expensive. And while we do take pretty packaging into account when deciding what to sell here, we refuse to sell something just so you can be the envy of your friends on social media though.