ZO Skin Health
Preposterous Anti-Aging Skincare Claims–They’re Getting Kind of Old!
When it comes to anti-aging skincare claims, who can you trust? Good question, and the FDA wants you to know. So they have published a list of companies that are making false and misleading claims. In our opinion, it’s long overdue. While the industry was not regulated, companies began making more and more unproven claims and publishing misleading photos.
And the companies that they’re naming–well, it’s a who’s-who list of skincare–Helena Rubinstein, Guerlain, L’Oreal, Lancome, Coty, Lancaster, Avon, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Shiseido–the list goes on and on!
Dr. Obagi is in favor of increased regulation–he has always been a great proponent of ensuring that skincare claims are fair and honest.
For more information, check out the following link:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_188.html
ZO Skin Health
Anti-Aging or Anti-Truth?
If you had heard the words “anti-aging” five years ago you probably would’ve thought of protesters outside a retirement home before you thought of the beauty industry. Today, however, it’s a household term. Personal care and cosmetic brands are hailing the anti-aging bandwagon and will do anything to jump aboard. But, how many of them deserve a ride?
We recently came across an anti-aging fragrance — yes, fragrance — that claims to make you SMELL youthful. Like us, you’re probably wondering what youth smells like. Well, pink grapefruit, mango, pomegranate and musk, of course. The same ingredients half the fragrances on the cosmetic counters contain.
There isn’t a personal care or cosmetic item too far-fetched for the anti-aging stamp. Nail polish has thrown its hat into the ring. Mascara wasn’t far behind. We’re waiting for deodorant, lipstick and mouthwash to get in on the game.
Those are just flat-out ridiculous examples, but other products trying to encroach into the niche we’ve mastered make a more convincing case. For instance, toothpaste. We all know teeth lose their strength and whiteness as we get older. Hair care products also have some legitimacy. Your mane slowly becomes a mop over the years. But, guess what? People who have the misfortune of aging teeth and aging hair have the good fortune of veneers and Raquel Welch wigs.
Let’s face it: Skin is the hands-down most telltale sign of aging on your body. Unlike your hair and teeth, you can’t put on a new face. Not even with the best plastic surgeon money can buy. That’s why skincare lines with ingredients recognized by the FDA to fight signs of aging are legitimately entitled to the anti-aging label.
Dr. Zein Obagi and ZO Skin Health can help you fight aging, but we can’t help you sort through all the anti-aging claims. Exercise wise consumerism. Your skin will thank you for it.
ZO Skin Health
The Games (Some) Skincare Companies Play
Read the fine print. You hear that advice all the time, but probably only follow it when buying a home, signing a lease or negotiating some other major purchase. Pick up the nearest women’s magazine and you’ll learn it applies to skincare products, too. But, we’re warning you: Prepare to feel duped.
We’re going to conduct this little exercise every so often just to keep you as educated a consumer as possible. We’ll flip through a woman’s magazine and go through the promises, one by one.
First up, a skincare cream from a brand better known for its hair products.
The claim: “Look up to 5 years younger in just weeks.”
The fine print: Based on a consumer perception study, women judged they looked up to 5 years younger starting at 4 weeks.
Notice the word “perception.” Here’s the dictionary definition: the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. In other words, the results are all in your head.
The real deal: Read between the lines: their clinical studies revealed that if there was measurable improvement — any improvement, any at all — it was negligible.
Next, we have a two-page spread devoted to a youth activating cream serum. This one has three footnotes in fine print, but we’d rather focus on the term “youth activating.” We all know what youth means. This is how the dictionary defines “activating”: to make active; cause to function or act.
The real deal: Notice there’s no specification on exactly WHAT will be acting youthful. A sports car or a trophy wife or an old cheerleader’s uniform could all be justifiably referred to as youth activating. But will they make your skin look younger?
