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The Cosmetics Cop in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop, was in town Monday promoting her new book.
“Don’t go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me,” (Beginning Press, $24.95) is in its 7th edition, and according to Begoun it wasn’t supposed to happen. She was ready to call it quits, but is so passionate about debunking the beauty myths put out there by skin care and cosmetic companies, that she did it again.
“There isn’t a myth we don’t fall for,” said Begoun. From mascara ads that use false eyelashes to the questionable “scientific studies” designed solely to back up products’ outlandish claims, we’ve all been duped.
Begoun and her team review thousands of products and give reviews in the 1200 page book. Updates with new products and new information are available online.
Begoun’s 20 plus years of experience researching skin care and beauty products can’t be reduced to a quick list, but here are some of the findings I thought were interesting:
Eye cream is pretty much unnecessary despite the million versions now produced.
Claim substantiation (labs that set up studies to back whatever advertisements say a product will do) is a joke. The shocking part? Even prestigious colleges and universities will design studies to back product claims knowing that the study integrity is questionable.
No topical wrinkle cream will ever give results comparable to injectables like Botox.
Begoun is surprised by all the dermotologists who have gotten into the skin care biz and started issuing their own false marketing claims. If anyone should do better, it’s the derms.
What are some of the beauty myths you have discovered?
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Comments
By Jen
February 19, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
That lotion or oil or whatever will prevent the stretch marks of pregnancy.
According to my OBGYN - it’s all about collagen. If you have a lot you won’t get stretch marks. If you don’t you will.
And how much you have is dependent on your genetics and no cream in the world will give it to you…
And it’s not even so much about how big you get. I gained 30 lbs and became a giant stretch mark from an inch above my belly button down to my inner thighs…and even in my armpits and under my breasts.
My friend gained 75 lbs and didn’t get a single stretch mark. And we were both the same pre-pregnancy weight!
If you want to know if you’ll get stretch marks just look around at the womeon who share your DNA who’ve had pregnancies…
By Jen
February 19, 2008 4:21 PM | Link to this
Here’s another myth about beauty but it doesn’t have to do with cosmetics.
When I was in college I would hear about guys saying they would look at a girl’s mother to see if the girl would get large as she got older.
I’m sorry, but that’s only half the DNA. There’s Dad, too.
Boy, if my husband had suscribed to THIS philosophy when we were dating he’d be sooo disappointed! I used to be quite trim. My mother is 60 and very petite and trim. My dad, however, is 5’6” and 230lbs - about as wide as he is tall….like a little tank.
And now I am chubby because I take after him more than I do after my mom!!!
However, my husband tells me now adays that he could tell that I took after my father because back then, even though I was trim, I was particularly muscular for a girl….like my dad was when he was younger. He married me anyway! XD