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Babor
Babor At-A-Glance
Strengths: A handful of well-formulated, stably packaged, antioxidant-rich products; good to above average moisturizing masks for dry to very dry skin; and self-tanners that have nice textures and are not exorbitantly priced.
Weaknesses: Overreliance on jar packaging and redundant moisturizer formulas; many products (even those with few ingredients) containing more than eight preservatives, which increases the potential for irritation; no sunscreens recommended as part of a daily routine; no products to treat blemishes; and, as usual for the cosmetics industry, pricey products that don’t have research to support their claims or make them worth the investment.
After reviewing the enormous assortment of products this line offers, I can earnestly say that Babor is overwhelmingly ba-boring. Babor is a spa-oriented line that hails from Germany. It originated in the mid 1950s when Dr. Michael Babor patented a facial cleansing oil that is still sold today. The line gradually expanded and was purchased by another doctor in the early 1960s, and is now sold in over 50 countries. Babor’s beliefs are shared by many other cosmetics lines, whether spa-sold or not: natural is best; exclusive formulas are the key to great skin care; and integrated skin-care systems are a must. Well, I do agree with the last statement, that integrated skin-care systems are a must, at least from the standpoint that most skin types do best when they consistently follow a routine, adjusting products as needed, such as seasonally. However, natural is not always best. There are plenty of natural ingredients that are irritating or have zero benefits for skin, other than perhaps a nice scent (but that won’t help your skin). As for exclusive formulas, that’s something most lines can boast, but exclusive doesn’t inherently mean effective, better, or even sensible, as you’ll see from the reviews below.
What was particularly maddening in reviewing this line was dealing with the huge number of moisturizers (over 70 choices, including serums and masks), and also the minor differences between products. Well, that along with pricing that is little more than caprice with no rhyme or reason, given the sheer redundancy of the products. Another frustration is that although just about all of Babor’s moisturizers are well-formulated in terms of combining helpful ingredients for dry to very dry skin with pleasing textures, most of them come in jar packaging. I thought we all knew that jar packaging won’t keep plant extracts and antioxidants stable once the product is opened. This fact knocks some exceptional moisturizers back to ordinary status, which makes them not worthy of their prices or worth your trouble. How disappointing, because Babor is one of the few companies that includes several antioxidants and intriguing cell-communicating ingredients in their formulas. But products without stable, opaque packaging basically squander any benefit they might bring—and for Babor that is the case for product after product.
One claim that is marketing hype to the max is Babor's assertion that because their products are “spa-quality,” they are superior to what’s available in drugstore or mass market locations. The term spa-quality has no definition or implied status (I’ve reviewed lots of “spa” or “salon” products, such as Babor’s, that were poorly formulated or poorly packaged), other than what the companies selling in that arena attribute to it. I can think of several drugstore products with much better formulations than those from most spa lines. All it really takes to establish your line in the spa market is a good story, the right buzzwords (with “natural,” “pure,” or “professional” being big, along with showcasing some exotic ingredient), and a high price tag that plays on the consumer’s belief that expensive and exclusive means better. Babor does not sell a single product, not even their best ones, that cannot be found outside of a spa setting, making the entire notion of spa brands being superior just plain malarkey.
While there are far more mediocre and poor products in this extensive line than there are great ones, it isn’t a line you should dismiss altogether. Although nothing is a must-have, the best products are worth consideration (but watch out for sales pressure from spa employees who can sound very convincing about the benefits of any product they sell).
Note: All Babor products contain fragrance unless otherwise noted.
For more information about Babor, call (888) 222-6791 or visit www.babor.com.
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