M Lab

   Strengths: M LAB provides complete product ingredient lists on its Web site; one good, though still needlessly expensive, cleanser. 
   Weaknesses: Shockingly expensive; drying and irritating anti-acne products; jar packaging; only one sunscreen (though it does supply sufficient UVA protection); leave-on products that contain sensitizing preservatives and/or fragrance chemicals known to cause irritation.

 

   My first thought as I completed the reviews for this skin-care line was: “Well, that was a whole lot of nothing!” There really isn’t much else to say. M LAB is a line endeavoring to present itself as “a global leader in the art and science of cosmeceutical development,” but whose formulas have very little to do with either. What is truly much to do about nothing is the term “cosmeceutical,” which isn’t regulated as a category of skin-care products or ingredients anywhere in the world, so any cosmetic company can use it regardless of what is in their products.
   In reality the people behind this ultra-expensive skin-care line are simply perpetuating the same lofty claims and hype as most other anti-aging brands. They claim to have clinical research and a high percentage of actives, which sounds impressive, but if you have no data or research to support those assertions, it means they are merely using the most prevalent and blatant form of advertising absurdity. 
   Leaving the overbloated pricing and claims aside for a moment, M LABS uses a strange mix of beneficial ingredients that have solid research behind them and problematic ingredients that have solid research showing they can be bad for skin. You might also be chagrined to realize that despite their high cost, M LAB’s products do not contain the 45% to 74% of clinically active ingredients that they claim. Rather, these products have a mere dusting of what would be considered state-of-the-art ingredients. Even if these products were actually loaded with “active” ingredients, the jar packaging of many of these products wouldn’t keep them stable anyway.
   Perhaps the most bothersome claim (okay, there are many bothersome claims here) M LAB makes is that all of their products are allergy- and irritant-free. The allergy-free claim is completely worthless because there’s no way to guarantee that a product won’t elicit an allergic reaction for someone. As for the irritant-free claim, many M LAB products absolutely contain known irritants, including alcohol, synthetic sunscreen actives, certain preservatives, fragrant extracts, and harsh detergent cleansing agents (e.g., sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate). For all of their clinical and cosmeceutical boasting, M LAB is mostly full of hot air, and offensive price tags. As mentioned, they do include some very good ingredients, but there isn’t enough of them to make it worth the money, especially over many other well-formulated products that cost far less. 
   For more information about M LAB, call (866) 928-6522 or visit www.mlabonline.com.