Rating a wide variety of cosmetic products is a rigorous, complex process. Establishing criteria that will let someone distinguish and differentiate a terrible product from a great one, or a good product from one that’s just mediocre, requires exact and consistently applied guidelines, and, moreover, guidelines that must be substantiated with published research that used clear criteria and rigorous scientific methods. These are exactly the criteria I’ve created for each product type that my team and I review on Beautypedia.
First—and above all—you need to know that I do not base any rating decision on my own personal experience with a product. In other words, just because I like the way a cleanser or a moisturizer feels on my skin, I know it doesn’t mean that thousands of others will feel the same way about it. Personal feelings won’t help you evaluate whether a product may hurt your skin or live up to any part of the claims showcased on the label. There are lots of online beauty chat rooms, blogs, fashion magazines, and friends who love to share their personal experiences about the products they use, often on a daily basis. That might be interesting and entertaining, but it’s important to recognize that lots of people also like things that aren’t good for them. Some people may like suntanning, others may use products that contain irritating ingredients because they believe the tingling feeling means it’s “working.” Most people have no idea what kinds of ingredients can damage skin and their assessment is more subjective than objective.
Even more to the point, these friendly recommendations don’t know that there are other products that perform equally as well if not better, often for a lot less money. If you’re going to spend money on a product, why not find out first whether or not it can live up to its claims, based on formulary or comparison performance issues, and then see how you can expect it to perform on you? That is what you will find out from the reviews in this book.
All of the ratings for the skin-care products in this book are based primarily on formulation of the individual product. I have consulted countless published, peer-reviewed studies about the ingredients in the product, and have considered the possible resulting interactions, with each other and with your skin. I also evaluate these formulas based on published cosmetics chemistry data about ingredient performance and consistency. From that I can assess a product’s potential for irritation, dryness, breakouts, sensitivities, greasiness, and other issues of texture and performance.
Makeup products are evaluated more subjectively than skin-care products with regard to their application, color selection, texture, and how they compare to similar products from myriad other lines. Formulation is also a consideration for makeup products, but predominantly for claims made in regard to skin care (i.e., a foundation that claims to firm skin) and for any makeup product that includes an SPF rating.
This rating process is more challenging than I can describe, because even if I think a company is absurdly overcharging for its products or is exceedingly dishonest in its claims and advertising, and no matter how unethical it seems to me, it does not prevent me from saying that a product of theirs is good for a particular skin type. Though I do often say, “This is a good product but what a shame the price has to be so absurd and the claims so ridiculous!”
Over time, the criteria I use for evaluating products has become even more strict. I use a far more stringent standard for excellence for every category of product, partly to help consumers separate the good from the superior products available from most lines.
Happy faces are no longer awarded to ordinary, perfunctory products with mediocre, standard, or even decent formulations. For example, if a product makes claims about containing antioxidants or anti-irritants, then it better contain a convincing amount of these ingredients. Those familiar with my previous reviews will notice is that many more products receive neutral ratings (many because of inadequate packaging) than they have in the past.
Each cosmetics line is reviewed on the basis of several different elements. The first consideration is overall presentation and how user-friendly the displays or company literature are. For lines available at retail locations, I consider it an asset if their display units are set up with convenient color groups, such as colors divided into warm (yellow) and cool (blue) tones, and are easily accessible. Skin-care and makeup products that are convenient to sample without the help of a salesperson are also rated high. For drugstore lines, colors must be easy to see, and samples or tester units are considered a (rare) bonus.
For infomercial and in-home shopping channel companies, my major criterion is the organization and logic of their skin-care routines. Generally, ordering products from these sources means you are buying a set of products, not shopping and selecting from what is being offered. If these prefabricated kits do not include an adequate sunscreen, or if the kit for someone with breakouts is only minimally different from the kit for someone with dry skin, then the overall rating goes down dramatically. (Skin-care products with ingredients that are good for someone with dry skin are rarely suited for someone with oily, acne-prone skin.)
I am also leery of any company that claims to be the best or to have state-of-the-art formulations when they don’t include a sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater that is formulated with UVA-protecting ingredients (avobenzone, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, Mexoryl SX, or Tinosorb) as part of their daily skin-care regimen. Any company purporting to have worthwhile products or well-researched formulations could not possibly be telling the truth if they are not even aware of the well-known and easily accessible information on sunscreen ingredients (Sources: Food and Drug Administration at www.fda.gov; American Academy of Dermatology at www.aad.org).
Throughout this site, I make the final and fundamental determination for each individual product rating based on specific criteria established for each product category. For every category, from lipsticks, blushes, mascaras, and eyeshadows to concealers, foundations, cleansers, toners, scrubs, moisturizers, facial masks, AHA products, wrinkle creams, and brushes, I’ve created specific standards that the products must meet to garner a happy, unhappy, or neutral (meaning unimpressive but not bad) face.
Makeup products are assessed primarily on texture and application using professional tools (brushes). Was it silky-smooth or grainy and hard? But also important is color: was a wide range of colors available, and was there an adequate selection for women of color? Ease of use is important, too (was the container poorly designed, were colors placed too close together in an eyeshadow set, was foundation put in a pump container that squirted too much product or didn’t reach to the bottom of the jar?), and, finally, price.
Skin-care products are evaluated almost exclusively on the basis of content versus claim. For example, if a product claims to be good for sensitive skin, it cannot contain irritants, skin sensitizers, drying ingredients, and so on.
I also asked the following questions to see if a product can measure up to its claims, based on established and published research:
1. Given the ingredient list, and based on published research—not just on what the cosmetics company wants you to believe—can the product really do what it promises?
2. How does the product differ from similar types of products?
3. If a special ingredient (or ingredients) are showcased, how much of it is actually in the product, and is there independent research verifying the claims for it?
4. Does the product contain problematic fragrances (including volatile fragrance components), plants, topical irritants, or other questionable ingredients that could cause problems for skin?
5. How farfetched are the product’s claims?
6. Based on what’s known about the ingredients it contains, is the product safe? Are there risks such as allergic reactions, increased sun sensitivity, insufficient sunscreen formulations, or potentially toxic ingredients?
7. Does the product have what it takes to become a sensible part of a consumer's skin-care routine, with the goal being to take the best possible care of one's skin?
I hope you find this process works beautifully to direct you toward some truly extraordinary skin care and makeup products. Let Beautypedia be your guide to finding the products that will work the best for your skin type, condition, and preferences!