Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me
by Paula Begoun
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paula BegounEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01
ISBN: 1877988308
Number of pages: 1362
Publisher: Beginning Press
Book Reviews of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me
Book Review: A great idea that, sadly, missed the mark
Summary: 2 Stars
I used to work selling cosmetic ingredients. Meaning that I didn't work for any particular company, but in selling ingredients via a broker to cosmetic chemists and scientists of major cosmetic corporations. Because of this, I learned a wealth of information that I am not sure the author may have gained, although I do believe she has good intentions.
The major discrepency I would point out at is that petroleum based products are her go-to moisturizer. Petroleum jelly and petro based ingredients are very cheap for companies to use so it's been highly popular. However, it's been banned for use in cosmetics or skin care ingredients in Europe because it's been shown to often carry carcinogens. It does, after all, come from the ground...It is actually currently going through FDA retesting right now in the United States because of this. (Google "petrolatum cosmetic toxin data". It takes waaaay longer to ban something in the US than other countries if it's been shown to cause some problems.) Because of this, any company I sold ingredients to that was big enough to be a world-wide company would not order any petroleum based ingredients because they are banned as toxic overseas already and are expected to be here in the next few years. Yes, petroleum jelly...what people put on their babies in the United States is banned as a skin ingredient elsewhere and expected to be banned here if tests go as expected.
She has her own cosmetics line that uses many controversial, but very cheap ingredients. That bothers me. For example, she is against all-natural and organic ingredients and says so clearly. However, these have been shown in so many cases to not only work better, but be healthier...yet, they are far more expensive for a company to use in manufacturing. In looking at her own cosmetics line, she certainly doesn't seem to go for the most proven yet more costly and natural ingredients...they are, instead, quite basic and inexpensive...
I am not saying this is profit-driven. I am saying that cosmetic scientists have much to say about it.
There are many things the basic consumer is not aware of. For example, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate are some of the worst cleaning agents you can use in your hair, are highly stripping, and are also used in industrial floor cleaners. Yet in the United States, we equate "foaming" with "clean" and these are high foaming agents. They are also not used in Europe where there is more consumer knowledge about cosmetics and ingredients. Marketing-wise and price-wise, shampoo companies get more profit from using these. However, if you locate a shampoo that is sulfate and paraben free (They are getting far easier to find now as the consumers in the US become more smart on what they are using on their bodies) your hair will SHINE. If you dye your hair and avoid these ingredients, your color stays in twice as long, but if you go to a hotel and use a cheap shampoo with these in it, you'll see a great deal of the color wash out that day. It's that stripping of your hair's natural moisturizers as well as color. I have never had a hairdresser not commont on how incredibly healthy my hair is since I learned this. And I dye it which they can't believe because that SHOULD be stripping...but my hair gets no SLS products so it's strong and shiny. Although she is a hater on natural ingredients, science says otherwise.
Now let's cut to acne products. If you see commercials like Proactive you'd assume you should pay more for a name. In reality, all over the counter acne products are the exact same thing (one of 2 products)...either up to 2% Salycilic Acid or up to 10% Benzoyl Peroxide plus other inert ingredients. They both work on acne differently but, by law, over the counter products can only contain that certain amount of either ingredient. Some products, like Proactive actually have LESS of the active ingredient than generic brands however! (you are paying for the marketing, not a better product) So forget the name, turn the bottle over and look at the ingredients...If 10% Benzoyl Peroxide works better on your skin than Salycilic Acid, Use the cheapest product with it. Proactive wash only has 2.5% and all other ingredients in it are inert (you will see 2.5% benzoyl peroxide listed as the only active ingredient on the back of the bottle) so you are getting less but paying far more, for example. On the other hand if Salycilic Acid works better on your skin, use a product with 2% of that. Forget the name. But you aren't going to get any difference in strength with a different product up to a certain amount. It's illegal for an over the counter med to contain any more than this. And there are only 2 primary ways to fight acne in over the counter meds (unless you go all natural) and that's it. The other ingredients are inert. How do they both work? Benzoyl peroxide knocks off the top layer of skin cells to open pores, Salycilic acid is actually chemically similar to aspirin (which is why you can put crushed aspirin with water on a zit in a pinch and get good results) and SA will not only slough off the dead skin cells which clog pores as well, but it will also fight the bacteria within the breakout and also prevent clogging of the pore in the future by helping to reduce the pore size. Because of this, for most people, 2% salycilic acid is a better acne medication...because it does more. But everyone is different. If your skin works best with Benzoyl P, just find a cheap brand with 10% Benzoyl P in it instead. Just remember to read the label...in over the counter products 10% Benzoyl Peroxide is the most it can contain by law or 2% salycilic acid. Paying for water and other fillers , or a product with only 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide is getting less but paying more for a company's ads.
And guess what? Does a product you use tingle? Cosmetic companies put things that tingle in the product that are inert to make you feel like they are working. Americans equate tingling or burning with "it must be doing something".
You don't need to buy expensive tanners at the tanning salon. Buy a regular brand...Same thing.
But do not buy No Ad sunscreen...this is where you don't want to go generic. Those ARE worse and watery and won't stay on.
Look, it's a profit driven industry and these are just some examples. Unfortunately, I feel this book is also profit driven in pushing the cheapest ingredients that are also used in the cosmetics that the author sells even though some of what she pushes the hardest have actually been banned in other countries due to skin problems and health problems and are expected to be banned here as well in spite of the alternatives being more expensive for cosmetic manufacturers--which is why they are lobbying against it.
She mentions alcohol being drying and to avoid it--which it is in hair care products such as mousse BUT there are ingredients in the best skin care lines or hair care products that contain the name "alcohol" that are good ingredients such as stearyl alcohol or benzyl alcohol which are fatty alcohols. In fact, stearyl alcohol acts as a thickener and is the exact opposite of drying...so much so that it's used commercially in swimming pool liners to PREVENT the evaporation of water! (I kid you not) Benzyl alcohol is an all-natural ingredient and is derived from plants and is commonly found in fruits and teas and found to be beneficial as a natural bacteria reducer and is very good for your skin. You will find it in essential oils such as hyacinth, and ylang-ylang.
The idea of the book is a good one and she does have some useful information in it...she just missed the mark according to cosmetic scientists in my own discussions with them. And I have worked with the best and the brightest.
Summary of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me
When women seek reliable information about the relative value and performance of specific beauty products, they consult Paula Begoun. From drug stores and home shopping to department stores and catalogs, Paula Begoun reviews all of the major cosmetic and skin care lines ? more than 25,000 including 75 new product lines in this edition. The comprehensive beauty bible from ?the Ralph Nader of Rouge? ? The Detroit News ?Paula is nationally recognized ... She takes the cosmetics companies to task for their puffed-up claims and misleading information.? ? The Miami Herald
Women spend an extraordinary amount of money on cosmetics--$45 billion a year in the U.S. alone. Now in its fourth edition, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me strikes fear in cosmetics-counter consultants everywhere. First off, Begoun has deconstructed ingredient lists. Ever wonder what methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben are doing in your mascara? And what is diazolidinyl urea? All four are potential irritants, and the latter is a preservative that can release formaldehyde, a class A carcinogen. Buyer beware.
Begoun also lists which companies are cruelty-free and which continue to conduct animal testing. The majority of the book--and that's nearly 800 pages--is devoted to reviews of thousands of cosmetics, from cleansers, foundations, alpha-hydroxy acids, and moisturizers to lip liners, eye shadows, and concealers, all of which Begoun has personally tested. (There are no hair care products listed, as that warrants another book entirely: Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me.)
She's perfectly frank and tells it like it is. (On Revlon's ColorStay Makeup: "goes far beyond the claim of 'It won't come off on him.' It won't come off when you want it to.") You'll learn how to tell when you're being boondoggled by a salesperson, what's overpriced and overhyped, as well as what's overlooked. More than 200 brands are included, along with a helpful summary at the end that lists the best products for each cosmetic category. It should be noted that not only is Begoun a fine consumer advocate, she's also a self-esteem advocate: she mentions time and again that even the best cosmetics won't necessarily improve your life, and that's a point well taken.
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