Battling cosmetics propaganda
Paula Begoun wasn’t long into her job selling cosmetics at the glitzy beauty counter of an American department store when she ran into trouble.
It was the mid-1970s and Begoun found herself advising customers against some of her employer’s products due to the harsh ingredients. Some were fine but others, she knew, caused irritations and breakouts, and she wasn’t prepared to dupe anyone.
Unsurprisingly, she didn’t last long in the job, but the experience catapulted her into a career of scrutinising beauty products and resulted in the smash hit international skincare guide: Don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me ($24.95 Beginning Press) and her own line of no-fuss skincare products, which she developed 15 years after starting the guide.
“I started this because I was angry and pissed off, and rather than just being angry and pissed off I decided to put my energy into creating my passion and that was to tell the truth about cosmetics,” Begoun says.
Her forensic investigation into the ingredients of most major beauty brands – and her frank conclusions about what they can (and can’t) do for the skin - has also revealed some pleasing findings – that price doesn’t always indicate the best product.
Some of the products rated the best by Begoun and her co-author US makeup artist Bryan Barron are among the cheapest brands.
“In most products, like cars for example, price does indicate a better quality product, but in cosmetics it isn’t true,” Barron says. “Use an inexpensive sunscreen everyday, some of the best brands you can buy are at the chemist for under $10.”
The pair, who have dubbed themselves the cosmetic cops, say their interest in cosmetics originally came about because both of them had skin troubles; Begoun had eczema and Barron suffered acne. Many products they used in the hope of improving their conditions only aggravated them.
They rail against the claims made by some cosmetic brands – especially in leveraging off the vulnerabilities of those with skin issues.
They debunk the claim that separate eye creams are essential.
“We’ve been saying for years that people don’t need a separate eye cream for around the eye area to target wrinkles, sagging or dark circles and the reason for this is simple, the skin around the eyes is the same as the face! A facial moisturiser will work just as well,” Begoun exclaims.
The pair have softened their stance on this though to say if an eyecream contains SPF, then it is acceptable.
While the pair have huge support from readers of their guide and were in Australia recently to promoted their ninth edition of the book, the silence from the companies they critique is deafening.
“We don’t get any reaction from the cosmetics companies, they don’t talk to us, although I have been told of a major cosmetic lab where a copy of my book was sitting on the bench,” Begoun says proudly.
“I always tell people to only believe half of what you read from the cosmetic companies and read my book, we will explain what you need to know about that product and we rate it so you know exactly what to expect.”
