In this post I’m going to share with you a little bit of detail into products, ingredients, ingredient list and what to look for so you are getting your best bang for your buck when purchasing skincare products.

What products do you use???…..

When I am working and giving facials I will usually always after cleansing the skin ask the client, “what type of products are you using?”  Or I may say, “what type of cleanser do you use?”  The reason I am asking is because when you cleanse the skin you can feel the texture of the skin.  If it is really dry then that can be an indicator that the cleanser is stripping the natural oils or overly drying the skin.  Sometimes the skin is in great condition and feels really balanced so I am generally curious as to what the person is using on their skin.   Now comes the open conversation.  If they respond that they are using a big department store brand  I always try to explain in the nicest way possible that certain brands share recipes.

Recipe Sharing

For example.  I was dating a guy awhile back and he was actually into skincare.  He was from Europe and liked to take care of his skin to some extent.  One day we were out shopping and ended up at a high end retail store and we came across a very expensive European brand. Lets just say one bottle of cream retails for around $260.00. He was under the impression that due to the price and the fact the product line was produced in Europe it was one of the best skincare lines.  I informed him that the brand was sold to Estee Lauder and its not the same formulations anymore.

This product (not saying exact brand to not get into trouble) was originally made in Germany.  It was formulated to work with sea ingredients and it was claimed that the original formula you could eat it directly from the bottle.  The creator wanted it organic and pure.  What started out as impressive ended up getting altered.  When the owner who created the skincare line passed away the family sold said pricey brand to Estee Lauder.  So now what happens to the product?  Reformulation. Even though Estee Lauder claims its the same formula I would have to say its pretty impossible. Why? First, I read the ingredient list and with certain preservatives in said formula you would not eat it out of the bottle. Second, I learned at the beginning of my career that the U.S. has more strict ingredient codes and certain products must contain certain approved preservatives.  It can be frustrating for manufacturers from other countries because they sometimes have to alter there formulas to get into the U.S. market.

So you can see that if you start out with a great product and then the product gets sold, recipes can be altered. Unfortunately as a consumer unless your aware of the change over you wouldn’t know that a product line can be altered.  This post is to bring awareness to the consumer as to how important ingredients are in a product and that recipes can be altered from the original once a company is sold. This can happen with a lot with brands.  Not just in the skincare industry either.  I have seen this happen with alcohol and food too. If you are in love with any brand or any particular product just be aware if it has been sold anything can be reformulated.   If I know of brands that have been sold I let people know. Better to be an educated consumer and get the value you deserve for your dollar. Just for an idea there are 7 major companies that own a majority of our health and beauty products. Here is a list of the big “Umbrella” companies mainly running the beauty industry.

182 Beauty Companies are owned by 7 Major Players

And the players are….

• L’Oreal
• Estee Lauder Companies
• Coty
• Shiseido
• Unilever
• Proctor &Gamble
• Johnson & Johnson

Now consider all the beauty department stores and makeup stores.  With so many brands and so many options it can be a lot to consider when purchasing.  One opinion I have when I am shopping in certain beauty stores if there is a sales person helping me I expect them to know their brands.  Yes most ambassadors or brand representatives are trained on the product lines that they are hired to work with but are they a skincare specialist?  Meaning are they a licensed esthetician?  Do they do facials and work on peoples faces and touch skin on a regular basis? Do they really know how to balance skin?  If someone is selling you a product look at their skin as that would be a clear representation if they know what they are talking about.

I always encourage you to read a label.  If your new to understanding ingredients you really want to learn ingredients and what they do.  I am a label reader for food products, hair products, skincare products anything that is going on my body or into my body I am going to read the label.  I will advise, because I have had this happen with brands,  both in my trainings and just browsing on my own that its best to go straight to the ingredient list.  You know on a label when they emphasize an ingredient and even explain what is does?  I ignore all that I want to know exactly what is in the bottle, from first ingredient to last ingredient.  If I am in a department store I will ask for the box if I can not find the ingredient list on the bottle.  Why?  You could promote and sell the best ingredients but they could be mixed in with the parabens and mineral oils and then all that descriptive talk would not matter.  Again saying this so that you will get the best value for what you are consuming.

Clean Beauty

I really got into clean beauty in the last few years.  It all started for me when I realized I had been obsessed with a Marc Jacobs brand lipstick.  I was OBSESSED with a certain color.  I wore it everyday on my lips.  It was the best color and formula for me.  A great color, lasted all day didn’t wear off and didn’t dry my lips.  If I say that I was using that particular lipstick brand for over 5 years and wearing that color everyday I wouldn’t be lying.  Then it happened.  The line discontinued the color. So I did what I always do.  I went crazy and tried to buy the color everywhere to have my stored up back stock.  Then I started to run out of my back stock. (Mind you I learned you can always find make up going out of circulation on the apps Poshmart or Mercari.)

Now here I am going crazy for a lipstick color that is getting discontinued.  All of a sudden it hit me when I really started to think about it.  This lipstick stayed on my lips so good that I sometimes still had the color on my lips when I was going to bed.  I mean of course I used makeup remover but there would be almost like a stain on my lips and I said you know this product I have been using everyday for 5 years and its like it almost is staining and staying on my lips.  How can this be good?  It just clicked in my brain that not only does lipstick have chemicals in it you are essentially consuming those chemicals when you eat.  We all eat everyday and have products on our lips.  That was the moment for me that I decided I wanted to switch to clean beauty products and I didn’t want added chemicals in my products.

From that point on I had to find a new lip product and I slowly wanted to clean out my skin and makeup supplies to be as non toxic as possible.  I even switched up my nail products.  I can honestly say I am really happy with the products I found.  I of course always go back to using my https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ website to check a score on a product.  I will say that I didn’t think I could find a product for my lips that I would love as much as the one I had been using but I actually did find a new lip product that I love even more.  I’m sure I love it more because I know that I am not using harmful ingredients and even if it doesn’t have massive staying power it is nice to reapply.

https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/products/869370-Burts_Bees_Gloss_Lip_Crayon_Pacific_Coast/

When I tell you I love this product for my lips I LOVE IT (not sponsored). It is from Burt’s Bees and I have used some of their products before but nothing for the lips. Its a lip crayon and it goes on so nicely and really good packaging and lasts a LONG time.  Its also very economical.  It received a score of 2 out of 10 on the Environmental Working Group website which is still considered the clean zone for beauty products.

I’m going to list here some websites that I found for my makeup when I wanted to switch to clean beauty.  I know these brands and have used them and I have been very happy with the products I have used from these sites.

• https://www.nailtopia.com/product/started-from-the-bottom/
• https://www.100percentpure.com/
• https://www.pacificabeauty.com/collections/nail

Label Reading

Of course I have to add my own products here because again I need to emphasize you want to clearly understand what is on the label or clearly understand the ingredient list.  I love my tallow cream and love how clean it is.

https://elementlufu.com/store/lavender-and-lemongrassntallow-cream/

If you scroll down and read the ingredient list there is just 5 ingredients all of which I would hope you can understand.

1. Beef Tallow:  Majority of the product is made up of.  This ingredient is so nourishing for the skin and full of vitamins. (Really is the secret to anti aging).
2. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  Second ingredient so has a high concentrated level of oil to nourish and hydrate skin.
3. Organic Jojoba oil: An oil close to your skins own level of ph so again great for a hydrated and balanced skin
4. Organic Lemongrass essential oil:  Main properties to help naturally preserve product
5. Organic Lavender essential oil:  Also to preserve product and give off healing properties.

Again that is why I created this line with clean labels so you know exactly what is going on your skin and its effectiveness.

Conclusion

To sum up everything here I would say the most important take away is read your labels.  Really know the ingredient list and what is in the actual bottle you are about to purchase.  Take note that any company can reformulate, change recipes and be sold and thus change recipes. If your really in love with a brand you can always look up the history just to make sure the company has not been sold.  I have also done that with food brand.  I cannot stress enough to just read the ingredient label and know what is in the product. Also as a consumer you have the choice if you want to consume chemicals both in your food and in your beauty and body products.  I hope that this maybe gave you a little insight into making a choice for yourself and bringing awareness to how “Larger” companies can work.  If you have any questions feel free to comment or reach out on the contact form.