You’re walking into a drugstore and you’re immediately overburdened and bewildered by the huge choice and almost countless number of various beauty products that are available. Don’t worry, there are other women who are confused just like you. It’s time to change that and learn what to pay attention to while shopping for cosmetics.
Below you will find a short guide prepared for those who want to make smart decisions and use only high quality cosmetics in their beauty routine, but don’t know where to start.
Price Isn’t the Most Important
For most of us price seems to be the most important criterion that we take into consideration while looking for a cosmetic. The vision of saving up is so tempting that we willingly reach for the discounted products, or buy them in packs because we think this helps us spend less. We put the price before the quality, even though the quality should be placed first. That being said, we suggest you stop focusing on the price but look for other attributes that a good beauty product clearly has. How to steer clear of a cheap-product trap? Firstly, you should ask yourself: What is the reason this product costs so little?. If the price is low, and it turns out that it’s due to the poor ingredients, you will know that you should put the product back. On the flip side, if a price is high which isn’t backed up by the ingredients used, e.g. no innovative, exotic substances or extraordinary effectiveness, then it’ll be better if you carry on looking for other products.
INCI Will Tell You the Truth!
Of high importance is the ability of reading cosmetic labels, however, this may lead you to a bumpy road too. Take INCI for example, which is International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients that includes these hard-to-decode names of ingredients, often expressed in Latin. The fact that most of us can’t read Latin is just secondary, the main issue is that one ingredient can have a few names. How not to get lost? Luckily, you don’t have to memorize all the names of ingredients. There are many websites, and even very convenient mobile apps, that give you information about a particular ingredient after typing it in. So, apart from finding out whether a substance is safe, you will also learn what role the substance plays in the cosmetic you’re holding.
NOTE! Before being incorporated into a formula, each and every ingredient must undergo numerous tests to be proven safe for humans. This means that finding a preservative in a beauty product isn’t that bad. It’s added to a cosmetic for a reason – to preserve the freshness of a product. However, a preservative may have a detrimental effect on the skin when its concentrations are high, or when the same preservative appears in a few beauty products that you’re currently using.
Naturally-Derived Means Better
However, if your skin is hyper-reactive and you don’t want to expose it to many synthetic substances, whose positive effects on the skin is doubtful, you can turn to natural cosmetics. They are gaining in popularity. Such products are free from preservatives, PEG-s, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, silicones, etc. Instead they brim with plant oils and herbal extracts that have rejuvenating and repairing effects. In most cases “natural” means far better for skin, however, there are some exceptions to this rule. It’s worth realizing that there are some plant extracts that cause allergic reactions. This means that you should run a patch test every time you want to introduce a new cosmetic to your beauty routine.
Not Sure? Ask Around and Read Reviews!
Even the world’s most conscious consumer, who knows what to pay attention to while choosing a beauty product, may be faced with a dilemma. When the quality matches the price, when the composition is natural and when the product seems to answer the needs of the skin, but somehow you’re still not sure whether or not you should buy it, ask experts. In a drugstore, you’ll always find someone who can help you make the right choice and assist you. There are even shops letting you get on a chat with an expert or call the customer service. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, the same way you shouldn’t be embarrassed by asking about other users’ opinions. There are many websites collecting reviews and rating beauty products. The users list pluses and minuses, often explaining why a particular product works better on a given skin/hair type. And these are the sources that you should use to look for information concerning beauty products you want to buy. Reviews and opinions given by the users are worth their weight in gold.
