Misleading Beauty Product Claims
By: Sarah Son
There is no doubt that you’ve seen skincare products with claims such as “age-defying” or “for all skin types” advertised on the product. You may have even bought these products in hopes of improving your skin, only to see that it left no special effect on your complexion. Studies show that less than 20% of these claims are actually true. A disappointing example comes from L’Oreal skincare cosmetics. They claimed their Lancôme Génifique and Youth Code cosmetics prevented skin aging by boosting genetic activity in the user. Unsurprisingly, the company was unable to support those claims when asked for factual evidence. Below are six beauty marketing phrases that you should know the truth behind.
“Maximum Strength” - This phrase is used by skin cleansers and moisturizers, and it can be interpreted in different ways. Maximum, relative to what? This is an overall confusing term that does, unfortunately, work in tricking customers into buying the product. This claim is misleading because the product never tells the customer how they accomplish “maximum strength” or what minimum to maximum scale they are using.
“For All Skin Types” - This is a very unlikely statement, since not all skin is the same. There are plenty of people who have allergies to certain ingredients or even have dermatitis. If they blindly bought a product labeled “for all skin types” without checking the ingredients, they could be in real danger.
“FDA Approved” - The product is probably “FDA Approved”. But this doesn’t necessarily validate additional cosmetic claims such as “instant results”, “anti-wrinkle”, etc. “FDA Approved” just ensures that the product is safe to use in the manner in which it is directed to be used. Most customers don’t know this fact, and many are sold on products just because they read the phrase “FDA Approved”, which doesn’t actually mean much more than the safety of using the product.
“Anti-Aging, Revitalizing, or Age Defying” - These phrases are especially popular and misleading. They give the impression that the products will “turn back time”. But according to many specialists, no product will reverse the clock. Many customers buy these products thinking they’ll soon have the same glassy, vibrant skin as the young product model, but that is not true. Besides, maintaining younger skin has more to do with nutrition, exercise, and genes rather than beauty products.
“Instant Results” - Instant results are not the same as long-term results. Sure, you might experience instant results, but this phrase does not include any promise on the lasting effects. It’s important to see if the product specifies whether the instant effects are long-lasting or short-term.
“Firming” - This term might make you think the product is proven to make skin look tauter. But really, there’s no way to prove or measure firming. The only way that brands can claim “firming” effects is through customer claims, which don’t necessarily speak for everyone.
Especially with the ever-growing number of beauty products on the market, it’s important to be aware of what these common misleading product claims actually mean, and to not be misled by false claims.