How to choose the right cosmetics ?

How to choose the right cosmetics ?

One thing you need to remember - you cannot rush your cosmetic shopping spree. Be ready to put in some dedicated hours to the pursuit of really knowing a beauty product. We suggest you change to your cozy pajamas, sit with a cup of coffee, and get ready to put in the grind.

Here’s what you need to look out for while buying cosmetic products

1) Ascertain The Cosmetic Brand’s Reputation

Before you consider investing in a beauty brand for the first time, ask yourself, “What is the public opinion about it?” This is because the chances of landing the wrong product from a cosmetic brand that enjoys a good reputation among makeup users are much lower. Cosmetic brands that are household names are so because their beauty products assure quality, satisfaction, and reliability.

2) Always Filter Out Best-Selling Beauty Products

If you have narrowed down on the cosmetic brand you want to invest in, start with their best-selling cosmetic products. It’s easy to catch hold of a brand’s best-selling cosmetics at their cosmetic store. It’s say you want to buy fashion cosmetics for daily wear like foundation, kajal, eyeliner, etc., you could start with the ones that are already in the bestseller section. Use and check if you are satisfied with your new purchases and only then invest in other cosmetic products offered by the brand.

3) Check The Benefits Of a Beauty Product

When choosing a new cosmetic product, always check if its benefits cater to your needs. For example, when looking for a kajal, look for terms like “high color pay off”, “intense”, “smudge-proof”, “longlasting”, “waterproof”, “moisturizing”, “easy to glide”, and so on. Similarly, while buying a skincare product, find out if it specifically addresses the skin concerns you may have such as acne, dryness, inflammation, etc.

4) Check The Ingredients

The key to determining the worth of a beauty product is its ingredients. You can easily find the ingredients list on the product packaging or in the ingredients section on the website. A quick Google search on the ingredients will reveal to you their specific benefits for the skin. Also, make sure that the ingredients that have caused you skin allergy or irritation before are not present in the product you are purchasing.

5) Look For Cruelty-Free, Non-Toxic and Dermatologist-Tested Products

Long gone are the days when cosmetics were just about looking good. Beauty now comes with a responsibility towards your own health and that of the ecosystem. Look for cosmetic brands that claim to be cruelty-free and non-toxic. Additionally, always avoid products with ingredients like Paraben, Sulfates, formaldehyde, BHT for these ingredients lead to hormonal disruptions, irritation of the skin and respiratory system, behavior-related issues, etc

6) Check Cosmetic Product Reviews/Testimonials

Nothing reveals the suitability of a product more than the opinions of the customers who have used it themselves. When you want to purchase a beauty product, make sure you check the review section and determine what the majority has to say about it. If there are more negative reviews, you should abandon the thought of buying the product, whereas if the reviews are positive, then probably it is worth investing in.

7) Suitability For Your Skin Type

Before you start buying cosmetics , you need to be well aware of your skin type/condition (oily, dry, normal, combination, or sensitive). When assessing the suitability of a makeup/skincare product, check if it is meant for your skin type or not. This aspect is often mentioned on the packaging of the cosmetic product or in the benefits section on the cosmetic website. Refrain from buying beauty products that are not meant for your skin type as the wrong product may heighten your skin concerns.

8) Suitability For Your Skin Tones And Undertones

Assessing the suitability of a beauty product for your skin tones and undertones is also crucial, especially while buying beauty products like foundation, concealer, blush, highlighter, lipsticks, and nail polishes. Because the shades of these cosmetic products should ideally mesh well with your complexion to look natural and seamless. 

HAPPY SHOPPING @ MONICA BEAUTY CENTRE 

IMAGE Courtesy - COLORBAR

Unless you have a background in Latin or a degree in chemistry, a skincare ingredients check can feel like reading a foreign language. But that language actually has a name—it's the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), and it exists to help create a standardized language of ingredient names to be used on labels around the world. And unfortunately, it's not consumer friendly.

Sometimes manufacturers will throw the everyday shopper a bone, putting the more common name in parentheses next to the scientific name, like this: tocopherol (vitamin E). But without that nudge, an ingredients list often just looks like a string of long unfamiliar words separated by commas.

Instead of doing detective work, it can be easier to follow popularity and opt for skincare products (and ingredients) with a cult following, especially in the age of beauty influencers. But that's not always the best route. There's no one-size-fits-all skincare solution. As Jennifer David, MD, a dermatologist specializing in cosmetic dermatology and skin of color dermatology, explains, "What works for your best friend may not work for you." However, there are products that are great for all skin types, like La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, our overall best pick for face moisturizer.

An individualized approach is crucial to finding the right skincare products with the right ingredients for your skin. This takes a little extra time and patience, but it's worth it.

Luckily for you, we talked to dermatologists to make the whole process less intimidating. With this information in your back pocket, you can feel like a confident consumer, and hopefully avoid reactive skin disasters when trying new products in the future.

Know your skin type

According to cosmetic dermatologist Michele Green, MD, skin type is the most important factor in determining what skincare products will work best for you. "There are no bad products necessarily, but sometimes people with different skin types use the wrong product for their type of skin," Dr. Green says.

People with acne-prone and sensitive skin need to be the most cautious with different ingredients in their skincare products. On the other hand, oily skin can handle a wider range of ingredients that sometimes trigger breakouts or irritation for other skin types. For those who are acne-prone and looking for a moisturizer for oily skin, La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Mat Mattifying Moisturizer is a great choice.

These are the ingredients Dr. Green suggests for different skin types:

For oily skin: Look for products containing alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid or salicylic acid), benzoyl peroxide, and hyaluronic acid. "These ingredients are effective at controlling excess sebum production while hyaluronic acid will produce hydration only in areas needed," Dr. Green says.An affordable face wash for oily skin containing salicylic and hyaluronic acids is CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser.

For dry skin: Look for products containing shea butter and lactic acid. "These ingredients provide hydration and mild exfoliation to keep dry skin looking radiant," Dr. Green says.

For sensitive skin: Look for products containing aloe vera, oatmeal, and shea butter. "They're good moisturizers and usually don't break anyone out," Dr. Green says.La Roche-Posay's Lipikar Wash AP+ is an excellent drugstore body wash with shea butter for those with dry, sensitive skin who want extra hydration.

If you're not 100 percent sure what skin type you have, it's worth a trip to the dermatologist to confirm. Once you understand your skin type, you can start selecting products with more precision.

Don't buy into hype

"Packaging and popularity are sometimes easy traps and shouldn't hold too much weight or value into what we select for our skin," Dr. David says. If you're going to buy a product based on a friend or influencer's recommendation, you shouldn't just pay attention to how good their skin looks now, rather look at what type of skin they were dealing with. That will give you a more reliable indicator of how well the product will work for you.

In the past few years, cult-favorites like the St. Ives Apricot Scrub and multiple Mario Badescu creams have faced lawsuits from consumers who experienced some pretty serious adverse reactions. No need to panic if these products are sitting in your cosmetics drawer at home—this doesn't mean they're bad for everyone. The backlash some popular skincare brands and products face can serve as a reminder that while something gets the popularity vote, it doesn't mean that it's popular for the right reasons or that it's the right product for you.

Checking the ingredients list is still the best way to go, no matter how many positive reviews or stars the product has online.

Seek out these ingredients

Glycerin: Dr. David calls this ingredient the backbone of moisturizing products.

Ceramides and hyaluronic acid: Both ingredients are important moisturizing agents naturally found in the skin. Dr. David says she prefers hyaluronic acid in the serum form, while she looks for glycerins and ceramides in lotions and creams.

L-Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C): Vitamin C, specifically the l-ascorbic acid form, is an antioxidant that works to reverse damage from UV radiation and stimulate collagen production.

Tocopherol (Vitamin E): Vitamin E offers similar properties as vitamin C and works best when the two are combined as a skincare power duo.If you want to splurge on a luxury hand cream, Augustinus Bader’s The Hand Treatment combines Vitamin E with glycerin and shea butter.

Retinol: Retinol is a key ingredient to seek in products for your nighttime routine. It works to turn over skin cells and stimulate collagen.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): This ingredient is great for controlling oil while also hydrating the skin and evening out skin tone.

Avoid these ingredients

Fragrance/parfum: Added fragrances can cause skin allergies and irritation, and it's especially important to avoid them if you have sensitive skin.

Sulfates: Sulfates are cleansing agents often found in body washes and shampoo. They strip the hair and skin of their natural oil and can cause irritation.

Parabens: Parabens are commonly placed in products as a chemical preservative to prevent bacterial growth. They're known to be what Dr. David and other industry experts call estrogen mimickers, and they can have a harmful effect over time by throwing off hormonal balance. Dr. David and Dr. Green both caution that this can be problematic for young children and people at risk of breast cancer.

Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers: It's rare to see formaldehyde in an ingredient list anymore since it's classified as a known carcinogen. But Dr. David explains that it's often replaced with differently named chemicals (quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea) that release formaldehyde over time to act as preservatives. Dr. David says it's not confirmed whether or not these ingredients are harmful in this capacity, but it's worth looking out for them as potential allergens.

Know that natural doesn't always mean better

Familiar words in the ingredients list can be comforting to see, but it doesn't always indicate the safest route. For example, Dr. David explains that poison ivy is a natural oil, but it's not one that you would want to rub all over your skin. "I have patients come in pretty frequently with reactions to natural essential oils, so again, it's one of those things where everyone is unique and you need to do what's best for yourself uniquely," Dr. David says.

She also warns that seeing the terms natural and organic on a product label is sometimes more of a marketing trick than anything else. Because those terms aren't regulated and there aren't specific industry standards for them, they can offer empty promises. Additionally, sometimes a product will be labeled as natural in reference to only one or two of the ingredients on the list.

Pay attention to the order of ingredients

Once you know what primary ingredients you're looking to avoid or go after, you'll want to pay attention to where they fall on the ingredients list. As a good rule of thumb, Dr. David recommends looking at the first five ingredients, since that will often account for about 80 percent of the product's makeup.

Ingredients will be listed in order of highest to lowest concentration, so if there's a problematic or potentially irritating ingredient among the first five listed, you'll want to steer clear of that product.

Similarly, if you're seeking out a product for specific ingredients, but those ingredients are listed at the end, then that product isn't worth your money. With such a small percentage of the overall product, you won't experience the benefits of the ingredients at the end of the list.

Don't fear the long ingredients list

When it comes to the food we put in our body, we're often taught to look for a shorter, more familiar ingredient list. While a more abbreviated list can be easier to decipher, it won't always cut it in terms of what you're looking to get out of your skincare products.

When you're looking for anti-aging properties or investing in medical-grade skincare products, the ingredients list will naturally get a bit longer. And Dr. David says that shouldn't deter you. Instead, call in for backup—either from a dermatologist or technology—to help determine if the product is a good choice for you.

Use your resources

You don't have to be a walking dictionary in order to pick out skincare products with the right ingredients. Make things easier by taking advantage of online resources. Dr. David suggests two online databases for ingredient and product research: Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep database and CosDNA.

The EWG Skin Deep database is just one sector of their online services. The EWG is a non-profit organization geared toward research and education surrounding environmental and human health issues. In the Skin Deep database, skincare products are rated and scored by a number of factors, including manufacturing practices and potential health hazards.

While CosDNA is more of a no-frills database, it dives even deeper into the ingredients in a product, detailing their individual functions and safety score.

Always do a patch test

A patch test is smart practice in your process of product elimination. Plus, it's a great excuse to make a trip to Ulta or Sephora without spending money.

A patch test can help determine if certain products or ingredients will cause allergic reactions, irritate your skin, or clog your pores. "I think the take-home message is: If it's making your skin worse or irritating your skin in any way, stop using it, it's not the right product for you," Dr. Green says.

Testing all your ingredients before committing to them takes a little time at first, but it can save you a lot of money and grief in the end.