Karen When skincare shopping online, you have to make product decisions completely on your own. You no longer have the help of any beauty store associates. Here are tips that could reduce the chance of buying an ineffective product. How many of these are you guilty of
You see your bff as your skincare advisor.
Your friend has successfully convinced you to try this new cleanser or moisturizer because it has wonderful results on his or her skin. As a result, you immediately when online and bought it. However, it not only didn’t give you the same wonderful result, but it also made your skin red and itchy.
When skincare shopping online, it’s crucial that you know your skin well so you can evaluate a product without the help of anyone else. Your skin is unique in the way that you have a natural skin type and also changing skin conditions. Your friend may have very oily skin that would benefit from pore-clearing ingredients, while you may have dry skin that could be further dried with those same ingredients. When your skin does not like an ingredient or ingredients inside a product it will tell you so by having a reaction, such as redness and itching. Your skin condition is also unique in that it depends on your lifestyle. For example, if you are outside a lot during the week, you would be exposed to the sun much more than your friend who stays indoors most of the week.
The key takeaway: When skincare shopping online, you should at least have a sense of what is your skin type before you make your first purchase. It will save you a lot of time and money later on. We have some resources here to help you get started on it. If you still need help figuring out your skin type, you may consider this free analysis tool from AmtoPm Skincare that can provide you with a skin summary in under 5 minutes.
You don’t understand the basics of a product label
Product labels are hard to understand fully unless you are a chemist, but you should know the basics in order to avoid buying a toxic product. Through scientific research, scientists have found certain cosmetic ingredients to be toxic to the general health of human bodies. But due to a lack of regulations in the US, skincare brands continue to use them in their products.
When skincare shopping online, you should broadly know whether a product actually does what it says. The biggest question for every product: does this brightening moisturizer actually contain effective ingredients for brightening? Second, if you have allergies to certain ingredients, you should know their chemical name. Also, be careful of the marketing claims that are on the packaging, as some claims are meaningless: they are not lies but also don’t tell you the truth. For example, a product claims that it is made from 99% natural ingredients does not necessarily mean it is more “natural” than products that do not have the same claim. No matter what, at the end of the day, skincare products are still made of chemicals. You are not putting the actual plant/flower/fruit etc. on your face.
Finally, the rule of thumb here is 1) don’t purchase a product if the product page doesn’t have the list of ingredients, and 2) don’t purchase the product if it contains any of the below ingredients: Formaldehyde, Formalin, Methylene glycol.
The key takeaway: when skincare shopping online, don’t judge a product merely by how pretty the outside looks. Being able to understand the basics of the ingredient table will save you lots of money and effort in the long run.
You don’t read product reviews
When skincare shopping online, unless you are one of the first few selected ones to try out a newly out product, most likely there is someone who already tried the product before you. When you have done ingredient and brand research, but are not still sure about whether a product is good for you, looking at the review section will give you an idea about who is using this product and what people are saying about this product and also the brand. Also, don’t just read 1 or 2 reviews, look for reviews written by those that have similar skin type, skin tone, and skin condition as you. It would be even better if the review contains before and after photos of the person using the product after 4 weeks.
Using Google, a quick way only search for reviews relative to your own skin type is if you Google “the brand name” + “the product name” + “your skin type” + “review“. This way is more efficient than just going onto one website on your own and combing through the reviews 1-by-1.
The Key Takeaway: When skincare shopping online, unless it is recommended by your dermatologist, if you can’t find a proper review online for the product that you want to purchase, we recommend you to not take that risk. If a product is really that good, there will definitely be reviews popping up eventually.
Related article: Beginner’s guide to understanding the 4 basic different skin types
Related article: Beginner’s guide to evaluating your skin condition (Hint: it is different from your skin type)
Related article: Are my skin issues related to my lifestyle?
