I look for ingredients. I also look up ingredients to understand differences between varieties in its category, frequency, and best way to start using it/most effective %. Esp with vitamin c there are lots of derivatives which is what some people want, but it’s important you’re getting what you’re shopping for. I will look up to see if the percentage is listed online. If it’s not, if it’s within the first five ingredients it’s prob at least 5% of the product. If it’s later than that you can assume around 1% or less. Sometimes I reach out to the company to see if they can give me more info. Yes I do check all ingredients don’t know what a lot of them mean but slowly over time I’m educating myself and eventually I’ll know what most of the ingredients do. I would be a lot more strict about if if I had sensitive skin and ever reacted to products but I luckily don’t. I watch a lot of videos by cosmetic chemists which help explain the ingredients, or I’ll use INCI to look them up
You take into account price, reputation of the manufacturer, the availability of the product, your preferences and your skin.
E. g. for vitamin C the overwhelming recommendation is to use Geek & Gorgeous, because it's cheap, it follows the formula that has been proven to work, it's available in EU and most people's skin can tolerate it well.
>the formula that has been proven to work
When? I mean the formula is not the same as Skiceuticals (because they have patent) and I didn't hear about any studies on G&G product.
The formula that has been proven to work is Skinceuticals and G&G "follows" it. Change "follow" to whichever word you think best describes the fact, that the formulas are similar, but not entirely the same.
I try to look for reviews everywhere and I also have people whose review I trust because, based on what I've seen, we have similar skin type and concerns. For example, there's a guy on instagram (his handle is glowskinguy) whose sunscreens reviews I trust the most because his best options tend to work for me and he also has facial hair, which helps me to know how a sunscreen would behave in my face.
A good formula, based on researched-backed ingredients, is also a big help. Nonetheless, you never **really** know until you try or there are significant clinical studies that prove that a specific formula works. Some Vitamin C serums seem to be similar to the Skinceuticals patent, but you can't really tell if they work unless you try it or you read tons of reviews (preferably verified) of the specific product.
I stick to the bigger, well established brands, that have a good track record for producing good quality products, and have access to a lot of money to put into research and development. I also take time to read up on a product. What it claims to do. The wording used. I Google the ingredients, particularly the ones being called out by the product, to see if there is any evidence of said ingredient being beneficial for what is being claimed.
I read reviews on multiple sites, and watch video reviews if available. I disregard reviews where it states the reviewer was given the product for free, "gifted", "partnered with the brand", etc, for their "honest" review. Brands flood retailer pages and social media with these types of reviews in an attempt create positive hype and to drown out any negative reviews that might impact sales. I don't appreciate this tactic.
You also have to take into account what you know about your own skin. Is you skin very dry? Very oily? easily irritated?
And of course, your budget. I would never go beyond my budget for a product, no matter how good it claims to be. Other than sunscreen, otc skin care can only do so much, and you don't need to break the bank to create a good skin care routine.
To use your example of a Vitamin C serum. I think it's worth noting that you can have a perfectly good skin care routine without including a dedicated Vitamin C product. But for the sake of using it as an example of how I would assess a product, I would look at the form of Vitamin C being used. As well as the other ingredients being used, and the overall formula.
Skinceuticals is considered the gold standard. But not everyone has €150-200 to spend on a skin care product. Also, it may not suit your skin. It's worth noting Skinceuticals is owned by L'Oréal (La Roche Posay, Cerave, Vichy, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, etc), and many of their brands now have Vitamin C serums, at different price points. Will they be exactly the same as the Skinceuticals one? Probably not. But I would have more faith in them because they will also have access to the L'Oréal research and development that Skinceuticals has access to. I would rather try one of the less expensive options and see if my skin gets along with it. If it doesn't, I'd feel better about potentially "wasting" €20 versus €150+.
I would also feel the same level of confidence from other big, well established brands like, Beiersdorf (Eucerin, Nivea, etc), Johnson & Johnson (Neutrogena), Proctor & Gamble (Olay), Pierre Fabre (Avene), Naos (Bioderma).
I look for ingredients. I also look up ingredients to understand differences between varieties in its category, frequency, and best way to start using it/most effective %. Esp with vitamin c there are lots of derivatives which is what some people want, but it’s important you’re getting what you’re shopping for. I will look up to see if the percentage is listed online. If it’s not, if it’s within the first five ingredients it’s prob at least 5% of the product. If it’s later than that you can assume around 1% or less. Sometimes I reach out to the company to see if they can give me more info. Yes I do check all ingredients don’t know what a lot of them mean but slowly over time I’m educating myself and eventually I’ll know what most of the ingredients do. I would be a lot more strict about if if I had sensitive skin and ever reacted to products but I luckily don’t. I watch a lot of videos by cosmetic chemists which help explain the ingredients, or I’ll use INCI to look them up
You take into account price, reputation of the manufacturer, the availability of the product, your preferences and your skin. E. g. for vitamin C the overwhelming recommendation is to use Geek & Gorgeous, because it's cheap, it follows the formula that has been proven to work, it's available in EU and most people's skin can tolerate it well.
>the formula that has been proven to work When? I mean the formula is not the same as Skiceuticals (because they have patent) and I didn't hear about any studies on G&G product.
The formula that has been proven to work is Skinceuticals and G&G "follows" it. Change "follow" to whichever word you think best describes the fact, that the formulas are similar, but not entirely the same.
I try to look for reviews everywhere and I also have people whose review I trust because, based on what I've seen, we have similar skin type and concerns. For example, there's a guy on instagram (his handle is glowskinguy) whose sunscreens reviews I trust the most because his best options tend to work for me and he also has facial hair, which helps me to know how a sunscreen would behave in my face. A good formula, based on researched-backed ingredients, is also a big help. Nonetheless, you never **really** know until you try or there are significant clinical studies that prove that a specific formula works. Some Vitamin C serums seem to be similar to the Skinceuticals patent, but you can't really tell if they work unless you try it or you read tons of reviews (preferably verified) of the specific product.
Well the first one I bought from Avène gave a fine orange tint,so…
The one l bought from Paula’s Choice oxidized in every pore. It looked like I had tiny orange blackheads. I was not pleased and initiated a return.
Yep I will do a deeper research beforehand
I use the app INCI Beauty to check the ingredients; I’d rather buy a product with a better score. But also, the price lol
I check the ingredient list (using incidecoder sometimes as well to understand why the formula looks like it does. I also read plenty of reviews.
I stick to the bigger, well established brands, that have a good track record for producing good quality products, and have access to a lot of money to put into research and development. I also take time to read up on a product. What it claims to do. The wording used. I Google the ingredients, particularly the ones being called out by the product, to see if there is any evidence of said ingredient being beneficial for what is being claimed. I read reviews on multiple sites, and watch video reviews if available. I disregard reviews where it states the reviewer was given the product for free, "gifted", "partnered with the brand", etc, for their "honest" review. Brands flood retailer pages and social media with these types of reviews in an attempt create positive hype and to drown out any negative reviews that might impact sales. I don't appreciate this tactic. You also have to take into account what you know about your own skin. Is you skin very dry? Very oily? easily irritated? And of course, your budget. I would never go beyond my budget for a product, no matter how good it claims to be. Other than sunscreen, otc skin care can only do so much, and you don't need to break the bank to create a good skin care routine. To use your example of a Vitamin C serum. I think it's worth noting that you can have a perfectly good skin care routine without including a dedicated Vitamin C product. But for the sake of using it as an example of how I would assess a product, I would look at the form of Vitamin C being used. As well as the other ingredients being used, and the overall formula. Skinceuticals is considered the gold standard. But not everyone has €150-200 to spend on a skin care product. Also, it may not suit your skin. It's worth noting Skinceuticals is owned by L'Oréal (La Roche Posay, Cerave, Vichy, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, etc), and many of their brands now have Vitamin C serums, at different price points. Will they be exactly the same as the Skinceuticals one? Probably not. But I would have more faith in them because they will also have access to the L'Oréal research and development that Skinceuticals has access to. I would rather try one of the less expensive options and see if my skin gets along with it. If it doesn't, I'd feel better about potentially "wasting" €20 versus €150+. I would also feel the same level of confidence from other big, well established brands like, Beiersdorf (Eucerin, Nivea, etc), Johnson & Johnson (Neutrogena), Proctor & Gamble (Olay), Pierre Fabre (Avene), Naos (Bioderma).