Every single day we see many of the world’s most famous and most popular top rated skin care products being advertized on TV; on billboards; on the sides of buses and trains and in glossy magazines. We see sports stars and famous movie celebrities featuring in many of these adverts, and many of us are easily convinced to follow their lead.
One of my favorite advertizing gimmicks is the frequent use of “Before” and “After” photos. You know the ones where a real photo (Before) of celebrity or a star is taken before they spend three or four hours with a professional makeup artist to prepare them for the “After” photo. Actually I’m not sure why they bother with makeup artists because the photos get Photoshopped afterwards anyway.
A very good friend of mine does web design, and believe me; he can make me look 30 years younger than I am within just a few minutes. I love Photoshop, but sadly I am useless when it comes to using it myself. Anyway, I did promise to give you a few facts, so let’s get started.
FACT No.1 – Image Manipulation
Just recently the BBC published an article regarding two adverts being banned by the Advertizing Standards Authority in the United Kingdom. Both of these adverts were for anti-aging skin care products, and both featured extremely famous celebrities. Editing and retouching images is mostly accepted, but in these two cases it was beyond a joke.
Oh, and by the way, both of these products belong to two of the biggest brand names on the planet. If you are skeptical, just do a Google search and see for yourself. Now you need to ask yourself why these companies would have to rely on misleading image manipulation if their products were/are as good as what they say they are.
FACT No.2 – Chemical Free Sunscreen
If you have been using an expensive “chemical free” sunscreen, then I’m really sorry I have to tell you this, but virtually every sunscreen on the planet contains Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide, both of which are chemicals. If you see either of these mentioned on the list of ingredients, then I’m afraid you’ve been duped.
FACT No.3 – pH Balanced
Have you noticed how so many skin care manufacturers use the term “pH Balanced” on the products? They do this to imply that their products are superior to other products; that their products are gentler and less likely to cause skin irritation. In truth, nearly every commercially available skin care product has a pH level that is 100% compatible with your hair and your skin.
FACT No.4 – Boosts Collagen
You will see collagen being mentioned on countless cosmetics these days, and manufacturers have gone to great lengths to convince consumers how important collagen is for your skin. Unfortunately, your body has to produce its own collagen because it is a scientific fact that this substance cannot penetrate your skin.
Additionally, if there was a skin care product capable of increasing the amount of collagen in your skin, the authorities would pull it off the shelves because they would consider it to be a mislabeled drug.
In this article I’ve only mentioned and discussed four misleading practices which are disturbingly common throughout the cosmetics industry. Sadly, there are many more common marketing gimmicks being used in order to boost sales.
Remember, you can mislead people without telling a single lie because it’s not what you say, but rather how you say it that counts. I can tell you my product is “pH balanced” because the pH is within acceptable parameters; I can tell you my product is “collagen enriched” because it is, but I’m not obligated to tell you that none of this makes any difference. I haven’t lied; I’ve simply allowed you to mislead yourself by my choice of words, and what those words imply.
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