Things I Realized After Spending 100 Hours Summarizing Beauty Myths and Facts - Part 3

The labeling is written in a way that only experts can understand

This is a story from when I went to a beauty-related seminar a while ago.

The instructor said something like this:

"In the world of cosmetics, there are many cases where labels are intentionally written in a way that laypeople cannot judge.

Everyone wants to be beautiful, so they want to choose good products.

However, there is almost no one who can discern the effectiveness or safety even if they read the ingredient list." (laughs)

Actually, here is an example of a common ingredient list:

Water, Glycerin, BG, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol

It seems there are certain rules when listing these.

・The order of listing is by the amount contained, from highest to lowest
・All names must be listed according to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI)
・There is no need to list the function of the ingredient itself
・There is no need to list the content amount
・The acidity/alkalinity concentration and manufacturing method for each product do not need to be disclosed

Therefore,

"What kind of ingredients are included, how much is in it, and how it works"

means that you cannot judge it without considerable knowledge.

Even with the same ingredients, whether it 'works or doesn't work' changes

Certainly, it is good for the skin because active ingredients are included.

Even so, the trick that causes differences in effectiveness is the 'formulation design'.

・Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has no effect if the concentration is low. It is easily oxidized and difficult to formulate

・Hyaluronic acid's moisturizing effect changes depending on the molecular size

・Retinol is extremely difficult to balance in terms of the concentration that produces effects and safety

As such, even for ingredients recognized for their effectiveness,

Depending on the "formulation, form, and prescription,"

whether or not it is effective will change.

I hope to introduce this somewhere in the future, but the same can be said for the world of supplements.

You will be deceived if you cannot distinguish the "grade" of scientific evidence

In order to gain trust,

claims like "Proven by research!" and "Featured in a global information magazine!"

seem to be increasing as a form of evidence marketing.

However, the reality is that the term "research" is quite broad.

In the cosmetics world, there are actually many cases like this.

・Commercialized based on research at the cellular level, not involving humans

・Even if it involves humans, the number of people is very small

・Changes were not compared between a group that used it and a group that did not

・The duration of use and the extent of improvement were not investigated

One point is

"what kind of research is being conducted"

is what matters.

・In vitro (in test tubes) => Reliability (Low)

・Animal experiments => Reliability (Medium to Low)

・Small-scale human trials => Reliability (Medium)

・Double-blind RCT
⇒ Reliability (High)

Even just knowing this,

I think you will stop grouping everything together as

“Research = Amazing.”

In the beauty industry, people often prioritize attractive catchphrases, influencer sponsorships, reviews, and word-of-mouth over evidence, leading to:

“This person said it was good, so I'll just buy it.”

“The reviews are high, so I'll buy it.”

This is a common tendency.

Some people might say,

“I can't be bothered to worry about every little thing.”

However, there are many people who have saved a significant amount of time and money simply by knowing or not knowing these facts.

・The points to look at first—such as skin type, age, hormonal status, and lifestyle habits—are different.

・Subjective claims of “It worked!” are far too inconsistent.

・We are drawn to PR projects and advertisements, but...

・Looking only at ingredient names doesn't mean much.

If you have read this far and feel a sense of doubt about how you have chosen products until now, you are one step closer to eliminating waste in your beauty routine.

Surprisingly, money has nothing to do with achieving beautiful skin.