Skincare products - Walk of shame

[Cristina777]

Just thought it would be interesting to start a thread about useless, really bad, ridiculously overprized products, with unrealistic claims, faulty marketing…whatever you can think of that is really shameful about skincare products and companies.

Here’s my contribution:

-Eucerin sun fluid mattifying spf 50+

I almost cannot believe that a brand like Eucerin has such crappy product in the market!
Their claims (translated from Portuguese to English non-greasy texture, it doesn’t leave skin shiny, compatibility with skin clinical tested – even with atopic eczema, suitable for sensitive skin and after peeling and laser treatments.

This thing leaves my skin Very Very shiny. The shine is MUCH worse than Vichy sunscreen or body sun lotion on my face! I have combination/oily skin but I cannot imagine this product working on anyone not even in people with very dry skin! When I tried on my face it stung and this feeling only went way after removing it. I never experienced something like this (upon application) with a sunscreen, only after a couple of hours and they never claimed to be for very sensitive skin. (And I thought that LRP moisturizer with spf15 was really bad…comparing with this it is very good)


-Powder sunscreens

According to Leslie Baumman, MD (in “Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice” book, 2009) a person would need 1.2g of facial powder to get the spf stated on the product’s label. Most people only apply 1/14 of that amount. If you think that applying half the amount of sunscreen reduces the spf to the square root (meaning if you only apply half of the amount of a sunscreen with a spf 25 you are really getting only a spf 5!), imagine how little sun protection you get by applying 1/14 of the recommended amount. Are powder sunscreens really worth the expense? No! Something like PTR powder sunscreen (30 dollars in the U.S. for 0.12 oz) would cost you 10 dollars per application to get the full spf (if you could apply that much product!).
With a spf lotion (on average) individuals would only need to use 1.5 times the amount of lotion they are accustomed to use in order to achieve the spf on the label.

-Sunscreens with vitamin A derivatives or BHAs, AHAs

Why would anyone want something in their sunscreen that makes their skin more sensitive to the sun?! Plus vitamin A in sunscreens has being associated with cancer!

-Crème de la Mer

Sorry for being one of those (maybe annoying) people mentioning this product over and over again as the most overhyped moisturizer cream. But the hype and price that surrounds this thing is something that I will never understand! La Mer marketing people really have some serious skills to convince people that this product is really worth the price.
Here’s the ingredient list (from www.beaute-test.com.): Seaweed (Algae) Extract • Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) • Petrolatum • Glycerin • Isohexadecane • Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Extract • Microcrystalline Wax • Lanolin Alcohol • Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil• Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil • Magnesium Sulfate • Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed • Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder • Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake • Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal • Sodium Gluconate • Potassium Gluconate • Copper Gluconate • Calcium Gluconate • Magnesium Gluconate • Zinc Gluconate • Paraffin • Tocopheryl Succinate • Niacin • Beta-Carotene • Decyl Oleate • Aluminum Distearate • Octyldodecanol • Citric Acid • Cyanocobalamin • Magnesium Stearate • Panthenol • Limonene • Geraniol • Linalool • Hydroxycitronellal • Citronellol • Benzyl Salicylate • Citral • Methylchloroisothiazolinone • Methylisothiazolinone • Alcohol Denat • Fragrance

- The worst for last: Strivectin

If you are thinking in buying their products you should read this article in Melbourne Dermatology website. Do you still think that such company deserves your money?

(I am not a dermatologist or a chemist, I am just someone that checks - in dermatology websites and published articles - the info that a skincare company gives us when they are trying to sell something.)

 

[rayoflight]

I dunno, I find La Mer Cream to be quite nice and very effective as a moisturizer, dunno if it is worth the price per se (or any skin care product over $50 for that matter) and there are quite a few ingredients that I don't exactly love on my skin (like the citrus oils), but other than that it's nice, gives a very nice sheen to skin, makes skin glow from inside, isn't pore clogging and didn't break me out. But each skin is different.
There was once a blog that compared La Mer to Nivea blue tin cream... Having used both - they are not similar at all in terms of effects, just have some ingredients in common, and I'd not purchase the Nivea cream again. La Mer cream - why not, given the opportunity.

My pet peeves are sunscreens, they are slowly getting better due to government pressure, but many still are grossly outdated and don't provide full spectrum protection. Worst things are moisturizers, foundations, lip balms that have extremely low and flawed filters, like SPF 4 or 8 and just UVB filters. I have one Eucerin (what a coincidence, lol) lip balm laying around that has just that - SPF 6 and just oxtinoxate as filter: which equals no UVA protection at all and UVB protection is a sad joke.

And I hate Louise Galvin's hair stuff, she's supposed to be greatest colorist on planet and has her own hair care range that is supposedly CO2 neutral, good for babies, free from SLS, parabens, petrochemicals, silicone and synthetic fragrances and so on, but they are among the worst shampoos I've ever tried, make hair frizzy and irritated scalp like crazy. Dunno how and why, but that stuff was poison for me. They are kinda overpriced as well, one 300 ml bottle is ~£22, but her other line is a bit more reasonable ~£7.

 

[jemenfiche]

this is a great thread!! not sure if I can contribute as I know little next to nothing about cosmetics unfortunately but yeah, great idea

 

[papa_levante]

I think Belowen probably had a lot to say. She's a friggin' genius in this field.

I have heard that Clinique skincare products are no good. Apparently, a friend of mine had a demonstration done, and the toner was just as strong as acetone/nail polish remover.

 

[Cristina777]

I have heard that Clinique skincare products are no good. Apparently, a friend of mine had a demonstration done, and the toner was just as strong as acetone/nail polish remover.

I heard that before, but I thought that was just a rumour until I read this. The Melbourne Dermatology Skin Care website did a review on the Clinique 3-Step System and they say that the steps are:
1. soap
2. nail polish remover as toner and
3. crude 1960s moisturizer.

There's a quote on the website that amused me:

[Old junk dies hard – light up a cigarette and enjoy the Clinique 3 Step System./QUOTE]

 

[carmen_kass]

Why? WHY DID I THROW SO MUCH MONEY AWAY ON LAR MER????

 

[CherryLicorice]

I had problems with clogged pores a few years ago, and my dermatologist made me stop using Clinique. He said their moisturizer (Yellow one) was the cause of the problem.

 

[diesanni]

^Clinique tends to be "the problem" a lot when it comes to skincare...

 

[Neely]

I have heard similiar things about clinque (it's poor quality despite its reputation as a luxury name brand), and I have used their skincare before without any really dazzling results
....but reading the facts about the toner being compared to nail polish remover wow.

 

[diesanni]

^Nail polish remover is actually a very polite comparison. I've heard that it's perfect for cleaning your bathroom...

 

[rayoflight]

I dunno if Clinique is only one so bad. I've seen other drug store and mid-level department store toners that have Alcohol Denat. as 1st or 2nd ingredient as well as a couple with acetone in there, at least Clinique doesn't include acetone anymore, not in the last couple re-formulations at least.
Not that I'm defending Clinique or toners, but Neutrogena and L'Oreal have similarly hash toners as well, for starters.

 

[CarolineRose]

Great thread idea! At first I thought it was gonna be about skincare products to perk up your complexion after a rough night. I'm stupid.

Mario Badescu, which I normally love, has this terrible Almond and Honey scrub. They say it's non-abrasive . . . yeah it is, there are like two particles in the whole container! And it's not a chemical exfoliant either . . . just a completely pointless product.

 

[Aqua Tofana]

This is probably no news at all but Boots and Superdrug own brands 'essentials' always let me down. Just another lesson to invest into better skincare.

Also, I had to borrow Simple eye makeup remover from my friend once. It was so harsh not only did it make me cry but I honestly though my eyelashes would fall out. Horror.

 

[bad-but-stylish]

Great thread.

Usually I love Avene because it really helps my skin but the new version of their Very High Protection Emulsion (SPF 50+) is a complete misunderstanding to me.

It clogs the pores, makes my face look shiny and leaves a white mask on it - no matter how well I try to apply it, I always end up with a face whiter than body.

I try to avoid shiny face so I always use Dr. Hauschka powder on sunscreens but after this emulsion face looks shiny even after applying powder and removing oily layer with a handkerchief.

 

[rayoflight]

Great thread.

Usually I love Avene because it really helps my skin but the new version of their Very High Protection Emulsion (SPF 50+) is a complete misunderstanding to me.

It clogs the pores, makes my face look shiny and leaves a white mask on it - no matter how well I try to apply it, I always end up with a face whiter than body.

I try to avoid shiny face so I always use Dr. Hauschka powder on sunscreens but after this emulsion face looks shiny even after applying powder and removing oily layer with a handkerchief.

^ They screwed it up royally with the reformulation in 2010. It used to be my favorite chemical/hybrid sunscreen, very nice and dewy on skin and didn't contain the worthless avobenzone, but Avene changed it and now it's crap, shiny, greasy and so on. Haven't used it for long enough to see if it clogs pores.

 

[BibiRose]

As of Clinique, I agree that their 3 Steps System is not worth the money, as well as Pore Minimizer- just don't buy it. But I used Moisture Surge face cream and it wasn't that bad...
Other products I don't recommend:
Clarins HydraQuench Lotion SPF 15- you can buy something better for less, plus if you accidentally apply it around the eye area you'll cry all day.
Vichy Cellu-Destock- it doesn't make ANY difference, I used it for over 1 month and it only made my skin dry.

 

[bad-but-stylish]

^ They screwed it up royally with the reformulation in 2010. It used to be my favorite chemical/hybrid sunscreen, very nice and dewy on skin and didn't contain the worthless avobenzone, but Avene changed it and now it's crap, shiny, greasy and so on. Haven't used it for long enough to see if it clogs pores.

Agreed completely. I loved the previous version, it was just perfect and left my skin in a very good condition, but the new version is not worth time and money.

 

[Mila D]

Lancome HydraZen moisturizer...made my skin BURN! I really, really didn't like it, and for the price LRP, vichy or avene are better options, imo.

I tried the clinique 3 step products a few years ago...during those years I developed really irritable, intolerant skin, but I never associated it with the clinique products, reading now I think they might've been the cause.

 

[bad-but-stylish]

Lancome HydraZen moisturizer...made my skin BURN! I really, really didn't like it, and for the price LRP, vichy or avene are better options, imo.

I tried the clinique 3 step products a few years ago...during those years I developed really irritable, intolerant skin, but I never associated it with the clinique products, reading now I think they might've been the cause.

The funny thing which comes to my mind after reading this thread is that the cheapest products often turn out to be hopeless. I use simple and cheap Aloe Gel or Shea Butter to moisturize my skin and it is better for my skin than expensive moisturizers.

 

[YoninahAliza]

Clinique products are utter rubbish! I've tried a few their products (such as the 3 step products) and it's not worth the money at all. And the worst is that several times I've gone into places like Sephora (which normally I love) and when I ask about a sensitive skin line the sales assistants always try to shove Clinique down my throat (figuratively of course. lol. Imagine if you ate that stuff? utterly toxic.) saying it's perfect for people like me. But in reality it's given me horrible rashes and dried out my skin a lot. Which isn't surprising once I found out the ingredients.
Another brand which didn't work for me was Bare Escentuals. In theory it's a great idea but in reality I found the products to be to drying for my skin. The powders made everything visible and easily highlight someones skin problems. Which is a shame because this is one brand I wanted to believe in.