If you are interested in cosmetic and skincare products you have probably come across Paula Begoun’s best-selling books and even visited her website. In my estimation, Begoun is the best known and most prolific consumer advocate working today who concentrates solely on critiquing and evaluating the cosmetic and skincare industry. Begoun and her staff are constantly turning our product reviews (of make-up, hair, and skincare products), answering questions from consumers, and researching ingredients. In addition, Begoun even has her own line of skincare and make-up products (more about that later).
Paula Begoun has written numerous books of which the best known was are Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me and The Beauty Bible. I own the older editions of both books; new editions of both books (8th and 3rd respectively) have just been published. You can find all of Begoun’s books at your local chain bookstore. If you spend some time on Begoun’s website and sign-up for her weekly email updates it is obvious that many, many people admire her and turn to her for seemingly unbiased advice about the cosmetic and skincare industry and its products. For all of Begoun’s positive work I still have some issues with her reviews and some of her statements about skincare. I’ll elaborate below.
The Good
The cosmetic and skincare industry certainly needs a reality check, and I applaud Begoun for devoting her career to being a consumer advocate, to helping educate the public, and to helping people make better choices when it comes to buying skincare and make-up products. The cosmetic and skincare industry is based upon hype, false hopes and promises, unattainable beauty, youth, and even in some cases out right lies. It is great that Begoun and her staff try to cut through all the lies and illusions in order to help the public make educated choices about what make-up and skincare products to buy and how to take care of their skin. Another hallmark of Begoun’s work is how well researched it is. She always cites her sources (which I greatly appreciate) and it obvious that she and her workers are really looking into subjects from numerous perspectives before publishing their opinions.
The Beauty Bible has a great chapter all about why sun protection is so important. In addition the book explains very well how to see through all the hype of the cosmetic industry so that you base your consumer decisions on facts instead of marketing claims. There is mostly thoughtful information in the book about how to care for all the different skin types. I even thought that the discussion about animal testing, at the back of the book, was interesting and a worthwhile addition to the book. This book can be a good resource for information about skincare.
Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me contains tens of thousands of product reviews. It is exhausting just to look at. Begoun conveniently labels and rates her reviews with faces – smiley faces for great products, neutral faces for so-so products, and faces with frowns for products she doesn’t like. If she considers the products a good buy there is a check next to the review. Prices and a brief explanation about why the rating that was given to the review are included. Product companies are listed alphabetically so it is easy to find the review you are looking for. The book includes skincare tips, ingredient explanations, and an explanation of how the product evaluations were done. Certainly this book is the most exhaustive collection of product reviews currently available.
As someone who likes to play with make-up but is very far from being a make-up artist, I greatly appreciate Begoun’s make-up product reviews. I find those reviews helpful so that I can spend my money on the right products to get the results that I want. I appreciate her research about skincare ingredients, and I do find myself looking up what she has to say about different ingredients before making my final decision on how I feel about the ingredient. I think her research, which is well done, is a definite help to anyone who wants to be better educated about skincare ingredients and formulations.
The Bad
At times I have been confounded by Begoun’s skincare advice and upset that such a wide audience of people was receiving this advice. Begoun actually began her career as a make-up artist. When she refused to sell products she didn’t believe were effective her career as a consumer advocate began. It should be pointed out that Begoun never trained as an esthetician and certainly has never had any medical training. She is an extremely well-educated, but self-educated, lay person who has made an interest in cosmetics into a very successful career. I certainly don’t believe that just because Begoun is not a licensed esthetician or a physician that her advice is no good, quite to the contrary at times. But I do think there is a big difference between someone who examines skin up close on a daily basis (and touches it) and their knowledge compared to someone who deals with all these issues in a simply theoretical way. There is a huge difference between talking about skin versus caring, looking at, and touching it. Certainly when it comes Begoun’s reviews of products I find that the lack of actually using and trying the products versus just looking at ingredients in order to evaluate the product is a big issue. I disagree with some of Begoun’s product reviews for that reason. Some products she pans I have used with great success and recommend them to my clients. I haven’t done a scientific study about this but I would say that her product reviews lean toward being generally neutral to negative. Now is that more a reflection on her exacting standards or on the sad state of cosmetic and skincare industry? I don’t have an answer for that.
Begoun is extremely opinionated on every cosmetic and skincare topic and product. I guess you need to be to that way in her line of work, but I find her attitude a bit off-putting at times. I generally think that you need to stay open-minded when it comes to skincare issues. There are always new products and research to discover. You need to able to bend a bit in order to stay abreast with the latest findings.
Begoun has declared war on fragrance in cosmetic and skincare products. Yes, it is true that fragrance can cause irritation and people with sensitive skin should look for products that are fragrance free but should all fragrance be banned from make-up and skincare products? I don’t think so. But when I read Begoun’s The Beauty Bible I think I figured out why she is so against fragrance. Begoun suffered from severe eczema for many years, and so I believe that her hatred of fragrance is purely personal. I wish her own personal issues wouldn’t loom so large over her reviews.
Another bit of advice that Begoun gives just annoys me. She writes the following in The Beauty Bible (page 190, 2nd edition):
“If you have dry skin, dry, wrinkled skin, or dry areas (like on the cheeks or around the eyes), you need a moisturizer; otherwise you don’t. It’s that simple. If you don’t have dry skin or you have normal to oily skin, you can obtain many of the benefits moisturizers contain (antioxidants, anti-irritants, water-binding agents, natural moisturizing factors) in a well-formulated toner. Avoiding using a cream-, lotion-, or serum-style moisturizer when you don’t have dry skin can help prevent breakouts and feeling greasy and shiny through your makeup by midday, and encourage your skin to do its natural exfoliation.”
I couldn’t disagree more!!! Even if you have breakouts you definitely could feel that you want to use a moisturizer. It is very wrong to tell people that if they use a moisturizer they can cause breakouts. I know few people who don’t need a moisturizer. As a matter of fact, many dermatologists even say that a lot of the skin redness and irritation that they see on patients could simply to relieved by using a good moisturizer. I have never been able to figure out why Begoun continues to give the above advice.
Begoun began her career as a make-up artist so it was strange for me to read her come out against experimenting with eyeshadow color in her chapter about make-up. Since make-up washes off it is a great medium to experiment with and cosmetic companies certainly offer plenty of color options with which to do so. I feel that once again this is a personal preference of Begoun’s passed off as fact. I wish she would encourage “free thinking” when it comes to make-up colors.
The Ugly
As I have already mentioned Begoun has her line of skincare products called Paula’s Choice. Full disclosure – I use one of her sunscreens and love it. I also have a client of mine using one of her BHA lotions nightly with great results. Yet I do have an issue with a consumer advocate having her own products particularly because Begoun shamelessly self-promotes. In Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me she even goes so far as to review her own products! Not surprisingly she gives all her products her highest rating. I found that ridiculous, self-serving, unnecessary, and even slightly unethical. I turn to Begoun for unbiased reviews; I don’t need her to review her own products as well.
And lastly, none of Begoun’s books have indexes. Is it too much to ask for a book that is so full of information to have an index??? I don’t think so. I find myself wasting lots of time trying to find information in The Beauty Bible because of the lack of an index. I also find the format of “the best product summary” in Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me to be hard to read.
Bottom Line: I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to stand by it – Paula Begoun is doing important and needed work as a consumer advocate but don’t take her word as the final word on cosmetic and skincare products. Use her as a reference and do your own research as well.
- Here is Paula Begoun’s website: cosmeticscop.com
Your opinion/review of Paula Begoun’s book/work is a bit flawed. First of all, you really don’t have any basis/evidence for your opinions other than basing them on your own skin and clients. In addition, many of your statements are very general basing them on your personal opinion and what your heard dermatalogist said. There are dermatalogist and physicians who don’t know what they are talking about when they perscribe a patient a product for their skin issue. Paula’s book is based on scientific studies published in peer reviewed scientific journals as well as agreed upon facts within the medical/dermatological society. Her books are probably the only ones that disclosed this much factual information about the beauty industry and its’ products. As for her selling her own product, yes, it is unethical in some form, but if what she is selling is scientifically better than the rediculous $100 to $1000 useless cream that is being sold in department stores and by luxury cosmetic lines, then I don’t see any problems with it. After all, her products do come with a money back quarantee. And about what you said about being open to skin care issues (or products), you can be as open minded as you want but it is irrevelavent to whether that skin product actually works or not and in alot of cases they don’t. The fact of the matter is the cosmetic industry comes up with new anti-wrinkle creams every month and we consumers (women) need to be aware of factual informations to assist us to determine what actually will works and what won’t. The cosmetic industry is a multi-billioin industry that feeds women’s fear of aging. I think Ms. Begoun’s books are more informative than any other out there because she sites her sources. Essentially she can substantiate her work as well as her skin care line.
Why wouldn’t paula’s products be given her highest rating? I do not understand why you would fault someone for using science based information to make well formulated products to sell to consumers. I actually feel that if someone is telling me a skincare product does not work, I would say, “ok smartypants, why don’t you make a better one?” And she did!
It is so interesting how my post in which I tried very hard to present both why I love yet also have some issues with Paula Begoun has angered some people. As I stated in my post I actually like and use (and have recommended more than once in this blog) Paula’s Choice products. My issue is with the way in which she promotes her products not with the products themselves. I feel that if she wants me to trust her unbiased opinion about other company’s products then she shouldn’t be rating her own products in her books. Overall Paula Begoun’s work as a consumer advocate of the beauty industry is important and needed, as I stated above in my post. I just don’t always agree with everything she says or how she goes about promoting herself. I believe it is important to question and discuss the work of others in the beauty industry since so much of the industry is based on half-truths and marketing. And that includes a discussion of Paula Begoun and her statements and methods.
I totally agree with you. Paula is totally under-qualified to be any sort of officianato of any skincare expert. No license of any type and shameless plugs of her own crap-filled ingredient-deck products.
It’s only been in the last, what, year? that she took out all of the parabens and silicone fillers from them? Hi. How can you talk so much smack about products and recommend your own products so highly when you just complained about another brand’s similar ingredient deck? Again, it’s only been within the last YEAR that her “team” put in actual active ingredients to provide any sort of change in the skin.
I think she is worthless, she has no credibility. She should change her name from “Cosmetic Cop” to “Cosmetic Bully”.
Paula rates hers the best then recommends 20 comparable products for you to try too. Who does that? No one. If it wasn’t for her I would be wearing $200 lotions that do nothing for me. I’ve been using Paula’s products for 3 years now and at the age of 47 stopped using foundation. It can be done!
It’s the first time I read this article and I must agree to almost everything you said.
Bottomline is people shouldn’t get their knowledge from only one source and treat it like a bible of beauty. Sometimes I agree with Paula, sometimes I don’t. Same goes for all other blogs and beauty-related websites.
I completely agree with with what Rae said!
I appreciate what Paula does for consumer advocacy, but I’ve often thought it was pretty unethical for her to test and rate her own products. I think a neutral 3rd party tester would have been a wiser choice. I also don’t agree with her skincare strategies, but that’s just from my own personal experience. I have sensitive/combo skin and the suggested regime was way too aggressive and harsh for me. There isn’t a magic combination of skin care products for oily skin or dry skin. It’s pretty individual and there are so many factors that go into it (diet for example).
Great post and good conversation!
1st comment on any blog ever
As you can see above, I don’t know how to do this. Great post, thoughtful opinions. I’m a fan of Paulas books & products & sell the line in my esthetics practice but that doesn’t mean that it is the only valid skin care line on the planet. My philosophy is that if you love your skin care products and you believe that you are receiving the full benefit of the claims that that line makes, then you are not looking for a sales pitch from me, and you will not get one. I went into esthetics because it is a SERVICE that I love to provide, not a retail sales opportunity. However, most clients want to evaluate and discuss their skin care routine, and rely on me for honest direction. Trust and integrity are invaluable in the skin care arena and that is why I offer Paula’s Choice.
Agree with your opinion very much. After having suffered and brainwashed from sources like such, I also actively avoided any fragrance or fragrant, and even plant derived ingredients. However, I had a chance to get aroma therapy facials, and it worked wonderfully. I’ve used Aromessence (Rose D’Orient, Neroli, and Angelique) from Decleor, all three of them with great success. Quite frankly, I think these are really decent products, because they use all plant based ingredients without any synthetic ingredients. There are products made for similar purpose with synthetic oils and fragrances (this happens from prestigious brands as well). I’ve noticed that she prefers mostly acids as active ingredients, fragrance free, she tends to think all, or most plant extracts are irritants, and when it comes to make up she likes flat, matte look. It also appears she lacks understanding of aromatherapy and the needs for dry skin. Also it is quite controversial that she critiques other’s products when she has her own line (which I think is focused on sunscreen, fragrance free and acid as active ingredients). While I wouldn’t look to her advice when choosing a product (because I have a different guideline for choosing product that I have set up on my own, and a lot of the product she rated poorly worked out great for me), I do think that there are some good that she has done for the public, which is to be more aware and inspire them to cut through illusion.
As Paula often says,being plant based doesn’t make a cosmetic ingredient good. The chemical in poison ivy is plant based but you wouldn’t want to put it on your skin. Similarly there is valid scientific research out there that shows natural oils like Lavender actually damage skin over time, whether you feel it doing anything or not. Its horrifying to think of how many things use lavendar oil in them. Fragrance is bad for skin and should be avoided. Use essential oil candles if you want to smell something good
All the best
BTW, she does critic other people’s products but more often than not she will rate other products as good as hers, even ones that are cheaper.
A few things you seem to leave out are:
1) Paula has a background in science
2) Even if fragrance doesn’t cause noticeable irritation in some people does not mean it is good for anyone. Fragrance may well cause problems for people even if they don’t necessarily feel it on their skin. If people with sensitive skin notice it, then what is it doing to people who don’t notice it. There is also some science to back up the idea that fragrance is bad
3) Paula is the only person I know that links her “opinions” as you call them to actuall scientific research. Good, peer-reviewed research and I don’t know anyone else doing that.
My skin has improved greatly since following Paula’s advice. I hope others can benefit from her scientific approach to skin care rather than how some others approach it which tends to be by heresay or myth.
Paula Begoun is definitely not the only beauty blogger who cites scientific sources. Check out Future Derm and The Beauty Brains. You’ll find links to both sites on my blog home page, right side.
Its nice to see people following Paula’s lead in this regard then and advancing skin care through good, peer-reviewed research. Through science instead of via anecdotal evidence, old wive’s tales, myth, tradition, etc
Already I see a problem with FutureDerm. In an article a reviewer on the site talks about a product and then states there is a real problem with Sodium Laureth Sulfate saying that it is an irritant. The reviewer gives only one quote from one Doctor in a book to provide evidence. Paula’s site clearly states that Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a mild cleansing agent considered to be gentle and effective and instead of supporting her position with a book she links to several peer-reviewed scientific journals. It sounds like FutureDerm has problems with the way they do science. Perhaps it is just a problem with this one reviewer but still, furthering the myth that all sulfates are bad for the skin is really bad practice.
I completely agree with your post. I think her concept is a great one–the beauty industry needs accountability and the consumer would be greatly helped to get information from a non-biased, well researched source. However, I think it needs to come from someone who is not trying to pitch her own products. It’s a conflict of interest. I found her website originally when I was doing some additional research on one of my favorite products. I found her review misinformative, and was really disappointed when the alternative product she suggested was her own. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Thanks for this post. I recently discovered Paula’s site and found a lot helpful but was concerned about her pushing her own products. I went through products I’ve used for 20 years , and she really nailed ones which did something and ones that did not. In fact, I thought a retinol cream I was using was doing something but after reading her review realized I was just trying to convince myself it was helping when I really didn’t see any changes. I’ve switched my moisturizer to one she gave as a Best and VERY happy especially at the price. I’m curious to try her products, especially a toner for dry skin BUT I don’t like she includes her products with the Best of. I am also curious about peels and am not comfortable about that info and ratings on her site. Up until now I had been relying just one what people recommended by trying products- but too often I think we all are swayed by marketing and convince ourselves a product is working when it is not, especially when loyal to a brand. I’ll be checking out the links you gave to other skin care sites and compile what I find. Certainly if 2 or 3 sites say something is bad- it saves me a lot of money!
I LOVED your post, I found it fair & basically expresses the same pros & cons I have w/Begoun. The (2) biggest issues that plague me w/her is 1. She has her own line of products, which of course she thinks highly of, but it’s business for her. 2. She doesn’t use the products she trashes, she ONLY goes by the ingredients. That is silly, there are products made w/mineral oil & water that people swear by because for whatever reason it works for them. On the other hand there are products like Retin-A that don’t do a darn thing except maybe cause irritation depending on the person.
I remember when she wasn’t a big fan of retinol, I think that’s changed. And I would respect her opinions far more if she actually did testing like Allure magazine does.
exactly. I think its not justified to comment on something you have never even tried. It can be a personal choice not to use certain types of ingredients on yourself but when you’re advocating it to millions out there…its just a bunch of theory. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. I totally disagree with alot of her claims from having actually tried out the stuff. For example, retin-a is amazing for me…..it faded my chicken pox scars to nothingness in 3 weeks but it was terrible for my mom..it irritated her skin to no end. But i’m not going to go round claiming that its terrible because of that…but only cause i know for myself how it can be a saviour for people who can tolerate it.
I also feel it looks a bit odd that she gives her own products the highest mark – on the other hand, why should she produce anything which she doesn’t believe in?
I think one should also remember that she started reviewing products long time before she invented her own.
I can’t stand that woman! I have no idea why everyone is singing her praises. Her products were horrible on my skin! I broke out like there was no tomorrow. Then realised that her serums were loaded with silicons and her cleansers only resulted in dry dull skin. I think skin is a very individual subject. What works for one person may not work for another. It baffles me how multitudes of people blindly follow everything she says like its the law. She has an annoying tendency to harp on a certain ingredient as being bad for the skin…evil and shouldn’t be touched. I personally love the use of essential oils…if not overdone, i find that it does my skin so much of good. I use a moisturiser with parabens in it because personally, i don’t mind and would rather have my product kept fresh. What i’m trying to say is, i think women should be smart enough to experiment, read up and decide what might be good for their skin and not listen to some lady who claims that practically everything out there irritates the skin and causes problems for it. Everything is made up for chemicals…theres no avoiding it..its whether your skin likes it or not that matters.
I am an Esthetician, I study & examine skin; I have also suffered from horrible skin conditions myself, using products that did nothing or made it worse, and I have done, (& still do) some broad research on skincare products and ingredients to help clients, as well as myself. And what I am going to say is, you’re information regarding some of Paula’s advice is unaccurate. Paula herself, may be inaccurate with a lot of things (such as a lot of her skincare containing comedogenic ingredients), but then your “opinions”, arent so accurate either. For example, using a toner as a moisturizer for oily skin, is a great idea. If you cannot find something with solid humectants.
Humectants- hydrating, attracts water from the environment to the skin
Occlusives- moisturizing, provides a layer of oil to the surface of the skin
Humectants are good for oily skin. Occlusives are good for dry. Since they leave a layer of oil on your skin, it would be best to avoid them if you have oily, acneic skin. Most Toners, carry more humectants and hydrate. Most moisturizers, creams and lotions carry occlusives and moisturize. It just makes sense. Many dermatoligsts will tell you to use a moisturizer, to soothe irritated skin, yes, but many of the same dermatologists have told us that because the products they gave us have irritated our skin to begin with, and so many dermatologists have mis guided us by selling us a bunch of products, with pore clogging (comedogenic ingredients) that do not work. And then all of a sudden our skin is getting worse, hmmmm…. Fyi, most Dermatologists do not study product ingredients. They are just there to make money off of them. Unless you find one that steps outside of the box, typically one that believes in a holistic lifestyle. Hyluronic acid is a great example of a humectant, and it is rare to find a moisturizer with this ingredient in it, that does not contain occlusives as well. (the combo can make you break out more); hyluronic acid can be found in serums or toners alone, or with other humectants. But most companies add occlusives to it to make it a moisturizer, and sell it as a moisturizer. Paula, Is also correct about majority of the skincare lines being decietful. Do your own research, with a legit version of a “comedogenic list” in your hand (example: journal of the society of cosmetic chemists) and read through the ingredients of all of these skincare products, and see how many contain comedogenic ingredients, even though they claim they don’t. You will find that a good majority do, it’s quite sad actually. And fragerance should absolutely be banned from skincare designed for oily/acneic/sensitive skincare, it is an irritant! And it is highly comedogenic, it will absolutely clog your pores, once again do your research, not based on blogs like this. When I discovered all of this information, before I even knew who Paula was, and eliminated all this bs skincare, my skin cleared. Go figure. My only problem with Paula, is, like I said, not all her products contain non comedogenic ingredients which makes her very hypocritical, which I do not understand to this very day. And my point is, your blog is mostly based off opinion, with no real research to back up your points, therefore making a good chunk of your defense invalid. And I encourage everyone to do their own broad research before they take anyone else’s advice, even mine! If you research a few of the things I have mentioned, you will see that is information is accurate though. And I really hope it helps.
Paula has taught me quite a bit about cosmetics, and her website is a valuable resource; however, her reviews invariably lead you toward buying her products. They are now even automatically displayed at the bottom of the page. She alludes to her “team” who I suspect are her children or at best a badgered assistant. Even when a product is good, she’ll allude to it snidely “if you want to pay a lot more than you should for a toner, this product has visible benefits!” How can a makeup-artist-cum-skincare-cop know better how to formulate a product than the doctors and chemists at a billion-dollar skincare company? As to her citations, try following up on one. I can never find the clear citation, and think that too is just an illusion. Lastly, this woman hates menthol, but who hasn’t drunk a cup of mint tea to calm an upset stomach or fall to sleep? Some of what she says is just nonsense. Scent, texture, and packaging are important parts of a luxurious skincare routine, and she ignores that.
I agree with you, and really I don’t think a psychiatric journal is the best place to get your skin care references. She uses other odd medical journals to get a lot of her references. I have tried several of her products and they feel and smell blah to yuck on the skin. I like putting something on my skin that makes me feel beautiful. I also agree with you on the point that companies with money invest in research can make a good product. A Paula’s review disagrees with a company that uses petri dishes for experimentation. Really! Skin cells can be placed on a dish and observed through a microscope for their reaction to a certain ingredient. I come from scientific background and I don’t agree with her use of science. I have also worked with dermatologists and plastic surgeons that don’ t sell product lines in their offices and they state there are no amazing products. So I just use what makes me feel good and I don’t run in fear if Paula doesn’t like them. Of course I read the labels and I know what I am putting on my skin. Paula also writes of irritation from fragrances even if it is not visible, what? She promotes retinol products that cause major visible irritation and glycolic acid that peels off a protective layer of skin and leaves you open to more sun damage if you are not diligent in sun care.