Should we believe the loud promises of cosmetics?

“Beauty ads annoy me. I change the channel when I see retouched actresses promoting cheap creams that they themselves do not use, 25-year-old Anna admits. As a student, she spent a lot of money on acne drugs and was disappointed with the result. “In the promotional video, they showed how the girl’s face was cleansed day after day, they showed videos about disappearing inflammation,” says Anna. – And in fact? The skin has become better, but not as perfect as that of the heroine of the advertisement.

Since then, Anna trusts only her beautician and does not want to try anything new. There are enough of these “burned in milk”. “We forget that cosmetics were originally created to embellish reality. Why be surprised that advertising is doing this too? exclaims Roman, director of a major PR agency.

British journalist and beauty blogger Alessandra Steiner says that she often faces inflated expectations from cosmetics. “Women treat the cream like a rejuvenating apple and a plastic surgeon in one bottle,” says Alessandra. – They expect global changes and do not pay attention to other positive changes.

The 60% wrinkle reduction that most brands guarantee is not always visible to the eye and understandable to the mind. You are used to seeing a thin line on your forehead. And calm down only when it disappears. And its depth does not bother you, and the fact that the skin has become elastic and radiant is no longer happy.

Women of the people

By the way, do you know how beauty tests go? Usually, focus groups gather poor, often unemployed women, whose skin and hair are not spoiled with quality care. Of course, their condition improves significantly from the regular use of advanced products during the test. This remedy will also work on the skin of a woman who takes care of herself, but the changes are likely to be less pronounced.

This does not mean that the test data cannot be trusted. Just divide them by two. No one will make false promises. After all, every beauty sensation is studied by competing brands and enthusiasts from the people.

Fight for justice

In recent years, the faces on advertising posters have become more real, and the promises less sky-high. Joe Swinson is to be thanked for this. A member of the British Parliament, she has won through the courts a ban on a number of promotional campaigns with stars like Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz and Rachel Weisz. The reason is misleading consumers. Photoshop, false eyelashes and extensions were used to simulate the effect of cream, shampoo and mascara.

Posters with Christy Turlington also went to the ban. On them, buyers were offered to compare different parts of the model’s face: perfectly smooth, on which the product was applied, and others, supposedly left without care. The verdict of the British Advertising Committee was short: no cosmetic product will give such an effect.

A lot of independent organizations also stand guard over our interests. For example, the American FDA, which issues approvals for the release of cosmetics and drugs, “wrapped up” many creams that promised results comparable to medical ones – the elimination of rosacea or a facelift – but could not provide them.

With faith in the best

The cosmetics industry is developing at a rapid pace. Every month there are products that are capable of doing things that we could not have dreamed of a couple of years ago. You can and should trust them. Even if you had a bad experience with “advertising zombies”.

In Psychological First Aid, psychologist Guy Winch divides people who experience failure into four types. The former begin to perceive the goal as unrealistic and abandon it. The second lose heart, becoming passive. Still others keep trying until they get their way. Finally, the fourth fall into depression and lose the ability to think rationally.

Let’s try to choose the third way and believe in the seriousness of the work of thousands of beauty industry professionals. They received an excellent education, love their job and strive to do their best for our attractiveness. But advertising slogans should be treated with humor and healthy skepticism.