by Sophie Knight

As ethical consumers in the beauty industry, we have been fed an overload of jargon about how a 10-step skin-care line will solve all our problems or how the right shampoo can change our life. Turns out, much of this is not really accurate, is misconstrued, is misleading, or is sometimes just marketing nonsense. The truth is, we simply don’t need a lot of that stuff. And we often end up throwing away a lot of money, feeling product dissatisfaction, and storing the world’s greatest collection of unused and partially used (and never-to-be-used–again) beauty products. So before you shop, check out these beauty myths you should toss out today and the raw truth about putting your best self forward. 

Myth #1: You need a multistep skin-care regimen 

We’ve all stood in a beauty store and had that sinking feeling as we calculate the cost of the under-eye cream, serum, face mask, exfoliator and a million other potions that we’re told to layer and use step-by-step to get a fresh, glowing complexion. According to skinstore.com, more than 85% of women surveyed said they apply a minimum of 16 products a day to their face. This is a combination of skin-care and cosmetics, starting from the facial cleansers they use in the morning down to the final sweep of highlighter.  Crazy, isn’t it?  Focus instead on fewer, multipurpose 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 products, like lipsticks that can be used as blushes, face masks that can be used as cleansers, and the old but reliable shampoo/conditioner in 1. 

Myth #2: Your shampoo familiarizes itself to your hair and stops working

That’s just marketing telling you, “Stop buying that one. Buy me!” And while it’s fine to change up the hair products you use every once in a while, it’s absolutely not necessary. If your hair is feeling flat, dry, or damaged after continued use of one specific shampoo, don’t blame the shampoo! Usually, the problem is often due to product buildup from hairsprays, serums, oils, and more. If this happens, try a clarifying shampoo once a week and continue with your regularly scheduled shampoo. So like a split end, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Myth #3: “Anti-aging”

Enough said! Face it, unless you’re Benjamin Button, you can’t anti-age or de-age. Quite frankly, it’s insulting to suggest you can. It plays into our biggest insecurities and leads to the biggest disappointments—and it wastes money. So if a brand is selling you something that makes your skin younger, that “anti-ages” you, well, you probably should be looking elsewhere.  The good news is that you can reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, improve radiance, decrease pore size, and do a bunch of other things to make your skin healthier and more vibrant.  Look for natural alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs), bakuchiol and other natural acids and retnoids to help you be the best-looking you. 

Myth #4: You can get rid of cellulite 

Here are two horrible and unfair facts: First, cellulite is just a fact of life for 98% of the female population. Second, men don’t get cellulite. And yes that is just plain wrong. But there’s not much you can do about it except love the skin you’re in—no cream will magically make it disappear. Fortunately there are ways to help. Dry brushing is an excellent way to help, since it sloughs off dead skin and increases circulation, which is key to diminishing the appearance of cellulite. Then there’s that other thing: proper diet and exercise. Yeah, ya kinda gotta do it.

Myth #5: You need super-fancy makeup brushes made of the finest goat hair to create the perfect makeup look

First of all, goats don’t agree—and if they could talk, they’d tell you they weren’t put on this earth so you could have a better complexion. And second, it’s absolutely not true! Most of the top makeup artists out there recommend simply using your fingers to fix your perfect face. Pick creamy formulas and get in touch with your inner Picasso…play and have fun!

The Raw Truth

Understanding what’s true vs. a myth, what’s a fact and what’s just a misrepresentation (ahem, a lie) and what you really need vs. what you’re being told you need can make you happier, save you tons of time and money, and allow you to leave snapping that “cosmetics shelfie” to someone else.

Have any other Beauty Myths that you want to share? Please leave a comment below.