I was reading some of my latest Twitter updates when I saw another claim about a beauty product being “chemical free.” Reading claims like this really bug me because nearly EVERYTHING is a chemical.
There is no such thing as a Chemical Free Sunscreen!!! Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are CHEMICALS!!
Alright, enough of that. I’ll calm down. But it does remind me of all the other misleading cosmetic claims that I see from cosmetic marketers. Here is a list of 10 of the most misleading cosmetic claims that I could find.
What makes a claim misleading?
Before I get to the list, I want to define my terms. There are plenty of more egregious claims than the ones on this list but typically those are direct lies. (e.g. cosmetics that say they will regrow your hair).
The claims listed here are not lies per se, the companies no doubt have supporting tests. However, they are specifically made to mislead consumers.
1. Natural, organic, green, etc.
This claim can mean anything because there is no specific definition for ‘natural’. Some companies argue that if an ingredient comes from a natural source then it’s natural. They conveniently overlook the fact that they chemically modify it to make it work the way they want it. And ‘organic’ is not much better. True, there is a USDA organic certification program but it is not required that a cosmetic company follow it to use the ‘organic’ claim on their products.
Why it is misleading – Companies who use this claim want consumers to believe that the products they produce are “safer” than other cosmetics. Natural / organic / green cosmetic are not safer.
2. Chemical free.
Every cosmetic or personal care product you would buy is made of chemicals. There is no such thing as a ‘chemical free’ cosmetic. Water is a chemical. Titanium Dioxide is a chemical.
Why it is misleading – It’s just wrong. It also is made to imply that the product is “safer” than cosmetics made with chemicals. The products are not safer. This is just wrong.
3. pH balanced
Skin and hair products often advertise themselves as ‘pH balanced’ as if that is supposed to be some big benefit. What products are sold that are not pH balanced?
Why it is misleading – Companies who make this claim try to imply some superiority over products that are not making this claim. They want consumers to believe that the products will be less irritating and will work better. They won’t. Why? Because any decently formulated product will be made in a pH range that is compatible with skin and hair. A consumer will never notice a single difference between a product that is “pH balanced” and one that is just normally formulated.
4. Hypoallergenic
Companies make this claim because they want consumers to believe that their products will not cause allergies. But the FDA looked at this issue in the 1970′s and essnetially concluded that the term hypoallergenic has no real meaning so anyone can make this claim.
Why it is misleading – Hypoallergenic products are not safer or more gentle even though this is what the claim is meant to imply.
5. “Helps” claim
While it would be illegal to make a claim that a cosmetic product fixes some particular problem directly, it is perfectly fine for companies to claim that the product “helps” fix a problem. Since the word ‘help’ is sufficiently vague any product could support a claim that it is helping some condition whether it is or not.
Why it is misleading – Companies use the qualifier “helps” to be able to make a claim that they want even though they can’t support it. For example, when a skin product says “…moisturizes to help strengthen the skin’s barriers function…” they really want consumers to think that the skin’s barrier function will be strengthened. However, they don’t have any evidence that the product will do this. Adding the word ‘Helps’ lets them make the claim without having to have the evidence.
6. Patented formula
Companies love to claim ‘patented’ or ‘unique’ or ‘exclusive’ formula. What they want consumers to believe is that the formula is someone special and will work better than competitors.
Why this is misleading – It’s relatively easy to find some way to patent a formula but that doesn’t mean the patent will somehow make the product a superior personal care product. Often cosmetic patents are just technicalities that made it past a naive patent examiner. Typically, the patent has nothing to do with how well the formula performs.
7. Makes hair stronger
This is a pet peeve of mine. Products that claim to make hair stronger do not make hair stronger. What they really do is make hair less prone to breakage when it is being combed. This isn’t hair strength, it’s conditioning.
Why this is misleading – If you test the strength of hair with a tensile test or other force measuring device, you will discover that hair is not actually stronger. But consumers are meant to believe that hair becomes stronger even though it doesn’t.
8. Boosts collagen production
You find this claim in lots of cosmetic products.
Why it is misleading – If the product actually increased the amount of collagen your skin produced, it would be a mislabeled drug. Cosmetics are not allowed to have a significant impact on your skin metabolism.
9. Reduces the appearance of wrinkles
Most any anti-aging product is going to make this claim and it’s very likely true. However, the message that consumers get from this claim is different than the words that are written and marketers know this.
Why it is misleading – While the product is only reducing the “appearance” of wrinkles consumers read that and believe that the product will somehow get rid of wrinkles. It won’t. Almost no cosmetic skin cream is going to get rid of wrinkles. They might make wrinkles look less obvious but this isn’t what consumers think when they read a claim like that.
10. Proven formula
The term proven is powerful in the consumers mind even though it doesn’t have to mean much of anything.
Why it is misleading – Marketers know that the term ‘proven’ automatically makes consumers think that the product works. And maybe it does work, but it almost never works in the way (or to the extent) that consumers will think it works. This is why it is a misleading claim.
Claims and the cosmetic chemist
Unfortunately, cosmetic companies have to make misleading claims because this is what consumers respond to. There are certainly some claims that are more egregious than others but as a cosmetic chemist you should be able to recognize those and help your marketing department find ways to make non-misleading claims. It’s not easy but someone should be doing it.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
While I understand why you criticise claims on products that aren’t true, I don’t understand why you always try to kind of laugh about people wanting green products. There is a good reason why people want less unnecessary und often harmful chemicals (yeees, everything is chemical – but you know what people mean when they say they want chemical-free. All you do is being short-sighted and hairsplitting.) and there are many reasons why so many people suffer from allergies etc. And it is not because all those friendly lab-made chemicals are so benevolent and good for our health ( of course not only in skin care). Not all companies who offer organic/natural products are scammers who want to deceive their clients – there are in fact manufacturers who believe in their products and indeed help people who got injured by conventional products. Instead of being cynical you should try working for a better planet yourself. It is high time.
Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate your perspective.
I’m sorry that it seems that I’m laughing at people who desire green products…I’m not. In fact, I fully support the idea of ‘green’ products when it comes to sustainability and reducing chemical exposure. I believe wholeheartedly that cosmetic chemists should create products using renewable resources whenever possible. They should limit the amount of chemicals they use and minimize their environmental impact.
The part where you and I differ seems to be in what we see as “safe” and “unsafe”. There is nothing inherently unsafe about synthetic, lab-made chemicals and there is nothing inherently safe about natural materials.
Cosmetic grade petrolatum is safe for use. The synthetic detergents made from petroleum chemicals are safe for use. There is nothing about a “natural” or “green” cosmetic product that is more safe than standard products. If there was scientific evidence to the contrary I would change my position immediately. There just isn’t any good evidence.
Perry you are the diplomat of the year!
Could’t agree more: I love making green sustainable cosmetic products using renewable resources. But I refuse to support bad science and fear-mongering. Unfortunately most ‘free of chemicals’ (or an even worse name’ nasties’) natural cosmetics do seem to be a fan of bad science and fear-mongering.
Perry again you make me smile, I can hear you in my head ‘It’s wrong!!!!’ LOL So true also!
When writing copy for my own line I gave up pretty quickly and hope to find someone to do it for me. Cos when you try to write the truth it can easily get too academic, thus dry and boring. So combining the boring truth with making your products stand out, that is a huge challenge!
Hell, I just want to make stuff that works, feels and smells great
Nancy, when do those videos will come out? I read you talking about them for a while now
“I just want to make stuff that works, feels and smells great ”
That is how all the cosmetic chemists I know feel about their work.
Hi Perry!
First of all: thank you for this site!
This site is so refreshing that I even take a look at it on my free time
Maybe not qualifying for the misleading top 10 but I’d like to add it because it disturbs me.
Special …. Complex!
Just because you mix three ingredients it doesn’t make it a special complex! It is just a mixture, probably not even at an optimized ratio. The word “complex” makes sense in biochemistry when talking about for example cytochrome complexes, but in cosmetics it is only used because it sounds unique and…complex!
Misleading, and maybe even worse: if a cosmetic chemist really would find a special complex, i.e a multi-component system with interesting synergistic effects, what are we going to call it then?
Thanks for the comments David. I agree “complex” is a totally bogus claim and used way too often in the cosmetics industry.
I agree with all your top 10, Perry. The only amendment I would make for my own list would be to morph “chemical free” into “anything free”. I know that chemical free is ridiculous, but “free of x” is mostly highly misleading!
I plan to do a lot of, “common sense in cosmetics,” videos in the upcoming months as the store goes live. I’m going to talk about efficacy and manual damage, preventing it, with and without silicones, what is, “more natural,” and less. That anyone can claim natural, or hypoallergenic and it really has no meaning. I’m not going to tackle parabens, because those people REALLY cannot be swayed and if they refuse to understand, then I cannot make them.
Things with Parabens and Dyes in them will be labelled and if you don’t like your eye liner that you’re using on the water line to have parabens in it, then, by all means, poke that sucker into your watery eye and wonder why your eyes are blurry for weeks. I cannot police those that will not listen. Which means I may have shot myself in the foot, offering products with parabens and dyes in them. Labeled, or no. Some people will not buy from me, because I touch, “CANCER CAUSING PARABENS!!!” Even though I often change my gloves and use a separate set of equipment for Paraben protected products.
I’m just going to use videos to entertain and be as honest and transparent as possible.
Half of those comments make my blood boil and I’ve had to learn to let it go, so I can concentrate on my own work. Some of them, “if you are really that dumb, then it’s your issue. “The appearance,” is just that and if the consumer sees this as a promise, it’s their problem. I know it’s only temporary and I’ve known that since way before I was interested in this career.
Some of them… I don’t know how to phrase it so people will listen carefully, but not misunderstand, consider it a drug claim, or think it sucks because of what it does not say on the package. It’s really messing with my head and stops me from play on days I have to write add copy.
What starts out as a one hour session, turns into 6 and I’m a published writer, about 15 times over if you count books and articles. I KNOW how to write copy. For clothing companies, etc. I just want to make my product enticing without lying, or semi-lying. I already put Argan Oil in products because it’s a buzzword, but now I find out Argan is endangered. URRGGGHHHH! frustrated noises, all around.
Nice round-up, Perry. 5 and 9 are usually end-runs around the structure/function bit. Even if there *were* real effects, you can’t technically claim them. As far as 7 goes, I realize *some* companies are referring to combing, but is this industry standard? It’s technically possible to increase resistance to breaking by means other than combing.
To get 5X or 10X or 100% or anything like that, it’s a combing study. You just wouldn’t get diastron or instron testing to show significant improvements in hair strength.