How to Review Skin Care Products

Want better skin? Besides practicing daily good skin care, you might want to learn how to review skin care products before you go out and make a purchase. Some of the tips and information I am going to share with you here can be applied to just about any kind of product you are considering purchasing.

We’ve all heard the warning Buyer Beware!

For good reason. A lot of products just don’t deliver on their promises. The best salesmen and copywriters get paid a lot of money to convince you that you cannot live without that fabulous salad mixer or electric foot massager. Your quality of life will improve dramatically once you’ve gotten a hold of their “no-brainer” product, right?

Well, of course we know better than that. But even the smartest people sometimes spend their money unwisely. So the first thing I would like to say to you is, before you even evaluate or review a skin care product, ask yourself if you really need this product, or just want it.

What any individual feels she needs or wants is totally subjective, of course, so there is no right or wrong answer. But I think it is important for you to understand your motivation for buying. For example, if you have faithfully practiced good natural skin care techniques on a daily basis, and you are still seeing wrinkles emerge, then you may consider looking at an anti-wrinkle cream to help reverse the aging process. You might consider this a need. Someone else might consider this a want. In either case, knowing the difference for yourself may help you to prioritize your spending.

Most of us have to watch our spending habits, so we want to make sure we spend wisely and get the results we are paying for. And if we’re considering products that will affect how our skin looks and feels, it’s all the more important that we learn how to review skin care products effectively. It’s bad enough to pay for a product that fails to deliver expected results; you certainly don’t want to use a skin care product that is going to make your skin look and fell worse.

Learning how to review skin care products involves application of the following steps:

1. Be specific about what you are looking for: are you looking for an anti-wrinkle product, something to eliminate dark circles under eyes, moisturizer for dry skin, skin cleanser, acne treatment?
   
   
2. Get on the internet and do your research online. Why online? Here are a few reasons: no sales person breathing down your neck; the ability to find out lots of information about a skin care product in minutes; the ability to compare and contrast numerous skin care products in minutes; find out what others are saying about a product in minutes; easy to compare prices; online shopping often cheaper than shopping in physical locations; lower prices; easy, secure ordering.
   
   
3. Look for websites and forums that provide lots of good information on skin care and offer skin care product reviews. Does the review provide useful, objective information or is it just subjective drivel?
   
   
4. Don’t fall in love with the beautiful, elegant packaging. This is not to say that skin care products that come in gorgeous packaging are ineffective. They may be, but don’t be swayed by the pretty boxes and bottles. Some companies rely on clever marketing to disguise the deficiencies of their products. We all know that what looks hot on the outside always isn’t so hot on the inside. And be assured you, the consumer, are the one paying for the fancy packaging.
   
   
5. Determine what it is that this product is supposed to do for you. Visit the company website. What is the product’s claim? To reduce wrinkles and fine lines in 30 days? To make your skin look 20 years younger after 3 months? Don’t be dazzled by creative copywriting and sales letters. Ignore the bold proclamations and promises. Cut through the nonsense and get to the heart of the matter.
   
   
6. Determine what evidence the company is offering to support its product’s claim. Most importantly, what ingredients make up their product?
   
   
7. Make sure the company does an effective job of explaining how these ingredients work together to solve the problem they claim they can solve. For example, how do these particular ingredients work to reduce wrinkles and fine lines? Are clinical studies cited? Who conducted these studies? The more transparent the company is, the more willing they are to share information about their product, the more likely it is they have nothing to hide.
   
   
8. Check to see if the product website provides real person testimonials and before and after pictures. It’s not always easy to tell if testimonials and photos are legitimate. A lot of people don’t want their real names or photos of themselves posted on websites. Some websites, however, make it a point to inform the reader that these are real testimonies by real people or real before and after pictures of customers. Lots of detailed testimonials is usually a good sign.
   
   
9. Consider the cost of the product. The cost of some, but not all, skin care products is justified. If the product you are considering is pricey, ask yourself why. Does the gorgeous packaging and high level marketing have something to do with it? Take another look at the ingredients list. Are these same ingredients offered in less expensive products? If so, does the pricier product contain higher, more effective concentrations of the ingredients? Some products have only trace quantities, others have more complete, “clinical” concentrations (i.e., amounts used in lab studies to determine an ingredient’s effectiveness over time). It could be the pricier product uses a special, more costly ingredients delivery system that allows your body to more effectively absorb and use those ingredients. Some skin care products can justify their high cost, others don’t come close.
   
   
10. Look for a free sample of the product. If the company does not provide free samples, and you like what you’ve read and heard about the product and want to try it out, make sure it comes with a minimum 30-day money back guarantee. The longer the guarantee, the better, of course. Keep in mind that some products may take longer to work than others, but 30 days at least allows you to see if the product has any effect on you at all, or if you might be allergic to something in the product.
    
    
11. Determine if the skin care product you purchased is what is causing the revitalization of your skin. Keep in mind that some skin care products may seem to cause your skin to look radiant within a week, but over time may lose their effectiveness. This could just be a result of the natural process of skin exfoliating and renewing itself periodically. Or your skin may be improving because of a new commitment to eating better, exercising daily, getting sufficient rest, taking skin-friendly supplements. Or you may just think the product is working. Why not take before and after pictures of yourself every few weeks to have a more objective barometer by which to gauge your progress.
    

Reviewing a skin care product, or any product, requires a commitment to doing some research and not just accepting what anyone says. If you want to find information to help you make informed choices, the internet is a great place to find answers. We hope we’ve given you some useful ideas for how to review skin care products.