5 More Common Beauty Myths, Busted!
The beauty industry is unfortunately filled with clever marketing and outdated information that can make choosing the right skincare product confusing. At Paula's Choice Skincare, we believe that informed decisions start with facts, not folklore. Since we love busting myths, we're here to cut through the noise and expose five more pervasive skincare myths, ensuring your routine is grounded in effective, research-backed truth.
Myth 1: Expensive Cosmetics Triumph Over Inexpensive Ones
This one is probably the most enduring skincare myth and misconception and is so hard for us to dispel because it has been perpetuated so strongly. Without a doubt, there’s no truth that expensive means better in the world of skincare or makeup. Simply put, after 35 years of researching all types of beauty products from hundreds of brands, there are good and bad skincare products in all price categories.
Spending less doesn't hurt your skin, and spending more doesn't necessarily help it either. As we always say at Paula’s Choice Skincare, wasting money isn’t pretty—and having great skin doesn’t have to be a luxury.
Myth 2: Natural Ingredients are Better for the Skin
This beauty myth is more tied to the emotional pull natural ingredient skincare has for so many people. This is because there’s no factual basis or scientific legitimacy proving that natural or organic ingredients are better for the skin. And as we all know, there are poisonous plants or plants you can be terribly allergic to, so assuming that natural ingredients are truly better because of this isn’t factual in the least.
Myth 3: Cooling, Tingling Sensations on the Skin Mean a Product is Working
This is one of our favourite beauty myths to bust because once you know the truth, you can stop inadvertently hurting your skin. Fact is, a cooling or tingling sensation is your skin telling you it’s being sensitised, not helped!
Common ingredients that cause a cool or tingling sensation on the skin include denatured or SD alcohol, menthol, menthyl lactate, peppermint oil, camphor, and eucalyptus. Avoiding skincare products that contain these ingredients is doing your skin a huge favour—and you’ll be able to reap the benefits in a tangible way!
What if you love how refreshing these ingredients feel and you’re not seeing any problems or skincare reactions? Then it must be okay, right? Sadly, no. Although your skin may not show it or react in a visibly negative way, applying skin-aggravating ingredients causes imperceptible problems and reactions which will definitely show up over time. This is one skin concern you do not want to deal with.
Myth 4: Dry Skin? Drink More Water!
This is one of those beauty myths that refuses to go away, but here are the facts: Although drinking eight glasses of water a day is a good idea for your body, it should not be relied on to get rid of dry skin. If that’s all it takes, very few of us would have dry skin. The causes and solutions of dry skin are far more complex than just drinking water.
It’s generally assumed that drinking water is beneficial for your health but do you need to down eight glasses every day? There’s no medical support for drinking that much. In fact, many experts think it’s little more than hogwash, especially considering that a good deal of the water intake we require comes from the foods we eat, not just in a glass of water.
But does drinking water help dry skin? Until very recently, there was no research indicating that drinking any amount of water had any impact on the skin and its ability to change your skin type. Then, a study published in Clinical Cosmetic Investigative Dermatology demonstrated that drinking water did positively impact the skin. However, it would take a lot more than eight glasses to see any benefits or visible transformation to the skin.
The study demonstrated that it would take just under a gallon of water (8 glasses = half a gallon) to realise a statistical improvement in your skin. It was a complex study with 49 participants, but it was still an interesting analysis of water consumption and the skin. That said, one study doesn’t prove you should start downing a gallon of water just to watch your skin improve. Still, other than going to the bathroom more often, increasing your water intake certainly isn’t harmful, especially if you’re choosing water over sugar-laden beverages.
Whatever quantity you decide to drink, it certainly won’t replace the skincare recommendations we strongly urge you to follow. Getting the best skin of your life definitely involves what you ingest but the type of hydrating skin products can make all the difference in the world.
Myth 5: Your Skin Grows Accustomed to Products Used for a Long Time
The skin doesn't adapt to skincare products any more than your body adapts to a healthy diet. Spinach and grapes are healthy for you today, and they’ll continue to be healthy for you months and years from now, even if you eat them every day.
The same is true for your skin: As long as you’re applying what’s beneficial for skin and avoiding things that harm such, as unprotected sun exposure, it remains healthy-looking.
So why does this beauty and skin myth persist? After using well-formulated products for a few weeks, you may see your skin stop improving as much as it initially did. But it stands to reason that if you were using products with drying or sensitising ingredients and then switching to well-formulated products, your initial improvement is going to be much more dramatic. Months later, your skin is maintaining its newfound healthy, smoother, and younger appearance. This way, there’s no "getting used to" the products, so there’s no need to start the search anew to create a skincare routine for your skin type!
Learn more about the common skin concerns and check out our range of skincare products online.
References for This Information
- Experimental Dermatology, October 2014, Supplement 1, pages 7-12
- Skin Pharmacology and Physiology,2008, issue 4, pages 191-202
- American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2003, issue 11, pages 789-798
- International Journal of Cosmetic Science, February 2000, issue 1, pages 21-52
- Cutis, June 1987, issue 6, pages 512-515
- Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, August 2015, issue 3:8, pages 413-421
