and biology of skin has changed and evolved. Over the past 30 years, we have been amazed by how the research and serious investigations into how skin functions have shed new light on the best possible ways to take care of skin. We have watched with awe and respect as new ingredients, new combinations of ingredients, and the promising hopes of new scientific discoveries have transformed what cosmetics products can do.
In our constant quest to seek out new data and studies on skin and skincare, we use those findings to update our Expert Advice articles and Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary. We want to emphasize our steadfast use of research-based information because we know how easy it is to be lured in by a new miracle product or by an ingredient that the cosmetics industry serves up as the next best thing. Unfortunately, succumbing to such seductions can be detrimental for your skin. We’ve seen fad ingredients come and go, some that linger longer than others and some that just won’t go away despite their negative effects on skin.
Cutting through the hype and finding out exactly what the growing scientific and professional communities and substantiated studies have to say about skin and skincare can play a major role in getting you the best skin of your life. We have been providing that information for 30 years and are devoted to continuing to do so. After you’ve read this book, you can continue to stay up-to-date on the latest research and what does (and doesn’t) work for skin by visiting us at BeautyMythBusters.com. We are committed to helping you have the best skin of your life now, in the future, and every step along the way!
Chapter 1
The Best Skin of Your Life Starts Here and Now…
A Message From Us
The title of this book and the name of this chapter make bold statements, yet we make them with the utmost confidence. That’s because the information you’ll find on every page is based on what current research shows can help you solve your skin concerns using a step-by-step cohesive skincare system you can understand and put into action. By doing this we know you can have and maintain the beautiful skin you’ve always wanted! All the details, recommendations, and encouragement we present throughout this book are what you need to get yourself on the fast track to finding the best products and best answers for your skin.
About Paula
As one of the authors of this book, I’m the one with the dubious distinction of being in the world of cosmetics and writing books about beauty the longest. If you’re not familiar with my work, I’ve been studying, reviewing, and researching scientific and medical journals about skincare for over 35 years. I have a background in science from my university studies, and I was a lifestyle reporter in Seattle for four years. Starting in 1985—and now with this book—I’ve written 21 books on beauty, skincare, makeup, and hair care (the first entitled Blue Eyeshadow Should Be Illegal), most of them more than 500 pages and some more than 1,000 pages, with millions of copies sold around the world.
By the way, of those 21 books, I’ve written eight with my co-author Bryan Barron, and two with my other co-author Desiree Stordahl. Together we have also written endless articles on skin and skincare.
I am also founder of Paula’s Choice Skincare, which I launched in 1995, a collection of products I formulated with options for practically every skin type and skin concern. Of course, I love my products. But, because there are many great products from other lines and because my mission has always been to help you get the best skin of your life, my goal is for you to understand how to take the best care of you skin, what you should and shouldn’t do AND to find the products that are ideal for your skin type and your skin concerns.
To that end, since creating Paula’s Choice Skincare, my team and I have formulated over 100 skincare products, and we’re still doing so today. My teams have grown to include some of the best talent in the industry, which means we leave no stone unturned to get you the most current information and research about skincare available. We are exclusively interested in facts and truth about skin. We will never waste your time on fabrication or guile.
Paula’s Journey: The Way-Back-When Machine!
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the cosmetics industry from the very beginning. It started with an intense curiosity and passion for skincare, makeup, and hair care when I was very young. My passion wasn’t because I was fixated on buying cosmetics for a lark; rather, it was about trying to take care of my problem skin that progressively got worse and worse no matter what I used or what expert I consulted. It was emotional torture for me as a teenager. To this day, it is still painful for me to recount the stress and embarrassment of dealing with the unsightly skin problems I suffered through as a youth.
At the age of 11, I started suffering from acne and super-oily skin along with debilitating eczema over 60% of my body (in school I had to wear gloves to hold a pencil because my hands were so raw and sore from my incessant scratching of the eczema-caused itching). All I wanted at the time were effective products that would do as they claimed. This didn’t seem like too much to ask, right? Given how many times I was told month after month, year after year, how different products would end my struggle, surely something would work. However, over the next several years, no matter where I turned, whether to cosmetics counters, drugstores, spas, or even doctors’ offices, almost every product I tried led to disappointment. Despite the promises and claims, my skin rarely showed any signs of improvement, and it gradually just got worse! I felt helpless! I was in a frustrating cycle of trying to find products that worked—but every time it led to disappointment, and continued suffering. Yet, like most women, that didn’t stop me from trying again and again.
Finally, in early adulthood, I came to the realization that most skincare claims were either seriously misleading, just plain wrong, or, at best, delusional. I was determined and resolute to find out the truth about skin and skincare—it became a compulsion, eventually leading me to take my first steps into a career in the world of cosmetics. It was by no means a straight path, and I had no idea that it would lead me to where I am today; I only knew I was on a mission, and I have never wavered from that mission throughout all the years I’ve been doing this.
From my first book to thousands of media interviews and appearances, to presentations to women’s groups around the world, and to the products I’ve formulated, I have been, and continue to be, determined to change the face of beauty for myself, for the people I know, and for people everywhere. I didn’t want anyone to go through what I went through ever again. In looking over my evolving career, I believe I’ve accomplished much of what I set out to do. But I’m not quitting! There’s still a lot of work and research yet to be done.
Paula’s Life-Changing Moment!
I started my cosmetics career back in 1977. During my early years working as a makeup artist as well as selling skincare and makeup products, I didn’t know many of the technical details of why so many skincare and makeup products failed abysmally to live up to their claims; I just knew they didn’t work as advertised. More often than not, the claims made for the products and what they were supposed to do rarely matched their performance, or even came close, but at the time I had no way to confirm my suspicions; there was no Internet as we know it today and no one had personal computers.
It was about that time one of the most historic advancements in the world of cosmetics was taking place. In 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, a piece of cosmetic regulation that was about to change the face of beauty forever, and my future as well. What took place—after many years of legal wrangling and deliberation—was the mandatory requirement for all cosmetics to include a complete list of ingredients printed on the product’s packaging and presented in descending order of content. The ingredients first on the list were there in the largest amounts and the ingredients at the end were present in the tiniest amounts.
It’s
