and readers of my books. They kept asking me to make my own products that didn’t have all the “buts” and warnings of the other products I reviewed. They would say, “You always write ‘this product is good…—but it’s too expensive for what you get, —but it has too much fragrance, —but it’s in unstable packaging, —but there are better products out there.” They’d practically yell at me, exclaiming: “Just make your own products so we know what to use, because otherwise it’s overwhelming and there’s no way to know what’s best!” I understood precisely what they were talking about.
There was also another reason I considered starting Paula’s Choice Skincare, though I’m a bit reluctant to admit it. The plain truth is I also started my own line of products because I didn’t want to write any more books. Each new book was bigger and bigger, requiring hours of exhaustive research and energy. It seemed relatively easier to put my energy, time, and what I knew about skincare into my own products—no more books.
So, in 1993, after all the cajoling and encouragement from people in my life and after overcoming self-doubt, it dawned on me that “Yes, I could indeed make state-of-the-art products that left out all the ‘buts’ and that were loaded with ingredients research showed were beneficial for skin.” The idea for Paula’s Choice Skincare was born; the first products began arriving nearly two years later!
Obviously, as you now know, my enthusiasm for writing books didn’t go away! I couldn’t give up what I had been doing for the previous ten years of my life. Skincare information is not only my mission and heritage; it is also my legacy.
I also want to set the record straight for those who think I hate the cosmetics industry and/or I like only my own products; nothing could be further from the truth. I am and have always been in constant awe of what well-formulated beauty products can do, no matter who they’re from. However, what I do hate are the ludicrous claims, misinformation, and poorly-formulated products that can hurt or mislead consumers into taking poor care of their skin and wasting their money. And, while I definitely love my own products as you will see throughout this book, I definitely do not ignore alternative options.
It Takes a Village…
In the beginning, I used to handle all of the writing and research myself, but fortunately, my co-authors Bryan and Desiree joined me, along with formula experts, researchers, and others to help publish our books and articles and maintain our website PaulasChoice.com, which is one of the best and most frequently updated sources for complete skincare information in the world.
Together, this amazing team accomplishes time after time what most would say is the impossible. As a result, each subsequent edition of our books has achieved a higher level of excellence in providing you with an unparalleled, easy-to-understand resource about skincare and makeup. Without question, this book would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire Paula’s Choice Research Team. Each one of us has taken the information, research, and philosophy to new heights of dedication and responsibility.
Together, we search out and analyze endless studies on skincare and ingredients, pore over fashion magazines, and spend hours upon hours researching what works and what doesn’t, and in finding ways to help as many people as possible navigate the often-confusing world of skincare and makeup.
I always say it takes a village of enthusiastic and educated people to do the work we do at Paula’s Choice—to write books like this one, and to ensure the quality of the products we create for Paula’s Choice Skincare. Through it all, my team and I remain steadfast in our mission to provide current and insightful information about skincare and makeup.
Sharing Our Pursuit for Truth
I have always worked hard in trying to find the best way to help people see the difference between fact and fiction when it comes to taking care of their skin. In the beginning, I feared I was being too critical. Indeed, I was often told I just had a vendetta against the cosmetics industry, and would I please just stop being so critical.
Nowadays, if you Google my name you will see that very few people are neutral about my work—they either hate it or love it. You’ll read statements claiming that I’m not a dermatologist, I’m not a scientist, I’m biased, I’m critical of other products just to push my own, I’m not really objective … and on and on. You’ll also see lots of positive comments, such as praise for my 35 years of work, which speaks for itself, the fact that I’ve changed my views in response to new research findings, that I’ve helped their skin in ways they never thought possible, and that my team and I provide one-of-a-kind information you can’t find anywhere else in the world.
People also wonder about other companies; that is, if what we say here at Paula’s Choice Skincare is true, then why don’t the other companies know the same things? Why don’t they follow suit? The answer is: We don’t know. The research and studies my team and I cite throughout all our books and articles are accessible to everyone. There are no secrets in the world of skincare because all the validated published research, scientific journals, and medical textbooks are only a click away on your computer, and even on mobile devices these days—though sometimes fees are involved and the studies can be difficult to decipher. The point is that the research and its results are not secrets, and there are no patented secrets either as the legality of a patent worldwide means that every minute detail of the ingredient and the formula must be disclosed and available to the public.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with everything this book has to say, you will at least have someone else’s voice whispering in your ear, saying, “Here is the research showing why doing this is best for your skin” or “Given the physiology of skin, this is why a product can’t work or can work as claimed.” We believe this is a far better way to make decisions about how to take care of your skin than relying on a never-ending litany of misleading claims and flawed information that prevail throughout much of the cosmetics industry.
Skin Frustrations are Universal
Paula’s Choice Skincare products are sold in over 50 countries around the world. This has given me the opportunity to give hundreds of media interviews and to hold speaking engagements in places such as Jakarta, Indonesia; Seoul, South Korea; Stockholm, Sweden; Mexico City, Mexico; Singapore; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Moscow, Russia; Taipei, Taiwan; Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver, Canada; and, of course, almost every major city in the United States.
What I’ve learned is that the business of beauty is universally crazy. There’s no place in the world where people aren’t frustrated about how to take the best care of their skin. No matter where I’ve been in the world, people are equally concerned about looking younger and having picture-perfect skin. As a result, I am asked the same questions wherever I go and I rarely have to change my responses!
People want to know why a product they bought didn’t work. Why didn’t their deep wrinkles go away? Why didn’t their red marks from acne fade? Why wasn’t their skin lifted? Why didn’t their skin discolorations change? Why are they still breaking out or just starting to break out? Why do they still have dry, flaky skin after buying so many products promising to make things better? Why is their skin so red and irritated? What is the best anti-aging ingredient? Do I know about a recently launched product with a supposed miracle ingredient and does it work? What about ingredients from Morocco, the Amazon, India, China, or some other far-flung place?
During my presentations, I’ve come to expect a look of understanding gradually wash over the audience member’s faces as they begin to grasp how myths have taken over the facts about what is best for skin.
What people everywhere want is to take the best care of their skin, look younger and have an even skin tone, with no breakouts, smaller pores, and on and on. In each country I visit, without fail, beauty ideals
