“becomes confused” is a topical allergic reaction or irritation that occurs from using harsh chemicals,
such as strong essential oils or highly concentrated preservatives. With well-formulated, mild
products, the skin has no chance of “getting confused.” The same goes for hair that is reportedly
“getting used” to certain shampoos so they stop working. Sometimes I feel that my hair lives its own
laid-back life, completely unaware of my humble presence, but shampoos are not addictive
substances that hair can get used to and then get cranky as the withdrawal begins.
To keep us interested, most cosmetic manufacturers repackage, revamp, and revise their products
approximately every three years. They will reissue it under a different name or maybe add “new and
improved” to the old name. As a consumer, I feel intimidated. Why did they make me buy a mediocre
product that obviously needed additional research and reformulation? If they thought the old product
was safe and effective, why did they have to revise and improve it?
Sometimes cosmetic manufacturers revamp entire product lines as new data regarding safety of
ingredients emerges. This way, not just one product is improved, but the whole label adopts a new,
greener philosophy. Two years ago, Caudalie, the French beauty brand that uses grape pulp, juices,
skins, and even crushed grape seeds in its formulations, reformulated their entire skin care line, which
now contains no paraben preservatives. Origins has launched Origins Organics, a line of certified
organic cleansers, toners, and body products. That’s why it’s important to look behind advertising
claims. Be informed and remain skeptical. Only a label with an ingredients list will reveal what’s
really inside the bottle with a familiar name on it.
Lesson 6: Become a Ruthless Shopper
Salespeople are trained to sell. This is what they do for a living. They master effective sales
techniques. Foolproof tactics are used to play on our insecurity. Seasoned salespeople can quickly
guess your annual income by your shoes. Too often a salesgirl has critically eyed my bag, which is
often stained by leaky baby bottles, smears of carrot puree, and doodles drawn by an eye pencil, and
moved to another customer in pretty shoes and well-pressed pants, abandoning me on the grounds that
I do not look wealthy enough. Many women put on their best shoes and clutch their priciest bags when
they go shopping, hoping to receive a little bit of the personal touch from salespeople.
Luckily, salespeople who work with organic beauty products are less likely to employ brutal sales
techniques. They won’t tell you that a particular color will solve your makeup dilemmas. But when it
comes to buying organic beauty products, they will insist that everything is completely natural and that
only the best, purest ingredients are used. Don’t take their word for it. Scrutinize, compare, and don’t
be afraid to reject.
Now it’s time to apologize to salespeople out there. Most of them earn minimal wages, and their
livelihood depends on how many moisturizers and shampoos they sell. While most of them enjoy
what they are doing, they rarely get adequate training to give you honest, trustworthy, unbiased
information. When I made my living working in an upscale department store, I knew only two
salespeople whose educational backgrounds were related to beauty. One of them, a dermatologist
with a PhD from Belarus, was a sales consultant with a seminatural, upscale skin care line, and the
other was a talented, professional makeup artist who was selling makeup. The rest received a brief
training session by a representative of a brand they worked with, and from time to time they were
introduced to new products or makeup collections arriving in the store. To make the sale, they would
stretch the truth (“These preservatives are safe—that’s why they are called food-grade”), make
exaggerated claims (“You can eat this lipstick—it’s good for you because it’s packed with minerals