One of the most competitive and fastest moving industries in the world is the skin care business. New companies are popping up all the time and lots are finding relative success by selling online and not having to spend money on expensive shops. This has caused a few issues in terms of quality control however, as experts from Norway claim that around half of skin care products available on the net have negative effects on the skin.
A cross section of products were taken from across the net, which included a complete range of prices, ingredients, sources and consistencies. The total number of tested products came to 355. There were both facial care and also hand care products sampled, and they were all tested extensively on various types of skin and measured on their effectiveness, ease of use and side effects. There was also a control group who used no products at all.
The study gave some very interesting findings, which should act as warning to anyone buying skin care products online, of even off line for that matter. Firstly the study found that around 70% of the products did not give any benefits to the user, and what is more, over 50% of the products had negative side effects. Among the harmful effects were burning, dryness, acne, and even hair loss.
One expected result that the study did show however was that the more expensive products had the most benefit to the skin. In fact the products that cost in the top 20% of the list all showed positive effects and had no side effects. The overruling advice from this research has to be to do your research and only buy the highest quality skincare products you can. Additionally, be sure to source your products from trusted and well-established companies. Skincare brands such as Dermalogica and Aesop for example are highly trusted brands. On a final note, always patch-test new skin care products first on an area of skin that is not usually visible, not too sensitive and does not come into contact with other skin.