As a practicing physician for 20 years, my professional life was focused on finding real answers to patients’ problems.

It came as a shock to me to realize that’s not really how skin care companies approach the development of their products – even the major companies.

When I decided to create a skin care product based on the tocotrienol form of vitamin E (more about that some other time), I tracked down one of the top consulting chemists in the industry. He’s something of a legend in the trade and has worked for many of the big companies you’d instantly recognize.

As we worked our way through the important ingredients I knew needed to be in the formulation, he’d ask, “How high a concentration of that ingredient do you want in it?”

My response was always, “Well, in the studies that showed it to be effective, it was at this level.

So, that’s what we’ll put in our formula. We’re serious about it.”

Finally, he said, “This is amazing. I love being able to create a product like this because so many just want Fairy Dust!”

“What’s Fairy Dust?” I asked.

“Well,” he replied. “The usual approach – and it’s taken by even the big name companies – is to choose an ingredient that’s got some hot marketing buzz going, then to put it into the skin care product with just a whiff. Just enough so that they can count it as an ingredient…nothing serious. Then, even though there’s just a Fairy Dust amount in the product, they’ll hype that ingredient in all of their advertising! That’s the way the game is played.”

Over the years, I’ve seen that game played again and again.

So, how can you recognize a serious skin care product – one without Fairy Dust? I wish there was an easy answer to that because if you’re not a formulating chemist, it can be hard to recognize.

Like so many things in life, it comes down to finding reliable, impartial advice from someone who understands the issues – certainly not from relying on marketing hype.

There are many physicians and other authors with the scientific background in skin and its care who provide reliable advice. Unless you’ve got the technical background, look to them for good advice on reliable products for your skin.

Keep in mind the difference between skin care and cosmetics. Skin care comes down to the solidity of the science behind the product, not the hype or the beautiful celebrity paid to endorse it. Make sure that you’re not being swayed by either the glamour or the Fairy Dust hype being thrown around. Skin care is something to be serious about.

Cosmetics are the place to have fun, to think more about the glamour, the color and…yes…even the hype! Explore and have fun. If you like what you see, you don’t have to worry about science, Fairy Dust or hype.

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