My Drug Store Skin Care Journey:Sometimes You Get What You Pay For

1/3 of the Skin Care Products Available at Local Drug Store

 

I have some clients that continually use drug store products because they are inexpensive, or a friend of a friend's doctor recommended it. Some of the favorable mentions are: "Dove-Sensitive Skin Unscented" bars, "Neutrogena Facial Bar" and "Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash."

I went in with an open mind. As I browsed the drug store, my eyes were overpowered with all the skin care choices. How would a customer even begin to know what they are looking for with all the endless packaging and discount signs? It is crazy. The skin care product industry has exploded on the drug store shelves.

I looked specifically for the three customer favorites. I am not sure if they are favorites as much as they are their first pick on the infinite skin care shelf. I tested "Simple" first--I like the name and the packaging--and yes, it is rather simple--it evokes organic images. The first thing I noticed right away is that it truly has no fragance, which is nice for sensitive skin types, but it is thick and goes on heavy. My skin didn't not feel supple and smooth as it does with my professional grade cleanser. In addition, the organic images exited my brain as soon as I read "Methylparaben" on the ingredient list. There is nothing simple about "Methylparaben" it is a chemical that has been linked to cancer. I am not a doctor, but I don't want a chemical in my skin care product, period. There is nothing SIMPLE about chemicals...thus, the organic packaging might be pretty, but there is nothing organic about this product. It is banned to my trash can!

The "Neutrogena Facial Soap" has zero scent which is great for people who have aversions to scents. My skin felt clean after using this soap, but it didn't feel nourished at all. I am used to cleansers that nourish the skin and leave it feeling like a baby's butt. This didn't do that for me, and it is filled with questionable ingredients.

Finally the Dove bar, as I lathered the soap bar in my hands and applied it to my face it did feel quite nourishing to my surprise. There is absolutely no scent so it wouldn't bother anyone with sensitivities of that sort. Afterwards my skin felt extremely dry--immediately! I am not used to feeling like my skin is super tight and taut following a cleanse, and I put on my heaviest moisturizer to combat that my-skin-is-going-to-crack-feeling. Not happy with the results at all. I expected that my skin would feel nourished and supple, not cracked like an alligator's skin. Ugh. Terrible feeling! Then I went on a quest to find out what is in this particular soap, and I am disgusted in what I found: Tetrasodium a preservative, Titanium Dioxide a chemcial with possible links to cancer and a host of other ingredients that are more chemical based in my opinion than organic.

Yes, the products are cheap! Absolutely, I can't argue with customers that they can get cheap skin care products at the local drug store, but you definitely get what you pay for. If you want beautiful, clear and supple skin then the drug store skin care products are probably not for you. I know I am biased because I am an esthetician, but now that I have tried these products I can unequivocably tell clients that if they want to put chemical-filled products on their faces then they should keep on using what they use. I can't make clients use good products, but I certainly can educate them on differences between products. And once customers realize that the products that I use feel better on their skin they usually ditch the over-the-counter and buy the products I use.