How to find your way in the jungle of cosmetic brands?
You're sold a dream, but you're no longer naive!
Without putting aside our 'emotional' criteria, we have all observed that the rational approach in choosing skincare is now the norm:
- Engaged choices (certified organic, vegan, etc.)
- Choices for health (hypoallergenic, without controversial ingredients, etc.)
- Choices for efficacy (% actives, clinical results, etc.)
But what tools do you have to make the right choices? Let me confide in you: even the marketing services of most brands don't understand what they're selling. That's what I noticed when I was leading a formulation laboratory for brands before creating Novexpert. So where do you look for the right information to adopt a skincare brand?
Ultimately, the question is no longer about which brand you've chosen but why you've chosen it! And that changes everything.
You're finally actors!
I no longer like the word 'transparency' now that it's overused. But I must admit that thanks to this new requirement, consumers have pushed companies to communicate differently! Today, you're not just looking at the benefits of a product but also whether the brand embodies values that resonate with you. A bit like an election: you're given the electoral program (organic, natural, ecological, made in France...) and you make the choice!
And to make a choice, you've become true investigators of everyday life with different profiles:
Investigator Profile No.1: The Impatient
|
|
|
YUKA: with its 21 million fans, it's essential: comprehensive (food & cosmetics), it's an app with a strong commitment and clear opinions. INCI BEAUTY: It's the most tech-savvy app with a very clear website. Here too, the app takes a stance with ratings and colors that penalize the less 'virtuous' formulas. CLEAN BEAUTY: With this app, you don't scan the barcode but the list of ingredients (sometimes not so simple with a tube...). You then get information on concerning ingredients: endocrine disruptors, irritating agents, etc. with scientific evidence to support it. QuelProduit: An app designed by the magazine Que Choisir. It replaces the previous version QuelCosmetic as it now includes food and household products. It aims to specify the level of risk according to age and whether the product is rinsed off or not. Its stance on controversial molecules is more measured and only includes those with established scientific consensus. |
 |
|
CosmEthics: A very clear ranking according to 3 categories (safe, allergic risk, or toxic risk) - can also be personalized based on your personal allergies for example. The database is still not very extensive. MIREILLE: A new app (paid) set up by a biologist and a YouTuber which also allows you to analyze your skincare, ingredient by ingredient. Here, the product is not rated but the components are! Alternatives judged more 'natural' can also be suggested to you. |
|
Investigator Profile No. 2: the Informed!
|
|
|
EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a true institution in the USA and allows you to know everything about the ingredients in your skincare: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. You can even access scientific publications on each active ingredient. Heavy stuff... Too bad this association, which also offers a complete evaluation of formulas, only covers cosmetics sold in the USA. |
 |
|
For now, there is no French equivalent (calling all entrepreneurs!), but the Observatoire des cosmétiques offers its subscribers the possibility to search for an ingredient and obtain up-to-date knowledge as well as cosmetic products containing it. You also have La vérité sur les cosmétiques which provides a database on ingredients and especially editorials and product tests that reflect true independence. Finally, I would add https://cosmeticobs.com/fr/: a niche site, for connoisseurs and highly valued by beauty industry players. Very comprehensive premium subscription.
|
|
Investigator Profile No. 3: the Stroller
|
|
|
Influencers are a less dry source, more convivial, and allow the discovery of 'gems'. And provided some handle irony with brilliance, it becomes a full-fledged pleasure. I leave you the 'task' of identifying, according to your criteria, those who will quench your thirst for information by tracking, of course, those who obey the law of the wallet. A small hint about their independence: if they speak as well about unknown brands as historic brands with a slight tone of freedom that dares criticism, then it's a good sign. |
|
Investigator Profile No. 4: the Rational
His/her tool: specialists
His/her target: dermatologists and naturopaths
I haven't mentioned them yet, maybe that surprises you when, evidently, they are the best placed as skin experts. But there you go, only a few brands finance medical visitors to promote their products and inevitably their knowledge of the cosmetic offering is limited. My advice? Show your dermatologist the skincare you're using (with the case containing the list of ingredients) so that they can advise you. Same advice for your naturopath who can guide you provided that the formula is natural.
And the brands then? Do they finally have nothing to say?
Oh yes, but they have, for the most part, become... inaudible! Do you find me severe? Yesterday, champions of silicone and harsh chemistry, today, they promise to save the world... Before, they mocked 'clean cosmetics' but now they join them shamelessly (in speech only). It smells like opportunism or even panicked fear of being left behind by consumers who have memory and common sense! To see more clearly in this cosmetic hubbub, here are my last two pieces of advice:
1 / A COMPASS INSTEAD OF A WEATHER VANE: make sure that the brand's 'positioning' has not varied over several years, which reflects deep convictions.
2 / FACTS RATHER THAN WORDS: focus on the content of their communication. It must be unambiguous. For example, for naturalness, it's a total percentage of the formula that should be displayed and the certifying body should be listed. And this, for all products of the brand without exception...
Happy investigating to all and do contact us if you find gems (hint: you don't have to venture too far...).