The unimaginable explosion of celebrity skincare brands and “garage gurus” offering skincare products promising to have the magic ingredient to make us

look younger, have healthier skin, lose weight, and even eliminate any gray hair has made it challenging for those of us seeking an evidence-based approach to skincare.

The preponderance of consumer misinformation in the cosmetics/skincare industry has been a concern of mine for many years. I first posted my concerns in 2019,when I began to see the increase of questionable beauty advice being found on social media and endorsed by so called experts and influencers. This extraordinary acceleration of beauty influencers has created an industry of paid and unpaid “professionals” promoting inferior and possibly even dangerous skincare products to an ever-growing audience of unsuspecting consumers.

Most skincare products fall under the category of cos- metics and unfortunately the FDA does not investigate or test the safety of cosmetic products before they areoffered for sale to the public. In fact, over 80% of the ingredients in beauty care products have not been tested for safety or efficacy. We have also seen social media embracing the concept of alternative truths, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, facts and outright falsehoods. We see quite a bit of misinformation to the consumer in the anti-aging and contact dermatitis categories, where many unproven therapies and ineffective products are being offered.

AVOID THE NOISE

Since skincare has been the focus of our Company since 1871, we are particularly concerned about what makes a safe and effective skincare product. Just because a new type of skincare treatment is trending on social media does not mean it is the answer to your skincare concerns. We have seen many skincare fads come and go in our 150+ years of researching skin and have learned to treat any new skin treatment trends with caution. For example, the discovery of radium by Marie and Pierre Curie was remarkable, putting a radioactive ingredient in a skincare product didn’t make for a safe skin treatment as some beauty companies in the turn of the century wanted you to believe.

NOT ALL INGREDIENTS ARE EQUAL

We know now that your skin is the body’s largest organ, providing the main barrier protection to your other organs from
the outside world. When any substances come in contact with your skin they can be absorbed into your bloodstream. In fact, more than half of what is applied to your skin is absorbed into your body. Therefore, it is very important that you be aware of what you are applying to your skin. One of the biggest areas of concern is with the preservatives used in moisturizing and cleansing products. Perhaps the most dangerous of all ingredients are in the fragrances because they are considered “trade secrets” and ingredients are often not listed on the label. We prefer products that do not contain any fragrances.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE

There is no substitute for scientific knowledge and the under- standing of how skin functions when developing products for use in proper skin maintenance and treating adverse skin conditions. Research is time consuming, expensive, and necessary when developing products that will be used for healing and protecting the skin.

Our Company was founded by a medic over a hundred and
fifty years ago. We were among the first to introduce antiseptic products in 1871. We have been focusing on science and the study of the human microbiome for decades now, and our products are clinically evaluated to ensure their safety and efficacy before they are ever offered for sale to the public.

All our products are manufactured in the United States under strict good manufacturing guidelines. Our formulations are proprietary, and we do not engage any “off the shelf” standardized formulas created by contract packagers as some beauty companies are doing these days.

Finally, we do not have a single “magic” ingredient which will make you look younger, thinner and more beautiful. No one does. What we (Columbia Skincare) do offer our customers is a scientifi- cally developed microbiome friendly line of skincare products which are gender neutral, safe to use on all skin types with a formulation
of natural ingredients that work in harmony with the human body to improve the quality and health of your skin.

www.columbiaskincare.com