Face Creams are all the same?

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chodessa

chodessa

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
O.G.
Dec 30, 2006
13,189
7
#1
There was a recent news story in my area that they tested all different brands of face creams. They ranged from very expensive to very inexpensive.
Test results showed that there was no difference in effects on the skin between any of the brands used. That got me thinking, why am I wasting almost 100 dollars on shisheido face cream?
I bought a 30 dollar jar of L'occitan honey in a jar face cream, seems to work just as well for me.
Tested the theory even further and bought a jar of Kiss my Face nighttime cream (large jar was 7 bucks!!!) and that too seems to hydrate my face just as nicely!!
What do you think? What cream do you use, do you believe that it could be true that inexpensive drugstore finds are just as effective?
 
#3
I agree. I've used a combo of baby oil and water for years, and it works very well for my skin. My mom taught me that trick- luckily, we have the same skin type.
 
#4
My mom, 63 and grandma, 80 both have great skin. For years I used to spend $50 for a 1 oz. jar - I think, of face cream. My mom and grandma ridiculed me as they shared their secred - PONDS!!! About $5 for a large jar - I have been using for the last two years and it works MUCH BETTER than the other over priced creams I used over the years!!!

It's true that you get what you pay for; however, there are times that we pay more for the name and advertisement than the actual product!!!
 
#5
Yes and no.

This topic was discussed here not too long ago, and one of the points made in the news story at that time was that in the US, anything that did actually change the structure or function of the skin would not be a cosmetic, but a medicine, and thus subject to a whole different kind of regulations!

Studies like that have been reported periodically for as long as I can remember, and certainly in terms of science, of actual effect on the skin, it is true that an inexpensive cream will "do" just as much as an expensive one.

Expensive creams, however, may contain more costly fragrances and they almost always come in much more beautiful packages than less expensive products.

And it is true that you get what you pay for, it is also true that in the case of the creams, what you are paying for is not simply a cream to moisturize the skin, but a particular experience aesthetically and psychologically.
Some people simply feel prettier if their cream costs a lot of money, there may be an association with a particular brand, the manufacturer may have purchased the rights to use the name of a particular designer, "marketing" includes a lot of different things, from the packaging to hiring a well-known model or actress for the advertisements for the cream, to the point of purchase itself!

Sure you can grab something that will do the job just fine at Wal-Mart, but there are consumers who enjoy the experience of buying the beautiful little package at an "upscale" department store, amid attractive displays, perfumed air and fancier store fixtures!

And those glittering cosmetic counters are, for many consumers, every bit as much a factor in their "feeling pretty" as the items they buy there - items just like the one held in the hand of the glamorous actress in the ad!

Cosmetic marketing has always been more about all that than the actual product. It is a huge industry, with decades of history, and it would not exist if there were not just as large a market for the dream as there is for the cream :smile:
 
#7
ShimmaPuff - you're opinions are always so thorogh and precise!! You sound as if you majored in journalism...you are a wonderful writer!
 
#8
It all may be true, but since I have been using my Chanel Rectifiance serum and eye serum and Dior night cream, my face has never felt or looked better. It works for me, and makes me feel great. I have tried many different high-end and low-end products over the years, and I'm stuck on this regimen.
 
#9
coachwife6 said:
It all may be true, but since I have been using my Chanel Rectifiance serum and eye serum and Dior night cream, my face has never felt or looked better. It works for me, and makes me feel great. I have tried many different high-end and low-end products over the years, and I'm stuck on this regimen.
Click to expand...

I've used a variety of products over the years but ever since I started using Philosophy's "Make Up Optional" kit I've gotten a lot of comments on my skin and even I've noticed an improvement in my skin. I buy it as a set (and usually when they have a PWP) so it is considerably cheaper than if I bought it individually. If someone has a not-so-expensive equivalent for me I'd love to hear about it but otherwise, I'm completely satisfied with what I use!:smile:
 
#12
if it were true then people wouldn't get allergic reactions to certain products and not others, would they? :confused1: and everything would be for all skin types if they're all the same anyway, right? expensive isn't always better but saying all face creams are the same doesn't seem logical to me at all.
 
#13
I dont agree I can see & feel a difference when I use my Clarins cream also I am allergic to some cheaper creams & have even developed an allergy to Estee Lauder!
 
#14
If you feel much better using it, you are more apt to use it. So, if that gets you using face cream on a more regular basis and are more likely to use it, then, go for it. My mother thinks anything expensive is a waste of money. I can't change her mind, and she can't change mine.
 
#15
they aren't all the same, i would say. but i would definitely support the fact that they are all SIMILAR. some creams have specific fragrances, while others dont. Also, some are allergic to specific creams because of a specific ingredient or scent. However, in the end, i believe that they essentially have the 'same base'.

my logic is that they all lotions have the same base, serums have similar bases and creams are all alike. IMO, it is the fragrance, specific ingredients tailored to the product (ex: soothing with soy, invigorating with caffeine) that make the difference in price, along with marketing.
 
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