Mythbusters: Cosmetic Facts and Fiction

You know those beauty myths that magazines love to bust? Why do they always take such delight in debunking "shaving your legs will make hair grow in thicker" or "tanning will help clear up skin"…year after year? After a certain point, we've gotten the message. Yes, the only way to reduce cellulite is through exercise and we're stuck with the size of our pores.

And what about rules for cosmetics? This realm is less easily pinned down, because it's so individual--your friend looks stunning with gold eyeshadow, but it makes you look jaundiced. It's no wonder then that some people cling to the few hard and fast rules they hear--but we pride ourselves on being savvy consumers, so here's a rundown of knowledge you can take to the bank.

1. Throwing away mascara after 3 months.

We've all heard that rule before, as we studied various volume boosters, definers, curl enhancers and lengthening formulas on display. But is it writ in water or etched in stone?

Folks who toss mascara cite bacteria buildup, saying it can lead to eye infections. That's enough incentive right there for convince anyone—who wants to endanger their peepers? And yet…there's plenty of people who argue the 3-month rule is a marketing scam designed to get people to buy more mascara.

A brief Googling of the internets brings up a chorus of voices who have neglected to toss their mascara for various reasons ranging from sheer forgetfulness to reluctance to throw away an expensive high-end tube of mascara. Many of them only threw away mascara when the product became ineffective because it dried out, or when funny smells developed.

Researching "eye infections" and "mascara" brings up a raft of results, but very few first-hand accounts of users catching eye infections from old mascara. Most of these results were a list of safety tips for using mascara—and I think we all know that sharing mascara with your conjunctivitis-afflicted friend is never a good idea.

A scientific study did pop up on the first page, titled "Pseudomonas aeruginosa Corneal Infection Related to Mascara," but upon clicking the full title was "Pseudomonas aeruginosa Corneal Infection Related to Mascara Application Trauma." Honestly, this seems a bit more plausible--wielding a stick next to your eyes does seem to present a more immediate danger than catching bacteria from the stick.

The take away though is this--we do advise you to err on the safe side of caution, and yes, toss after 3 months. If you're a daily user of mascara, 3 months is probably enough time for the product to dry out and warrant replacing. But don't sweat about it. And it's only more reason to save by buying drugstore mascaras:  If we're going to be tossing them out every 3 months, we'd rather toss a cheapy instead of a department store brand.

2. You get what you pay for.

In some cases, yes--but in these cases, no.

Eye liner: Most eye liners are made of wax, so what's the point of spending the extra bucks on a $30 eye liner that's made with the very same ingredients as an $8 liner?

Lipstick and lip gloss: Glosses aren't meant to last for a long time, so it's better to save and go for an inexpensive lipstick or lip gloss. The only real difference between a drug store lipstick/gloss and a department store brand is better quality packaging, perfumes, and a different variety of fats and waxes. A simple test performed by schoolgirls at chemistry camp showed that some expensive lipsticks might feather beyond your lips, while the dyes in cheaper alternatives stayed put. From the mouths of babes…

Skincare: In a New York Times article, Dr. William P. Coleman III, vice president of the American Academy of Dermatology, says it better than I and with much better authority:

"You have to think of cosmetics as decorative and hygienic, not as things that are going to change your skin," said Dr. Coleman, who is a clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. "A $200 cream may have better perfume or packaging, but as far as it moisturizing your skin better than a $10 cream, it probably won't."

Dr. Mary Ellen Brademas, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York
University Medical Center, espouses a similar view.

"People are spending $450 on a jar of cream just because it is made out of something exotic like salmon eggs or cocoons," Dr. Brademas said. "But the cheapest products work just as well as the more expensive ones."

3. Only use products from the same line. 

Cosmetics companies say that their products are designed to work with each other. The thinking is that a product belonging to a specific line is formulated to fill what the other products under the same line lack, implying that if you mix and match brands, a chemistry accident awaits. These skin care systems look like a well-oiled machine, but by that logic, keep in mind the best machines are designed to be easily upgraded for ultimate customization, flexibility and performance.

Say you love the moisturizer of that multi-step system but prefer a cream-based cleanser--by all means, swap it out for something that plays nicely with your skin. After all, the most important factor is how the product affects your skin and if the cumulative effect happens to involve different brands at varying price points, that's perfectly fine.

Got any hard-earned first-hand knowledge to share? Inquiring minds want to know (and save)!