When it comes to authorities in the cosmetics industry, it would be hard to go past Paula Begoun. Not only has she penned 20 bestselling books on skincare (and sold more than 2.5 million copies), but she is also the founder and innovative force behind popular skincare and cosmetics brand Paula’s Choice. Here, bd grills Begoun for her wisdom and advice on all things beauty.
How did you first venture into the skincare industry?
I ventured into the skincare industry out of necessity more than choice! From the age of 11, I had terrible acne along with often debilitating bouts of eczema. I searched, often in vain, for products that could get both issues under control, and my hopes were consistently dashed as product after product usually just made my skin worse. Not even dermatologists could help, and I saw well over a dozen during the years I was desperately trying to get my skin to stop breaking out and being so sensitive. Eventually, I took it upon myself to learn all I could about how skin works and the ingredients that either help or harm the skin.
Have you seen many changes in the cosmetic industry since you began writing about it?
There have been many changes, including lots of good ones and more than a few bad ones. The positive changes include a much greater range of water-soluble, soap-free cleansers; sunscreens with beautiful textures and the ability to provide broad-spectrum sun protection; moisturisers loaded with state of the art ingredients to help skin look and act younger; and skin-lightening ingredients that work to reduce brown spots. Several make-up categories, such as foundation and concealer, have come a long way in terms of elegant, highly blendable formulas that truly look like skin, only better.
On the downside, far too many great formulas end up being less effective due to jar packaging (which causes important ingredients to break down due to routine exposure to air and light). Lots of anti-acne products are still loaded with drying, irritating ingredients that make acne worse, and fragrance still plays a big role in skincare despite plenty of research proving it’s a problem for skin. I still see lots of truly ordinary to embarrassingly-bad formulas sold for sky-high prices to reinforce the consumer belief that in the world of cosmetics, expensive = better.
Why are you known as the Cosmetics Cop”?
This is a nickname given to me years ago by none other than Oprah Winfrey. My books Blue Eyeshadow Should Be Illegal and Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me captured her attention, and after a few guest spots on her talk show, she dubbed me The Cosmetics Cop”. The media loved it, I loved it, and so it stuck! My passion and my job is to help consumers find the best products for their skin and to sort through all of the confusing hype that gets in the way of us being able to have the skin we’ve always wanted.
What new information can be found in the latest edition of Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me?
You’ll find reviews on today’s hottest products from the brands my readers ask about the most, plus a lot of myth-busting information that will help you understand what it is you’re buying. You’ll learn how to shop smarter, save money, and finally find products that WORK!
Why do you think these books have been so successful?
Because the research-supported information in the books is everything the cosmetics industry at large would prefer consumers don’t know. My team and I cut through the hype and get to the facts about what works and what doesn’t, and consistently find truly great (and truly appalling) products in all price ranges. With the information in the books and on our website, consumers can feel more confident - and confidence is beautiful.
What are your three top tips for purchasing cosmetics?
- Avoid jar packaging, especially for any type of anti-ageing product. The majority of ingredients skin needs to look and act younger are sensitive to light and air, and jar packaging is exposed to these with each and every use. Plus, there’s the hygiene issue of sticking your finger into the product each day.
- Avoid products that contain fragrance, including so-called essential” oils and other ingredients proven to be irritating. Examples of common irritating ingredients include alcohol (denatured), menthol, all forms of mint and all forms of citrus, particularly citrus oils.
- Always, always, always apply sunscreen. Every day, all year, even if it’s cloudy. Sun damage - which is really daylight damage - begins the first minute daylight hits unprotected skin. Applying a sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater is the #1 way to prevent at least 75 per cent of the skin issues most of us associate with ageing, from brown spots to wrinkles.
What are your biggest myth-busting facts?
- Age is not a skin type! Shopping for products based on your age is a huge mistake, because doing so assumes everyone within a certain age range (usually those older than 50) has the exact same skin type and concerns.
- Not everyone needs an eye cream! Eye creams have their place, but you don’t need one if your facial moisturiser is beautifully formulated and the skin around your eyes isn’t drier than the skin on the rest of your face. And if the eye cream does not provide sun protection, it’s a mistake to apply it during daylight hours, because daylight (UV) exposure is a chief cause of eye-area concerns, including dark circles.
- You can’t dry up a pimple! Breakouts aren’t about skin being wet” and water is the only thing you can dry up. Applying drying ingredients to a breakout often causes irritation that impairs skin’s healing response and can lead to flaky, reddened skin.
- Drinking water does not get rid of dry skin; dry skin does not age faster than oily skin; expensive doesn’t mean better; and so many more!
What brand (apart from Paula’s Choice) boasts the best quality product formulations?
There are lots of great products from numerous brands and across all price ranges - that must be stated up front. However, the brands that tend to do the right thing more consistently than others include the Estée Lauder-owned brands (, , , and , among others) and Olay. These brands harness state of the art ingredients and offer a fairly broad range of products to address the needs of various skin types and concerns, without being over-the-top expensive.
If you had to pick one ingredient everyone should avoid, what would it be?
Fragrance, no question. What makes your nose happy isn’t going to please your skin - and the scary thing is that skin can be dealing with inflammation and irritation from fragrance without you even knowing anything is wrong. You won’t see the irritation happening on skin’s surface; instead, it’s silently occurring in skin’s lower layers, adding up to all kinds of skin impairment later on.
Is there an important ingredient that should be in every product?
Skincare is never about one ingredient, regardless of how good it is for skin - just as a healthy diet isn’t about one food. All skin types will thrive if routinely given a range of ingredients proven to strengthen and allow it to function in a normal, healthy manner. Those ingredients include antioxidants (like green tea and vitamin C), skin-repairing substances (such as cholesterol and ceramides), and cell-communicating ingredients (such as retinol and niacinamide).
