Dec. 6, 2007
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The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates cosmetics, does not require beauty manufacturers to publish rigorous studies on the efficacy of their products. So consumers do not have a proven, objective method by which to determine whether more-expensive beauty products work better — or whether they simply look fancier and emit more exotic perfume — than less-expensive items containing similar ingredients. (Manufacturers of prescription products must submit clinical evidence of their efficacy before receiving approval from the F.D.A.) “Your chances of achieving good skin are not directly proportional to the amount of money you spend,” Dr. Sundaram said. “All too often, what you are paying for is the packaging, the advertising and the celebrity endorsements.” I’m declaring 2008 the Year of the Drugstore.
