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Skin care products that don't work

A review of the ones to avoid!

Author: Charlotte Kuchinsky April 6 2010

I have a major pet peeve - retail products that are falsely advertised. One major category where I have found rampant abuse is in the cosmetic and skin care industry. A few inexpensive cosmetic purchases that turn bad may be acceptable, but I for one strongly resent expensive skin care products that don't even come close to living up to their claims.  Misrepresentation is one thing - out and out lies is something else altogether.

Of course not every skin care product can be expected to work for everyone. Some work for certain skin textures, others are geared for a specific type of skin (oily, dry, combination, etc). Still others are more successful on skin that hasn't already begun to age. But even given these caveats, some products fail to meet the hype in spectacular fashion, and we'll have a look at a few of these now.

Note: all these products have been tested by me personally and by members of my family, and I have cross-referenced our results with multiple reviews from all over the net that express the same opinion.

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The worst offenders seem to be anti-aging products, in particular serums that either do more harm than good, or simply do nothing at all. Some actually contain caustic chemicals that cause damage to delicate skin. Case in point: Origin's Plantidote Mega Mushroom Eye Serum. This so-called wonder product with its expensive $45 price tag has irritated as many eyes as it has helped. One expects to cry over those pesky age lines but not over their supposed cure.

Another huge failure is Serious Skin Care's FirmAFace. While the product does deliver a temporary lift when you first put it on, the effects disappear as soon as you rinse away the excess as instructed. The company promises that skin will re-tighten as soon as it dries, but no one I know has seen any evidence of that. That makes this product's expensive $50 cost really hard to take.

Clarin's Double Serum Generation 6 treatment seems to be causing as many, or more, problems than it solves for those who tried it so far. Some customers report breaking out in acne for the first time in their lives, others say they developed little white bumps that took months to clear up. With its rather hefty $95 price tag, such responses are inexcusable.

Victoria Principal's EyeMazing Eye Serum has proved to be a dud for many, who claim it actually made their bothersome puffiness worse, and some say it added years rather than taking them away. Others were quick to point out that $25 worth lasted no time at all, making it a very expensive product to use.

Many of those trying Cosmedicin's MegaDose Skin Fortifying Serum couldn't get around the product's offensive smell. Many admit the product works but wouldn't use it because of the odor. Even those who stuck it out and actually used the serum weren't overly pleased. They claimed there was little, if any, difference in the end, which isn't acceptable after paying a huge $80 figure.

Another skin care disappointment is Signature Club A's Nature's Flower Intense Dual Lift. While some customers say they like the texture of the product, many ask, "where's the lift?". Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be one. Even at $29.95 that is too much to pay for a product that simply doesn't work.

Actress Fran Drescher's new Fran Brand Eye Gel appears to be another dud. Customers claim that it is too drying, actually causing wrinkles rather than releasing them. Still more say the texture is more like glue than a cream; hardly the kind of thing one wants to feel along delicate eye tissue. It may be relatively inexpensive at just $24, but if it doesn't work, what's the point?

Another actress, soap diva Susan Lucci, has failed with her Youthful Essence Bright Fix Radiant Pen at $16. The end result, it seems, is less than stellar; neither highlighting or eliminated pigmentation problems. With lots of similar and less expensive products available, there is no room for one that falters so miserably.

While these products hardly represent all of the bad ones available on store shelves today, they are representative of a serious problem. Maybe it is time that consumer protection agencies actually do their jobs and nip false advertising in the bud.  It would certainly save consumers some valuable shopping dollars and pounds.

Related Articles:

• Review: Serious Skin Care's FirmA-Face