Leelalicious’ Cosmetic Editor Questions Safety of Celebrity Backed Skincare Products
Oct 4, 2019
A behind the scenes look into the world of celebrity product sponsorships and how - despite celebrity endorsements - cosmetic and skincare products are not always better or safer.
Austin, USA - October 3, 2019 /MarketersMedia/ —
Cosmetic and skincare companies hand out celebrity sponsorships as though their brand depended on them. One could argue that they do - in fact - more often than not depend on the celebrity fame and popularity to drive their brand awareness.
Brand awareness ultimately drives sales and allows brands to charge a premium. It’s simple but genius marketing!
Whether it’s Julia Roberts representing the beauty giant Lancome or Gwyneth Paltrow signing a multimillion dollar sponsorship deal with Estee Lauder, one thing is certain: getting a celebrity to use and recommend their products is worth many millions of dollars to the sponsoring brand.
Then we also have the entrepreneurial minded celebrities like Kylie Jenner, who bypass the middleman altogether by launching their own brand of products. While most have their name slapped on to an already existing line of products, few will actually go through the process of having products specifically formulated for them.
The problem however is that - unlike most of the developed world - US and Canadian laws - especially those regulating chemicals used in skincare and cosmetic products - are so relaxed that literally anyone can bring a freshly formulated product to market. There is no government body checking the safety of any of these products. Even if there was, these products would pass the test simply because of how unregulated chemicals in cosmetics and skincare products are.
Then there is also the fact that consumers love buying celebrity backed products. Which is why companies can afford to spend millions a year on celebrity endorsements. It’s also how the entrepreneurial minded celebs like Kylie become super wealthy.
The problem however - more often than not - is that most celebrities have no idea about the chemicals being used inside the products they are sponsoring. Even if they knew, the odds of them knowing the potential side-effects of the more questionable ingredients are pretty slim.
“When you get used to assuming that a well known and expensive brand name would only produce high quality products, you never look beyond the brand label” says Konrad Braun, editor at the popular food blog Leelalicious.com.
Braun, who is spearheading the cosmetic and skincare section of the blog, says he has been watching the cosmetic trends for over a decade and is constantly blown away by how much companies pay to have celebrities endorse and represent their products.
“It’s absolutely insane. You see celebrities signing up to 50 million USD deals with cosmetic and skincare companies. Yet when you look at the ingredient profile of those products, you can’t help but wish the celebs would have done a bit more due diligent research before attaching their name to them.”
“We’re not even talking about famous cases where - for example - asbestos was found in a popular brand’s cosmetic line. We’re talking about chemicals that are scientifically proven to be very unsafe for human use, and yet are still being used by most of the big brands. Why? Because they are not required by law to find safer alternative ingredients.”
Braun goes on to say that many of the chemicals found in cosmetics and skincare products today are proven hormone disruptors. “We have organizations like the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) constantly reminding us to verify that the chemical ingredients found in the products we buy are not hormone disruptors or even cancerous. Which is great. The problem is that most people have never heard of the EWG and as a result never use their free online resources.”
“People don’t know what they don’t know” continues Braun. “Which is exactly why Kylie Jenner's new sunscreen product - for example - will explode in sales without anyone even thinking about checking the ingredient list. The ‘how safe is this’ thought will never cross the average consumer's mind and why would it? If Kylie is using it and recommending it, it must be the ‘best’ money can buy!”
“Until someone is made conscious of these things - often because of allergic reactions to certain chemicals inside common household, cosmetic, or skincare products - one is simply oblivious. Which in this case is not bliss!” says Braun.
“Even if you have zero allergies, you deserve to know what you put in and on your body!”
Braun has written extensively about the importance of using mineral based sunblock instead of traditional chemical based sunscreens and says not all is gloom and doom when it comes to cosmetic and skincare products.
“I’m optimistic. We see companies like BeautyCounter taking a proactive stand against the use of many questionable and downright harmful ingredients and it’s refreshing. North America as a whole has a long way ahead of itself to catch up with more regulated markets, but the day where unsafe products are not even an option on store shelves is approaching, and I for one am excited.”
Braun suggests consumers always double check the ingredients being used in household, skincare, and cosmetic products and says with a little bit of research, it’s very easy to spot which products are safe for human use. “It can be overwhelming at first, but once you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier. First because you remember some ingredient names, and second, because you remember where to look.”
Braun says he recommends looking up ingredients on the EWG website. “It’s just such a good all-in-one resource. Never trust a brand just because they are backed by your favorite celebrity. Always do your due diligence and check for yourself” concluded Braun.
To learn more about Braun’s take on safer beauty and skincare products, check out: https://leelalicious.com/category/beauty/
Contact Info:
Name: Konrad Braun
Email: Send Email
Organization: Leelalicious.com
Website: https://leelalicious.com/category/beauty/
Source: MarketersMedia
Release ID: 88924968
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