Is high end lipstick better than store brand lipstick? episode 214

Valerie George (0:01)

Hi, I'm Valerie and you're listening to The Beauty Brains.

Thank If you're a real cosmetic chemist, answer your beauty product questions and give you an insider's look at the cosmetic industry. This is episode 214 I'm your host, Valerie George, and with me today is the most famous cosmetic chemist who already works from home, Perry Romanowski. Hi Perry.

Perry Romanowski (0:30)

Hey Valerie.

Valerie George (0:32)

We have a few interesting beauty questions, Perry, to cover today, including, does UV protection really work in hair? What do we think of MLM companies? Are the products better and safer? How do the Lioness and Sudden Change eye creams work?

What's the difference between high-end lipstick and drugstore products? And we'll cover a little beauty science news too, not related to COVID-19.

Perry Romanowski (0:55)

I know. Is there any news in the beauty industry right now that isn't about the virus?

Valerie George (1:01)

Yeah, yeah. But how are you holding up in the meantime?

Perry Romanowski (1:05)

Well, you know, I've stopped shaving and it's getting very itchy. And I just discovered I don't like having a beard. So, it's coming off today.

Valerie George (1:14)

Yeah, I was getting ready for bed last night. I was like, oh, I'm getting into my pajamas. And my husband was like, how is that different from what you were wearing today?

Perry Romanowski (1:23)

Well, I have to tell you, though, this whole social distancing, because here in Chicago, we pretty much everything shut down and you're supposed to stay in your house.

But what it has made me realize is that, like, it's really no different than my usual life. So, it's just kind of depressing.

Valerie George (1:39)

Well, that's okay.

Perry Romanowski (1:40)

Yeah, no, it's nice to have my wife home all the time, so that's fun.

And we get along, which is good, you know. Not everybody does.

Valerie George (1:48)

Yeah, well, Mr. Cosmetic Chemist and I get along, too, but if you follow me on my personal Instagram, you'll see that he has commandeered where I work from home. There's a little station that I typically use, and he has taken over that.

No, I'm banished. Luckily, I have a home lab and I'm working in that room, but the Wi-Fi isn't great. And then, also, I have to work in complete silence, and he can only work when Restaurant Impossible is playing, apparently. So, he's busy binge-watching all those seasons.

And it's just... We have very different work styles. So, looking forward to April 19th when we go back to work.

Perry Romanowski (2:27)

Oh, is that when everything gets lifted, huh?

Valerie George (2:30)

Apparently, yeah.

Perry Romanowski (2:32)

Well, we'll see. These are interesting times. But why don't we head on over and talk a little bit about beauty products, huh?

Valerie George (2:40)

Yeah, well, we did find one news story this week that really wasn't related to COVID. Let's talk about that.

Perry Romanowski (2:52)

Ah, yes, this is a bit of research that might come to no surprise as followers of this show. According to a study published in the recent PLOS Journal, people who are more receptive to believe meaningless statements are also more likely to use essential oils.

Oh, wow. That's one of the things when I got, when I started following beauty products on the internet and things, and I saw much more information about essential oils than I ever saw working in the industry. Like the cosmetic industry, like making real products that go into stores and things, essential oils are not something that we even think about. It's like a marketing ingredient that you throw in there to support a story.

Valerie George (3:37)

Oh, yeah, I would never throw an essential oil in unless it was part of the story. The last thing I reach for, just from a formulation perspective, very difficult to work with.

Perry Romanowski (3:47)

Exactly, but if you read the internet and follow beauty people on the internet, like essential oils are all these magical ingredients, because from my perspective, they're really not. Well, it turns out that the researchers said, quotes, we found that receptivity to pseudo-profound fabricated statements and religiosity were the most consistent predictors of greater use of perceived effectiveness of and a willingness to spend more money on essential oils. So let's talk about what they did.

In the study, they get a group of around 1200 people of different ethnicities and ages. The average age of this group of people is 31 Then they measured their receptivity to what they called BS.

Valerie George (4:33)

What does BS stand for? Or do we know what that stands for already? Just making sure we're on the same wavelength.