Are Celebrity Skincare Products Worth the Money?

Flip through the pages of any fashion magazine and you’ll see one advertisement after another featuring a smiling celebrity promoting exclusive skincare products.

There’s Kylie (Jenner) Lip Kits ($29 for the basic kit) and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty (starting at $18 for a tube of foundation). Luxury brands include Victoria Beckham Beauty. Some product lines target specific demographics. Gen Z is in the crosshairs for Fenty Skin and Florence by Mills, from actor Millie Bobby Brown.

The packaging is attractive. The products typically smell good, although that’s subjective. Question is, do they work well enough to justify their price?

What’s in this stuff?

Kylie Jenner’s walnut facial scrub sparked concerns among dermatologists that the product is too harsh on skin

Melania Trump once touted her own skincare line. In 2017 she announced a line of beauty products containing caviar, allegedly imported from southern France. Her website has since been taken down, but can still be viewed in archival form. Skincare experts agree the caviar did very little beyond raising the price of the products.

Pharrell launched his own line of skincare products, highlighting the claim that they do not contain “rocks, nuts, seeds, or plastic particles” that can scratch or cause microtears in the skin.

It’s virtually impossible to tell which celebrities are involved with – or even knowledgeable about – the formulations that go into the products that bear their names. They may play an active role in developing the products or they may just be brand ambassadors collecting an endorsement fee.

“All-natural” might be listed on the label, but it means very little. Silica, or sand, is all-natural, but you wouldn’t want to scrub it on your skin. Same goes for certain nut oils and harsh ingredients that exist in the natural world but are not ideal for skincare.

Even when a celebrity sincerely and genuinely touts the amazing benefits of a product based on their own use, it’s important to realize that their skin type may be quite different from yours. So the results are going to vary.

This is when being an educated consumer comes in handy.

Choosing skincare products

Here’s a tip: The stronger the product smells, the more likely it’s going to irritate your skin. A strong smell is a virtual assurance the product contains chemical additives designed to enhance the fragrance, which does nothing to enhance the beauty of your skin and may in fact trigger an adverse reaction.

Fragrant skincare products can cause contact dermatitis, a red and itchy rash, or other allergic reactions such as headache and asthma. Fragrance is the main cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Check the label for artificial colors and ingredients. These make the product look more appealing and feel good on the skin, but are probably contributing little toward enhancing the beauty of your skin.

Truth is, when you buy a celebrity-branded skincare product, you’re paying for the glamor associated with the celebrity. The image. A lot of the money you’re spending goes not so much into the ingredients, but to the celebrity promoting the skincare line and all the marketing costs associated with bringing it to your attention.

To be clear, some fans will buy whatever their favorite superstar sells. It doesn’t matter whether the products are of good quality. There’s just no persuading people who are devoted to an idealized image of a celebrity who has been Photoshopped for the cameras after spending hours in a makeup chair surrounded by expensive professionals.

For those who want real results from their skincare products, dermatologist and doctor-owned brands (containing medically-proven ingredients that actually work) may be the better investment. The pricing on these products is competitive, sometimes even less than celebrity brands, and there’s medical science to back them up.

Trust is a hard thing to come by these days. Can you trust celebrity skincare products? The answer depends on how well you can trust anything designed to be sold for a profit. Skincare products endorsed by pop singers and pretty models appeal to consumers on an emotional level – you’re paying for the image they project, their star quality and your response to their TV shows, all the music they’ve ever recorded, all the movies they’ve ever made or how good they look in the latest fashions.  Skincare products that have been tested by dermatologists and offer transparency in their list of ingredients allow consumers to make an informed choice based on knowledge.

It’s really up to the individual to choose how to spend her money. You can make a purchase based on image or information that’s medically reliable. Whichever direction you choose, take time to study the labels on products before you buy.

A consultation with your dermatologist can also help you make informed decisions about which products are best suited for your unique skin type.

Let Walk-in Dermatology Take Care of You and Your Skin

If you want to be proactive about your skincare regimen or if you have concerns about any skin condition and need dependable answers fast, you don’t have to wonder, worry or wait. Walk-in Dermatology is here to keep you healthy. Our team of board-certified dermatologists and experienced medical staff will address your concerns and provide the necessary care for all your skin conditions. You can also schedule an appointment with us online.

If you can’t make it to one of our offices, we can set up a Video Visit and even prescribe medications remotely. Contact us today.