Just when The Cosmetics Cop Team thinks we’ve seen the worst products possible on the shelves and counters for way too many cosmetic companies, they add even more terrible products. Of course there are great products out there (our Beautypedia.com site has an extensive list of the greats) but these are the ones we were all just flabbergasted by last month!

1. Avon Mark Break Out Plan Anti-Acne Gel Lotion Apple/Cinnamon ($16 for 1.7 ounces). First, apples and cinnamon are for your oatmeal in the morning. They aren’t helpful for acne or any other skin type for that matter. This does contain a 1.5% concentration of salicylic acid which is helpful for acne but the pH of this product is questionable for it to work as an exfoliant. What is really a breakout waiting to happen is the amount of alcohol, peppermint, cinnamon, and rosemary it contains. These ingredients are seriously irritating and irritation hurts the skin’s ability to heal, stimulates oil production in the pore lining, and causes collagen to breakdown. All of this makes acne worse, not better. The amount of redness and inflammation that accompanies these ingredients will also make acne look redder than it already is.

2. Clarins Fix’ Make-Up ($25.50 for 1 ounce). Designed as a spray-on mist to set your makeup, this product does little more than make skin feel damp and slightly sticky. It contains nothing that enhances makeup wear; in fact, overdoing this can lead to makeup meltdown or streaking, plus this contains fragrance chemicals and fragrant plant extracts capable of causing irritation. Whoever thought this overpriced, gimmicky product was a good idea needs to rethink their career!

3. Clarins SOS Sunburn Soother ($36 for 1.3 ounces). The problem with this product is that it contains a heavy duty occlusive emollient as the first ingredient and that is not what you should be putting on acutely sunburned skin. Of course, the goal is to avoid sunburn but if it occurs, slathering thick creams such as this on the initial burn can make matters worse because occlusive emollients (think butter from the old days) can trap heat beneath the skin, pushing the burn deeper. Applying cool water or cool aloe compresses and taking anti-inflammatory medication (with your doctor’s OK) is a far better treatment modality for acute sunburn. Even initial use of over the counter hydrocortisone (which has research showing it helps sunburned skin) would be preferred over this. SOS Sunburn Soother also contains fragrant plant oils but adding irritating ingredients to a burn isn’t wise. Moisturizer isn’t a bad idea, it just needs to be incredibly lightweight. After the burn calms down you can use more emollient moisturizers to reduce dryness and calm skin. There is research that antioxidant-rich plant oils also mediate burn damage.

4. Nu Skin AgeLoc Gentle Cleanse & Tone ($53 for 2 ounces). We had to double-check the price for this cleanser to make sure we weren’t seeing things. For a huge amount of money (this just may be the most expensive cleanser in the cosmetic world) you’re getting an exceptionally standard, detergent-based water soluble cleanser, and we mean really standard. Sure it works to cleanse and remove makeup, but the price is completely out of line. Similar cleansers are available from Olay, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, and Paula’s Choice for a fraction of the cost (and in sizes that won’t be depleted in two or three weeks). Although fragrance isn’t listed for this cleanser, it does contain fragrant plant extracts that aren’t the best in any product.

It pains us to give this a happy face rating, so we’re not going to. The price is just offensive and to reward a cosmetic company for taking this kind of blatant advantage of women and their beauty dollars is insulting. While we can’t fault the formula because it does what a good cleanser should do, the price makes for bad skin care as the stress to your budget can go straight to your skin as well.

By the way, this doesn’t offer any toning benefits over and above what any detergent-based cleanser can provide. Rather, a well formulated toner and salicylic acid exfoliant that are left on skin (not rinsed off) are the best you can do and that certainly is not the case with any cleanser!

5. Revive Acne Reparatif Acne Treatment Gel ($125 for 1 ounce).Wow! We’re shocked (though we shouldn’t be) that the formulators behind the ReVive line are charging such an insane price for an anti-acne product that differs little from countless other terrible options found in many lines whether they’re from inexpensive or expensive brands. It is really bad news for all skin types that alcohol is the second ingredient in this anti-acne gel. Alcohol causes free radical damage, causes the breakdown of collagen, hurts the skin’s healing process, and stimulates oil production directly in the pore lining. Adding insult to injury, this formula also includes fragrant citrus oil and volatile fragrance chemicals which further irritate. The 0.5% salicylic acid, which is barely enough to exfoliate skin, is wasted in this sad formulation.

The water-based, fragrance-free liquidy serum contains a blend of 6% lactic acid, 3% glycolic acid, and 1% salicylic acid formulated at a pH that allows this combination of AHAs and BHA ingredients to function as exfoliants. As a skin-beneficial bonus, the formula contains antioxidant green tea and some good skin-identical ingredients to help reduce inflammation and preserve barrier integrity during the exfoliation process. When all is said and done, this ends up being just an overly expensive chemical exfoliant with a few interesting twists, but it does work as claimed.

Combining AHAs and BHA in one product isn’t necessary for effective exfoliation, but each has its unique traits that aren’t bad to consider in combination. For example, the glycolic and lactic acids have water-binding properties that are helpful for all skin types, while the salicylic acid has potent anti-inflammatory and mild antibacterial actions that are great for acne-prone or easily reddened skin. Although this exfoliant is on the pricey side, it definitely works and does so without feeling heavy, oily, or slick.

This is a potential option for treating the skin condition known as keratosis pilaris, but if you have this concern over large areas of skin (such as upper arms or thighs), you’ll get the same results for less money per ounce with Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment with 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid or Skin Revealing Body Lotion with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid (each costs $22.95 for 7 ounces). If you’re interested in Serious Serum, you can purchase the product directly on the company website (www.seriousserum.com) or check the site to see if this exfoliant is sold in a salon or spa in your area.

Dear Paula,

I have been an avid follower of yours since the very beginning. I’ve read all your books, have used your products (have even tested some of them), subscribe to Beautypedia, etc.  I always pay special attention to the products you list in your "Best of....." lists and I almost always purchase only those products.  This is my question:  When I purchase my products, I could easily spend all my time driving and shopping for individual makeup and skin care items as I need them.  In other words, I would like to be able to shop for everything I need (almost) from one (or at the most) two lines; but that seems impossible to do based upon your reviews.  I do tend to buy more at the department store than anywhere else.  So what's a person to do?  I want to purchase the best products for my skin, but I can't spend all my time shopping for these items from different lines and stores. 

Lana, via email

Dear Lana,

Believe me, I understand the desire to not run all over the place to find beauty products, even those that my team and I recommend highly! That’s one of the reasons I do so much of my shopping online, though for my personal skin-care routine I only use my own (Paula’s Choice products). You mentioned using some of my products in the past, but perhaps you should revisit the option. I feel strongly you’ll be able to assemble a skin-care routine that will have you looking great—and everything is obtainable from one website or with one phone call! Barring that, you may want to take a look at beauty websites that sell multiple brands, such as Sephora.com., Beauty.com, and SkinStore.com. All of these sites retail numerous products that we’ve rated as “best”, and there’s no need to go to the mall or deal with the craziness at the cosmetics counters. I know the options can seem overwhelming (there are lots of great products available) but with a bit of pre-planning and knowing where to buy, you should be able to get all of the products you need without resorting to visiting several stores or making a day-long trip all over your city.