Are you ready to use your nose (or someone else’s) to look younger? In addition to the wealth of wrinkle creams claiming to lift, firm, sculpt and renew aging or wrinkled skin, we now have Ageless Fantasy ($120), a fragrance from United States-based fragrance company, Harvey Prince. According to the company, their research and clinical trials (none of which are published or available to the public) concluded that women who spritz on Ageless Fantasy are perceived as up to 8 years younger by men who smell them. Here’s the company’s other theory, and I’m serious: they conclude because people subconsciously associate youth with the smell of pineapple, cherry blossom, pink grapefruit, and mango that if you wear this blend of scents, other people will think you are younger, by 8 years (how they came with that number is beyond my comprehension: “excuse me but before I smelled you I thought you were 50, now that I’ve smelled you, you seem to be about 42...” I mean, really!).

The other aspect of this eau de cologne is that the aroma is supposed to make women who wear it feel younger by triggering euphoria and joy based on energizing childhood memories. I wonder what they’d tell a woman who had an unhappy childhood? What if the smell of Ageless Fantasy reminded them of something tragic? Would they then be perceived as older?

Perhaps even more shocking is that this fragrance is actually being advertised as “prescription-free youth” without needles or plastic surgery. It doesn’t get more pathetic than this! Such utter distorted nonsense! Ageless Fantasy may smell great, but no one will be mistaking you for being 8 years younger or that you will find yourself looking in the mirror and thinking your lines and wrinkles have gone away.

Of course, there is nothing in this fragrance that will make you look younger. Fantastically, consumers are being sold the idea that it can all take place in your olfactory system triggering how people respond and how you respond when their nose is engaged. Perhaps this time the insanity of marketing claims about looking younger won’t take hold and waste anyone’s money.

$$$ SKINCEUTICALS C E Ferulic Combination Antioxidant Treatment ($122.00 for 1 ounce) comes complete with all manner of anti-aging claims, but the only ones you can bank on with this product (based on a significant amount of research) are its abilities to reduce free radicals and to defend skin against oxidative stress. It reportedly contains 15% L-ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C considered an excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent (Sources: Experimental Dermatology, June 2003, pages 237–244; and Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, May 1999, pages 453–461). Because L-ascorbic acid is stable only in low-pH formulations (Source: Dermatologic Surgery, February 2001, pages 137–142), the good news is that this product’s pH of 3 is low enough to allow this form of vitamin C to be effective. Also present in this water-based antioxidant serum are vitamin E and ferulic acid. Vitamin E, appearing here as alpha tocopherol, also has a well-established reputation as an effective antioxidant (Sources: Radiation Research, July 2005, pages 63–72; Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, December 2004, pages 443–447; and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, February 2005, pages 304–307). Ferulic acid is relatively new to the skin-care scene, but earlier research suggests that it provides antioxidant and sun-protective benefits to skin while enhancing the stability of topical applications of vitamin E (Sources: International Journal of Pharmaceutics, April 10, 2000, pages 39–47; Anticancer Research, September–October 1999, pages 3769–3774; Nutrition and Cancer, February 1998, pages 81–85; and Free Radical Biology and Medicine, October 1992, pages 435–448). As research into this and similar compounds (such as caffeic and ellagic acid) continues, I suspect we will see more antioxidant-based products enhanced with them, which is great news for keeping skin healthy and protecting it from further damage.


$$$ ESTEE LAUDER Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra-Firming Makeup SPF 15 ($34.50) doesn’t provide an ultra- or even a mildly firming benefit. If anything, the lack of sufficient UVA-protecting ingredients leaves skin vulnerable to sun damage, which encourages loss of firmness. As with most new foundations, this has a lush, silky texture that slips on like a second skin and blends very well. It has a radiant satin finish that makes normal to dry skin look much better, which makes the lack of UVA protection even more disappointing. If you are willing to wear an effective sunscreen underneath this foundation, there are some excellent options among the 15 shades, including colors for dark (but not very dark) and fair skin. The following colors are too pink, peach, or copper for most skin tones: Outdoor Beige, Pale Almond, and Rich Cocoa. Ivory Beige is slightly pink but may work for some fair skin tones; ditto for Shell Beige, although it has a slightly peach cast.

PATRICIA WEXLER M.D. Exfoliating Glyco Peel System ($65.00) Step 1, 10% Glycolic Peel Pads, do, as the label states, contain 10% glycolic acid. That could have made this very effective for exfoliation, but the pH of 4.4 makes it far less effective than it would be with a lower pH, and for this kind of money it should be very effective indeed. This Peel also contains several irritating plant extracts and oils, including lemon, mandarin, and tangerine, which serve no purpose other than to add fragrance and cause irritation. There are better 10% AHA products on the market with an appropriate pH so they will actually facilitate exfoliation, and without the irritating additives. Step 2, Skin Neutralizer, is completely unnecessary. A neutralizer is needed only after application of an extremely potent AHA (over 20%) in a base with an effective pH, neither of which applies to the Peel part of this system. In addition, this Neutralizer has a pH of 8, and there is research showing that products with a pH over 7 can increase the bacteria content in skin. Complicating matters further are several problematic plant extracts that can potentially cause irritation. From almost every perspective this is not a good idea. Step 3, Intensive Hydrator, is by far the best product in this kit. It contains several state-of-the-art ingredients, but also includes cypress oil, and that is just a mistake for skin. This mistake might have been overlooked, but not when added to the other problems in this group of products.


Dear Paula,

On your Beautypedia Web site, you state that Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion is bad for your skin because of all the alcohol and the drying effect it produces along with irritation from several of the other ingredients it contains. Why then, when I apply it at night on my blemishes, do they completely disappear in the morning like they’ve never existed before? I don’t want to give up using something that works so quickly to make blemishes vanish, but it seems I am harming my skin in the process of trying to keep it clear.

Anna, via e-mail


Dear Anna,

There can be many reasons why someone gets results from a product I’m critical of. Without knowing your skin type and the kind of breakouts you are struggling with, my first thought is that your breakouts probably would clear up on their own. The other notion is that your skin reacts positively to the combination of alcohol, calamine, camphor, and sulfur (the main ingredients in the Badescu product). I can’t account for why some people experience positive results from this combination of ingredients but clearly there are those who do (and sulfur, despite being an irritant, is a potent disinfectant). It’s sort of like tanning, lots of women like it, but that doesn’t make it good for skin or something I would ever advocate. What I can’t recommend are ingredients that I know are potentially a problem for all skin types, or that can actually hurt the skin’s healing process by adding extra irritation.

As I always say, if something is working for you, stay with it, especially for occasional spots, but if you break out all over on a daily basis, I suspect you will eventually get a kickback effect from the irritation. If that’s the case, there are better products to consider for managing blemishes. Check out the Best Products section of Beautypedia for a list of my favorites (proven to work based on published research and truly effective formulations that do not contain needless irritants).

Argan Oil

Non-fragrant plant oil expressed from the kernels of rarified argan trees. Argan trees are extremely capable of adapting to severe environmental conditions, including draughts. Argan oil contains several beneficial lipids and fatty acids for skin, including oleic acid, palmitic acid, and especially linoleic acid. It is also a good source of vitamin E (Tocopherol) and, like several other plant oils, is a source of antioxidant compounds. Argan oil is a natural source of the antioxidant ferulic acid. The cosmetics industry is hailing argan oil as a restorative wonder owing to it use by Moroccan women for years to tend to their hair, skin, and nails. Despite the folklore stories (which is irrelevant because not all Moroccan women have great skin, hair, and nails, or use argan oil, not to mention different cultures in the middle east use different oils with mixed results); and limited availability of the trees (plus the difficult extraction process to obtain the oil) argan oil isn’t a miraculous ingredient by any stretch of the imagination.

The research on argan oil has shown that, like sunflower and olive oils, its fatty acid and antioxidant content has health benefits (such as lowering cholesterol) when consumed. As for topical use, there is limited information about argan oil’s unique benefits. One study examined a cream containing argan oil, saw palmetto, and sesame seeds to 20 subjects with combination to oily skin. Subjective and qualitative analysis showed that the oil was reduced by 20-42% depending on the inherent oiliness of various parts of the face. The study did not demonstrate that argan oil played a specific role in the results—all we know is that the random formula itself showed the benefit and it wasn’t compared to any other product so the results are irrelevant. Moreover, the cream was only used for four weeks, so we don’t know if ongoing use may have caused breakouts (and given the fatty acids present in argan oil, there is a possibility it can cause breakouts). Argan oil is a good plant oil to consider if skin or hair is dry to very dry, but is not better than many other non-fragrant plant oils used in cosmetics. (Sources: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, June 2007, pages 113-118; Clinical Nutrition, October 2004, pages 1,159-1,166; European Journal of Cancer Prevention, February 2003, pages 67-75; and Journal of Ethnopharmacology, October 1999, pages 7-14).

Did you ever wish you could meet Paula up close and personal, get her take on skincare myths in the cosmetics industry, pick up a signed copy of her best-selling book, "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me," and get a chance to sample some of her newest products? Exciting News! Paula will begin her nationwide speaking tour, presenting on Skincare Mythbusting:

• Portland Powell's Books 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR
  Wednesday, November 5, 2008 7:00pm - 9:00
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  Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:00pm – 2:00pm
• Philadelphia Barnes & Noble 1805 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
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  Tuesday, November 18th 7:00pm - 9:00pm

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Expert Reviews, Beautiful Results
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4. Prescriptives Super Line Preventor Xtreme Lifting Concentrate
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