Am I being a product snob? advice please.
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free skin care · Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:05 am

Keliu wrote:

The one thing I've learned from being a member here is that it's the ingredients that count, not the brand name. Price is indicative of nothing - except, perhaps, packaging and marketing.

Absolutely agree, Very well stated Kelilu! Smile

free skin care · Sat Jun 26, 2010 7:52 am

i have to confess i am brand conscious myself. but i do understand how you feel. i agree with some of the girls that ingredients are very important. Hence I also pick natural based products as those are harder to extract/produce as compared to the chemical mixes which are artificial.

Trust your gut feel and decide if you should return and try it.

free skin care · Sat Jun 26, 2010 7:59 am

jumbosstar42 wrote:

i have to confess i am brand conscious myself. but i do understand how you feel. i agree with some of the girls that ingredients are very important. Hence I also pick natural based products as those are harder to extract/produce as compared to the chemical mixes which are artificial.

Trust your gut feel and decide if you should return and try it.

One thing I have seen over my 56 years is Brand name quality go way down hill, yet those prices just keep going up. I find many less well known brands with ingredients that are just as good if not better for a much lower price, they just don't put a fortune in to ad campaigns and fancy packaging that does nothing for my skin. Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:01 am

DarkMoon I do agree with you on that. I guess for me... I am also a sucker for packaging. As long as the packaging looks good, classy and the ingredients are good... plus reviews from people... I think I will easily be sold! Guess that is the huge advantage of the internet. Besides having access to many brands and at cheaper prices, we also get to compare, research and check out reviews on the products before our purchases.

free skin care · Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:20 am

jumbosstar42 wrote:

DarkMoon I do agree with you on that. I guess for me... I am also a sucker for packaging. As long as the packaging looks good, classy and the ingredients are good... plus reviews from people... I think I will easily be sold! Guess that is the huge advantage of the internet. Besides having access to many brands and at cheaper prices, we also get to compare, research and check out reviews on the products before our purchases.

I agree with everything jumbosstar, except I managed to get over the packaging as long as it's functional and properly protects the product that's good enough for me. I just am tired of paying for pretty packages instead of the quality of the ingredients and the formula. Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:25 pm

DarkMoon wrote:

jumbosstar42 wrote:

DarkMoon I do agree with you on that. I guess for me... I am also a sucker for packaging. As long as the packaging looks good, classy and the ingredients are good... plus reviews from people... I think I will easily be sold! Guess that is the huge advantage of the internet. Besides having access to many brands and at cheaper prices, we also get to compare, research and check out reviews on the products before our purchases.

I agree with everything jumbosstar, except I managed to get over the packaging as long as it's functional and properly protects the product that's good enough for me. I just am tired of paying for pretty packages instead of the quality of the ingredients and the formula. Very Happy

I agree with the packaging comment also.
Usually most of the items I get, the packaging is very plain.

I think if packging is that important, you could keep a nice jar and clean it well and put the product that has the "ugly" packaging in that- depending if it is ok to do that.

A lot of items I buy like cometics,food ect the stores have very minimal packaging as they are small businesses.

Also, you never know if something with a plain packaging might be a great item!
I know I bought some strange looking bar of soap at a furniture shop and it was packaged in some kind of straw/canvas bag (good for the environment I guess...)
The soap was actually quite nice and an olive oil soap (you can find those at most health food stores,but this one was middle eastern/arabic).

But,
the looks of cosmetics do matter to a lot of people- or else Sephora would be out of business.

free skin care · Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:48 pm

Much of this has to do with status and the perception of luxury. It is no coincidence that Asian cultures like Japan and China (who are very status orientated) are the biggest purchasers of luxury lines such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Many of the high end skincare companies pitch to these countries also, which is why there are so many skin brightening creams around.

free skin care · Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:16 am

I have to agree that asians are suckers for packaging... especially in the Japanese market. But Japan is a whole different ballgame altogether. Their products are all generally of high quality AND they look Great! It's all about their culture and integrity of their product quality.

I also want to point out how I detest SKII for it's huge popularity in Asia. The mass advertising and celebrity endorsement really pay off for them. Their packaging isn't even fancy. But the A & P is enough to make Asians believe their product quality and effectiveness. I don't think SKII is big in America or Canada right?

free skin care · Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:45 am

jumbosstar42 wrote:

I also want to point out how I detest SKII for it's huge popularity in Asia. The mass advertising and celebrity endorsement really pay off for them. Their packaging isn't even fancy. But the A & P is enough to make Asians believe their product quality and effectiveness. I don't think SKII is big in America or Canada right?

SKII is made by Max Factor - but it uses the whole Japanese/Saki connection in its advertising - very clever marketing. I always thought it was a Japanese product. In Australia, it's pretty high end.

free skin care · Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:43 am

Max Factor is American right? Wow... I too thought it was from Japan!!!

free skin care · Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:39 am

Smashbox is another Max Factor brand unless I am mistaken? They are big on the we do the celebrity shoots out in California!

free skin care · Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:32 am

I used to go for brand name stuff because I didn't know better and the ads always say how great their product is. THat is until you go to a beautician and then start getting interested in what's actually going on with your skin.

Then when you have shocking acne, you REALLY become interested in your skin.

I go by ingredients and if I'm ever unsure I revert to being a nerd and look for reviews online like this fine site! Makeupalley.com is also another good site to go to.

I find that other people's reviews are really helpful in trying new products!

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