Customer Reviews

Cosmetics Unmasked: Your Family Guide to Safe Cosmetics and Allergy-Free Toiletries

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A friend of mine recommended this book after she saw the authors talking about it on TV. I now know why it was so hard for me to find cosmetics that suit my sensitive skin. The truth is that I don't have sensitive skin but I was being taken in by all the hype. Those expensive creams that promised to moisturise my skin and keep it looking good were full of junk that was eating away at my face. This book (Cosmetics Unmasked) is so easy to read and contains lists of ingredients to avoid, I never go shopping without it. It's packed with information ... .

A few years back I bought Paula Begoun's book, 'Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me'. It was OK but it didn't help me to find suitable cosmetics. It was full of useless advice like, 'Don't wear green mascara - it looks stupid' and it quickly went out of date as the products she recommended changed to the 'New and Improved' versions. And it told me nothing useful about cosmetic ingredients to help me avoid the harmful ones. If Paula Beguin's book gets five stars, this book deserves at least six.

The book is focused in the products in toiletries and cosmetics that can dammage the skin and the health. I found it very useful and it helped me to avoid cosmetics with potential irritating or harmful ingredients. He doesn't make a review of the possible efficacity of the products (Paula Begoun and others have done it already!) But he gives sensible advises for daily (and safe) skincare that are very useful. The only problem: it can make you throw away half of your bathroom cupboard content, and it can make you feel little bit paranoid next time you will shop for cosmetics and toiletries. The impulse of keeping yourself away from chemicals and bath in plain milk and moisturise with plain oil can be overwhelming....

this goes beyond the very one sided information the others have been cashing in on. actually talks about the dangers of synthetics including parabens and arms you with information without promoting one form of skin care over another.
objective.
beware those "informing" when they have an agenda such as their own line of product to sell.
these folks do not.

I thought I would like this book, as I am very interested in the topic. But it was not practically useful at all. The information was overwhelming. I am not going to write down 55 different ingredients, each one 32 letters and numbers long, on a list to take every time I go shopping. You're better off just trying to buy natural products in general, than to try to get anything useful out of this book.