CONSUMER NEEDS TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN FACED WITH GLAMOROUS MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

The cases of mislabeling beauty products are on the rise. Manufacturers of these products continue indulging in unverifiable claims, and do not feel obliged to state the ingredients, or hint at the potential side effects. Thus, consumers have to bear the consequences of buying products with questionable reliability and efficacy.

In a recent case where lip care and skin care company EOS was taken to court for mislabeling its products, the consumer class action had alleged that its lip balm caused rash on lips and that the labeling of the product was inadequate, and thus misled the consumers.

It is reported now that the company EOS admitted the charge and accordingly agreed to settle the case out of court. At the same time, in public the company still continues to maintain that its lip balms are hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested, and therefore safe.  However, if the company believes so then it need not have admitted  the legal charge that its lip balm caused rash and its product labeling was questionable.

The main point, however, is that the skin care industry is not strictly regulated as is the drug industry. The beauty industry, therefore, feels unrestricted in making unverifiable claims about various products, at times by inadequate labeling of the packages, leading to unethical business practices.

In such lax environment, it is important for the consumers to satisfy themselves about the efficacy and safety of the skin care products they plan to buy.  The basic rule is : if the product claim is too good to be true then exercise more caution. The more glamorous the marketing campaign, the more likelihood of deceptive or questionable marketing practices.  Lastly, consumers need to read the ingredients on the label, and prefer the products that contain certified ingredients. 

As in the case of Herbally Radiant, where only USDA approved natural organic ingredients are used in skin care formulations, consumers need to ensure for their own safety that the ingredients contained in the products they intend to buy, are well known, or certified as such for their reliability and quality.