1-Minute Musing: 17 Skincare Products THAT ACTUALLY WORK

A quick, couple-paragraph thought.

I click-baited you. I’m sorry. You will not find 17 skincare products that actually work in this email. But have you ever noticed that the words “THAT ACTUALLY WORK!” always appear in beauty headlines? And have you ever wondered why?

Coming from a beauty editor who has written plenty of similar headlines in the past — again, I’m sorry! — a hed like “6 Acne Serums That Actually Work” is enticing to readers and successful for publishers for one simple reason: It acknowledges the fact that most products do not work. As consumers, we already know this on a subconscious level, whether from experience or intuition or basic common sense — so when an article admits the truth up front, it seems trustworthy. And when that seemingly trustworthy article then leads us into a shopping experience, it bolsters our faith in the almighty bottle, which keeps us stuck in the consumer cycle... despite the fact that the headline flat-out TELLS US that money spent on skincare products is money (probably) wasted. Ah, the psychological web the beauty media weaves.