4 Advice to Choose a Beauty Device

Unless you have a background in Latin or a degree in chemistry, a skincare ingredients check can feel like reading a foreign language. But that language actually has a name&#;it's the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), and it exists to help create a standardized language of ingredient names to be used on labels around the world. And unfortunately, it's not consumer friendly.

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Sometimes manufacturers will throw the everyday shopper a bone, putting the more common name in parentheses next to the scientific name, like this: tocopherol (vitamin E). But without that nudge, an ingredients list often just looks like a string of long unfamiliar words separated by commas.

Instead of doing detective work, it can be easier to follow popularity and opt for skincare products (and ingredients) with a cult following, especially in the age of beauty influencers. But that's not always the best route. There's no one-size-fits-all skincare solution. As Jennifer David, MD, a dermatologist specializing in cosmetic dermatology and skin of color dermatology, explains, "What works for your best friend may not work for you." However, there are products that are great for all skin types, like La Roche-Posay&#;s Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, our overall best pick for face moisturizer.

An individualized approach is crucial to finding the right skincare products with the right ingredients for your skin. This takes a little extra time and patience, but it's worth it.

Luckily for you, we talked to dermatologists to make the whole process less intimidating. With this information in your back pocket, you can feel like a confident consumer, and hopefully avoid reactive skin disasters when trying new products in the future.

Know your skin type

According to cosmetic dermatologist Michele Green, MD, skin type is the most important factor in determining what skincare products will work best for you. "There are no bad products necessarily, but sometimes people with different skin types use the wrong product for their type of skin," Dr. Green says.

People with acne-prone and sensitive skin need to be the most cautious with different ingredients in their skincare products. On the other hand, oily skin can handle a wider range of ingredients that sometimes trigger breakouts or irritation for other skin types. For those who are acne-prone and looking for a moisturizer for oily skin, La Roche-Posay&#;s Effaclar Mat Mattifying Moisturizer is a great choice.

These are the ingredients Dr. Green suggests for different skin types:

For oily skin: Look for products containing alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid or salicylic acid), benzoyl peroxide, and hyaluronic acid. "These ingredients are effective at controlling excess sebum production while hyaluronic acid will produce hydration only in areas needed," Dr. Green says.An affordable face wash for oily skin containing salicylic and hyaluronic acids is CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser.

For dry skin: Look for products containing shea butter and lactic acid. "These ingredients provide hydration and mild exfoliation to keep dry skin looking radiant," Dr. Green says.

For sensitive skin: Look for products containing aloe vera, oatmeal, and shea butter. "They're good moisturizers and usually don't break anyone out," Dr. Green says.La Roche-Posay's Lipikar Wash AP+ is an excellent drugstore body wash with shea butter for those with dry, sensitive skin who want extra hydration.

If you're not 100 percent sure what skin type you have, it's worth a trip to the dermatologist to confirm. Once you understand your skin type, you can start selecting products with more precision.

Don't buy into hype

"Packaging and popularity are sometimes easy traps and shouldn't hold too much weight or value into what we select for our skin," Dr. David says. If you're going to buy a product based on a friend or influencer's recommendation, you shouldn't just pay attention to how good their skin looks now, rather look at what type of skin they were dealing with. That will give you a more reliable indicator of how well the product will work for you.

In the past few years, cult-favorites like the St. Ives Apricot Scrub and multiple Mario Badescu creams have faced lawsuits from consumers who experienced some pretty serious adverse reactions. No need to panic if these products are sitting in your cosmetics drawer at home&#;this doesn't mean they're bad for everyone. The backlash some popular skincare brands and products face can serve as a reminder that while something gets the popularity vote, it doesn't mean that it's popular for the right reasons or that it's the right product for you.

Checking the ingredients list is still the best way to go, no matter how many positive reviews or stars the product has online.

Seek out these ingredients

Glycerin: Dr. David calls this ingredient the backbone of moisturizing products.

Ceramides and hyaluronic acid: Both ingredients are important moisturizing agents naturally found in the skin. Dr. David says she prefers hyaluronic acid in the serum form, while she looks for glycerins and ceramides in lotions and creams.

L-Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C): Vitamin C, specifically the l-ascorbic acid form, is an antioxidant that works to reverse damage from UV radiation and stimulate collagen production.

Tocopherol (Vitamin E): Vitamin E offers similar properties as vitamin C and works best when the two are combined as a skincare power duo.If you want to splurge on a luxury hand cream, Augustinus Bader&#;s The Hand Treatment combines Vitamin E with glycerin and shea butter.

Retinol: Retinol is a key ingredient to seek in products for your nighttime routine. It works to turn over skin cells and stimulate collagen.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): This ingredient is great for controlling oil while also hydrating the skin and evening out skin tone.

Avoid these ingredients

Fragrance/parfum: Added fragrances can cause skin allergies and irritation, and it's especially important to avoid them if you have sensitive skin.

Sulfates: Sulfates are cleansing agents often found in body washes and shampoo. They strip the hair and skin of their natural oil and can cause irritation.

Parabens: Parabens are commonly placed in products as a chemical preservative to prevent bacterial growth. They're known to be what Dr. David and other industry experts call estrogen mimickers, and they can have a harmful effect over time by throwing off hormonal balance. Dr. David and Dr. Green both caution that this can be problematic for young children and people at risk of breast cancer.

Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers: It's rare to see formaldehyde in an ingredient list anymore since it's classified as a known carcinogen. But Dr. David explains that it's often replaced with differently named chemicals (quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea) that release formaldehyde over time to act as preservatives. Dr. David says it's not confirmed whether or not these ingredients are harmful in this capacity, but it's worth looking out for them as potential allergens.

Know that natural doesn't always mean better

Familiar words in the ingredients list can be comforting to see, but it doesn't always indicate the safest route. For example, Dr. David explains that poison ivy is a natural oil, but it's not one that you would want to rub all over your skin. "I have patients come in pretty frequently with reactions to natural essential oils, so again, it's one of those things where everyone is unique and you need to do what's best for yourself uniquely," Dr. David says.

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She also warns that seeing the terms natural and organic on a product label is sometimes more of a marketing trick than anything else. Because those terms aren't regulated and there aren't specific industry standards for them, they can offer empty promises. Additionally, sometimes a product will be labeled as natural in reference to only one or two of the ingredients on the list.

Pay attention to the order of ingredients

Once you know what primary ingredients you're looking to avoid or go after, you'll want to pay attention to where they fall on the ingredients list. As a good rule of thumb, Dr. David recommends looking at the first five ingredients, since that will often account for about 80 percent of the product's makeup.

Ingredients will be listed in order of highest to lowest concentration, so if there's a problematic or potentially irritating ingredient among the first five listed, you'll want to steer clear of that product.

Similarly, if you're seeking out a product for specific ingredients, but those ingredients are listed at the end, then that product isn't worth your money. With such a small percentage of the overall product, you won't experience the benefits of the ingredients at the end of the list.

Don't fear the long ingredients list

When it comes to the food we put in our body, we're often taught to look for a shorter, more familiar ingredient list. While a more abbreviated list can be easier to decipher, it won't always cut it in terms of what you're looking to get out of your skincare products.

When you're looking for anti-aging properties or investing in medical-grade skincare products, the ingredients list will naturally get a bit longer. And Dr. David says that shouldn't deter you. Instead, call in for backup&#;either from a dermatologist or technology&#;to help determine if the product is a good choice for you.

Use your resources

You don't have to be a walking dictionary in order to pick out skincare products with the right ingredients. Make things easier by taking advantage of online resources. Dr. David suggests two online databases for ingredient and product research: Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep database and CosDNA.

The EWG Skin Deep database is just one sector of their online services. The EWG is a non-profit organization geared toward research and education surrounding environmental and human health issues. In the Skin Deep database, skincare products are rated and scored by a number of factors, including manufacturing practices and potential health hazards.

While CosDNA is more of a no-frills database, it dives even deeper into the ingredients in a product, detailing their individual functions and safety score.

Always do a patch test

A patch test is smart practice in your process of product elimination. Plus, it's a great excuse to make a trip to Ulta or Sephora without spending money.

A patch test can help determine if certain products or ingredients will cause allergic reactions, irritate your skin, or clog your pores. "I think the take-home message is: If it's making your skin worse or irritating your skin in any way, stop using it, it's not the right product for you," Dr. Green says.

Testing all your ingredients before committing to them takes a little time at first, but it can save you a lot of money and grief in the end.

In , the beauty industry, on a global scale, made $483 billion from products sales. And each and every one of us is responsible for that gigantic amount. But, sometimes we buy things that turn out to be bad investments and don&#;t benefit our skin at all. This means that we need to learn what our skin needs and then look for the ideal products.

Bright Side wants to offer you some advice that will help you shop for the best products possible for your daily beauty routine.

1. Choose the right mascara wand.

• Full wand: What this offers is a lot more product, which means a great volume on your lashes. So, if the extra girth is your goal, this one is the ideal wand for you.
• Curved wand: The good thing with this is that it suits your lashes&#; natural shape and sends them upward. You just need to wiggle the wand mid-stroke in order to get the product on each eyelash.
• Skinny: This one is ideal for lengthening since it coats each and every lash the same.
• Miniature: If applying mascara on your bottom lashes is a hard task, you may want to invest in this tiny wand. It reaches all your lashes beautifully and it prevents smudging.
• Hourglass wand: This type will open up your eyes and reach even the smallest lashes at the edge of your eyes, giving them a lot of volume.
• Tapered wand: This is just the perfect type to separate each hair of your eyelashes and coat the bottom lashes. It offers great volume and definition.
• Ball-tipped wand: With this one, you will be able to concentrate on certain individual lashes instead of all of them. You will offer definition to the areas you care about the most.
• Corkscrew wand: You will need to wiggle the wand side to side from bottom to top in order to get full coverage. The result will be super lifted lashes.

2. Choose eyeshadows based on your skin tone.

• Find your undertone: No matter what your complexion is, you have a yellow, ashen, or pink undertone, which is also referred to as &#;warm&#; or &#;cold.&#; So, when choosing eyeshadows, you will need to take your undertone into consideration as well.
• Light skin: People with this complexion and warm undertones can choose a dull bronze eyeshadow. On the other hand, those with cool undertones can go for a washed copper hue.
• Medium/Wheat-ish skin: Now this category usually has warm undertones and should go for shades close to cinnamon, gold, and red that looks like the color of rust.
• Olive skin: For this type, people tend to combine warm and cool undertones. The teal color is ideal in making their skin glow and so are jewel tones.
• Dark brown skin: The undertone here is usually neutral, which gives you a lot freedom in choosing your eyeshadow. You can go for anything that you like and see how it suits you.
• Dark skin: Metallics and colors like purple and blue will look wonderful on you. However, if you have this type of skin you will need to be careful with the quality of the pigment.
  

3. Choose the right eyeliner.

Choose eyeliner according to your eye color:

• For blue eyes: Contrasting shades such as copper, gold, and dark blue. Contrasting shades highlight the eye color, so copper and gold make blue eyes appear even bluer.
• For green eyes: Red shades, bronze, aubergine. Better to choose shades with reddish undertones.
• For brown eyes: Purple, dark blue, pink, gray. Dark-blue tones emphasize the light in brown eyes.
• For hazel eyes: Emerald, gold, plum. Gold emphasizes and brightens the hazel tones in the eyes.

There are 2 main things you should consider when looking for an eyeshadow:

• Your skin tone: Fair skin should stay away from black eyeliner that will make it look too harsh and even make you look older. On the other hand, if you have medium and dark skin, you can go for a dramatic black eyeliner. That color will make your eyes pop.
• Gel, liquid, or pencil: The first type dries faster than the others, but it is the easiest to apply on your skin since it offers more control. The liquid type allows you to create skinnier eye looks but can smudge a lot easier and make any possible bumps more noticeable. With the pencil, you have endless options, since you can create from soft morning looks to dramatic night styles.

4. Choose the appropriate eye cream.

• Dry skin: A thick consistency with great hydrating abilities is what you need here. You might want to look for creams that include ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin E in the ingredient list.
• Oily & acne-prone skin: Products that are oil-free and non-comedogenic are your goal. Also, ingredients like chamomile, green tea extract, witch hazel, and retinoids will benefit your skin a lot.
• Skin-healthy ingredients: Not all ingredients are healthy for your skin no matter the type. Some of the greatest and safest ingredients include peptides, hyaluronic acid, Vitamins C, K, & E, retinoids, ferulic acid, and chamomile.
• Don&#;t forget the SPF: Protection from UV rays is absolutely necessary and you will either need to apply sunscreen or find an SPF-infused eye cream.

5. Choose the right moisturizer for your needs.

• Check your skin type: Dry and mature skin needs much more moisture, so oil-based moisturizers with heavy consistencies will benefit you a lot. Oily and normal skin on the other hand will need a water-based formula that feels much lighter. Sensitive skin will need soothing ingredients, such as aloe that will not cause any type of harm.
• Fragrance-free vs Unscented: Fragrances are known to cause an allergic reaction in people and that&#;s why you might need to avoid them. However, most products contain some kind of natural fragrance, like essential oils. The same thing goes for unscented products since they usually contain a scent in order to hide the unpleasant chemical odor.
• Natural vs Organic: Products from both categories are usually made from ingredients that derive from botanical sources. However, you need to be aware of what every label means since they are using a certain amount of chemicals and the rest are natural ingredients.

6. Choosing a lipstick.

Like with the eyeshadows, you will need to first know what your undertones are in order to find the best lipstick possible. If that&#;s taken care of, you can proceed with searching for lipsticks based on their shades.

• Dark lipsticks: women of color can easily don most dark shades. If you have a lighter complexion, one easy way to pull off such a shade is by adding a gloss or something shimmering over the lipstick. The darkness and intensity of the shade will be lightened up a bit.
• Nude lipstick: the shades in that category are not necessarily the ones that are matching your skin tone perfectly. You are looking to find a tone that accentuates your lips in a natural way and without making you look sick. What you also want is to find a shade that is one tone darker than your inner lip.
• Bright lipstick: the best advice Bobbi Brown has for you on this is to choose colors that you will be able to sheer out with some lip balm. This helps you tone the brightness down in case the color doesn&#;t look exactly perfect on your lips.

• Ladies with fair skin will look best wearing lipsticks in shades of pink, coral, peach, nude, and beige.
• Those with a medium skin tone might want to consider trying orange-based reds, tangerines, and even copper and bronze shades, especially if you have warm undertones.
• Women with tanned-skin can try vibrant colors like coral, deep pink hues, and orange-based shades to enhance their complexion.
• Ladies with a dark skin tone can give brown and purple shades like walnut, caramel, and wine a try. You can also wear deep plum, berry, dark purple, and red shades for a bolder look.
  

7. Choose an eyebrow pencil according to your hair color.

• Red hair: For redheads, apart from your hair color, you must also take your skin tone and eye color into consideration. If there is some pink in your skin tone, you want to avoid a pencil that is the exact same color as your hair. In this case, you would want something ashier.
• Brown hair: It is advised to stay within 2 tones within your hair color range. You will also need to pair your pencil with your eye color since lighter eyes will need something darker for definition. On the other hand, darker eyes will look better with a lighter pencil.
• Black hair: Instead of trying to find the exact same shade of black for your brows, you might want to just look for a medium brown. This will lighten your face features a lot.
• Blond hair: In this case, you want to pair your pencil with the base of your hair. This means that you want the darker shade of blond that&#;s in your hair. Pairing your eyebrows with the lightest part of your hair will make you look tired and washed-out.

Do you usually take into consideration the above criteria? If so, have you seen a huge improvement in your skin and the way your products pair with it?

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Please note: This article was updated in December to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

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