Theres is always a lot of hype with new product launches and it usually takes some effort to realize if the hype is real or we are just wasting our hard earned cash on products which are not impactful. The cycle of hype is usually from a few months to a few years. Although some of these hyped products have withstood the test of time and proven to be very effective, there surely have been countless disappointments.
How do they make hype around a product?
A) They include brand new Ingredients
- Natural, botanical, and organic ingredients
People love the word โnaturalโ. Watermelon, tangerine, anything fruit-based. Gwyneth Paltrow is selling juice to put on your face for $100 a bottle! Have you noticed the Cannabis-based skincare lines all over the internet? **Please accept the fact that natural is not always better.
- Exotic ingredients
Some weird ingredient produced from a rare plant which grows only in southern Blue Purple Pink mountain and blooms once every gazillion years! this is what their audience would love to hear and they decorate an entire skincare line around this magical, exotic ingredient. Even if these ingredients are beneficial, the concentration is usually so low for it to be effective. ex: Snail mucin, bee venom, sheep placenta, foreskin, centipede poop.
- Alternative ingredients
They claim this new ingredient can compete with a renowned old-fashioned ingredients! You probably hear about Bakuchiol outperforming Retinoids a lot these days! though not sufficient studies to back it up!
- Sabotaging other ingredients
Consistently smashing alcohol, sulfates and parabens to advertise their โcleanโ products.
B) There is always a story or a cause behind it
Cause-marketing has become a thing in the beauty industry! Environment-friendly products, rabbit-friendly products, cancer-friendly products.Their claims are sometimes not even true! No offense to the sincere brands who actually are doing some good, the cause marketing is bullshit! Money, Money, money!
BTW, Did you know that the 10 step K-beauty routine and the worldโs fascination with K-beauty products and Korean skin led to a huge boost in the Korean economy over the past 5 years?!
C) A pretty unique memorable packaging
The packaging should remind the consumer of homemade products which they sub-continuously believe are very healthy and safe in contrast with something made by a large corporation!!! Copying some classic bottle designs is common as well.
D) The price is usually high and the product is often out of stock
The more they charge the more fascinating it appears! Remember the time The Ordinary products were always out of stock and everybody was obsessed?!
E) Clinical studies or Pseudoscience to back it up
Lots of science-like explanations is usually provided to advertise these products. Some brands do clinical tests to support their products while smaller companies does not have the budget to do that. If you want to dig deeper you should always look for an independent research which supports the productโs clinical value. I say independent because most of the time the dermatologists also benefit from the hype!
F) Advertisement
Lots of influencers and beauty bloggers rave about the benefits and uniqueness of this product and how your skincare routine has been empty before this consistently while it was launched only a month ago! When consumers see the same thing everywhere they turn they start talking about it and it is more likely that they buy the product.
It is obvious now that all the raves and viral threads does not guarantee the quality and effectiveness of a product. After a while every hype shows itโs true colors and itโll become clear if the product can live up to the hype or not
If you donโt want to fall into the hype trap read the ingredients list carefully and ask yourself:
– Does the new product contain beneficial ingredients?
– Is it compatible with my skin type? Is it going to address MY skin concerns?
– Is it superior to the products we already have? what difference this new product is going to make?
– Does it contain a new active ingredient? If it is what is it suppose to do?
– what is the concentration of this beneficial ingredient in this product?
– Who is making this product? what is the parent company?
– Who is recommending this product? What is their โhonestyโ score?
In the end if you really like a product and you can afford it, you should buy it. Yet donโt buy it blindly because of the unrealistic claims that the companies make!
