Kind of chic to talk cosmetic

Are you ready for yet another unpopular opinion? Good!

For several years, I worked for L'Oréal Europe, where I had a front-row seat to the fascinating world of cosmetics and luxury marketing. One thing became very clear to me: a product's success isn't determined by what's inside the bottle. In many cases, it's the story that's being sold. The campaign. The packaging. The perfectly lit bathroom shelf. The beautiful woman convincing you this serum changed her life. And today, with social media and influencer culture, that phenomenon has only intensified.

Everything needs a curated story. It sells an "experience". But can we please cut the c****? All i want is results. Real ones. Ok?

The truth is, ingredients do matter. Formulations matter. Research matters. Marketing... matters too. But shouldn't. Not as much.

Today, anyone can source a ready-made moisturizer from a wholesale supplier, add a beautifully designed private label from Canva, and launch a skincare brand almost overnight. It's never been easier (or cheaper) to build a beauty brand. While there's nothing inherently wrong with private labeling, it can make it increasingly difficult for consumers to know whether they're paying for a good formula or simply exceptional marketing.

I've reached a point where I can say, without exaggeration, that I've been disappointed by about 75% of the beauty products I've purchased over the past few years. Whether it's skincare or makeup, the cycle is almost always the same: a flawless campaign, thousands of glowing reviews, influencers declaring it "life-changing"... and then the product arrives. More often than not, it simply doesn't live up to the promise. That extremely posh foundation covers your face exactly the same than True Match. The $45 blush that gets your cheeks just as pink as any E.L.F would. Your Drunk Elephant Sunshine drops are formulated with peptides and cocoa extract to deliver a warm, sun-kissed glow while supporting the skin barrier blablabla. Word salad.

There are two brands that stood out to me in 2026 : One that i've been genuinely impressed with (i hate the term obsessed with. it's skincare, okay?) recently is Froya Cosmetics. Their products deliver exactly what they promise. Another unexpected favorite has been Vitamasques. Their treatments cost around ten dollars and can be found at Target or Walmart, yet some of their products have performed just as well as formulas several times the price (looking at you Rhodes...).

If you get anything out of this post, let it be a reminder that price and popularity aren't always indicators of quality.

Somewhere along the way, beauty became another status symbol.

Owning the "right" under eye patches, the "it" lip treatment, or the skincare brand everyone is talking about can sometimes feel less about finding products that work for you and more about belonging to a club. So don't buy something because the internet tells you it's the next obsession. Buy what works. Stay curious. Think for yourself. To me, that's infinitely more chic.

There is nothing luxurious about spending hard-earned money simply to keep up with someone else's trend.

True confidence is rarely found while following the crowd.