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Without setting aside our “emotional” criteria, we have all realized that a rational approach to choosing a skincare product is now the rule:
purposeful choices (certified organic, vegan…)
choices for your health (hypoallergenic, free from controversial ingredients…)
choices based on effectiveness (% of active ingredients, clinical results…).
But what tools do you have to make the right choices? Let me tell you a secret: even the marketing departments of most brands have no idea what they are selling. That is what I observed when I was running a formulation laboratory serving brands, before creating Novexpert. So where can you find the right information to choose a skincare brand?
Ultimately, the question is no longer which brand we have chosen, but why we chose it! And that changes everything.
I no longer like the word “transparency,” which has now become overused. But I have to admit that, thanks to this new demand, consumers have pushed companies to communicate differently! Today, you do not only look at a product’s benefits but also whether the brand upholds values that align with yours. A little like an election: you are given the election platform (organic, natural origin, environmentally friendly, made in France…) and you make the choice!
And to make a choice, you have become true everyday investigators, each with a different profile:
Their weapon: apps
Their target: barcodes
YUKA: with its 21 million fans, it is a must-have: comprehensive (food & cosmetics), it is a resolutely committed app with very firm opinions.
INCI BEAUTY: This is the most tech-focused app, with a very clear website. Here too, the app takes a position, using ratings and colors that penalize the least “virtuous” formulas.
CLEAN BEAUTY: with this app, you do not scan the barcode but the ingredient list (which is sometimes not so easy with a tube…). You then receive information about ingredients of concern: endocrine disruptors, irritating agents, etc., supported by scientific evidence.
QUELPRODUIT: an app designed by the magazine Que Choisir. It replaces the previous QuelCosmetic version because it now includes food and household products. It focuses on specifying the level of risk according to age and whether or not the product is rinsed off. Its position on controversial molecules is more measured and it retains only those for which there is established scientific consensus.
COSMETHICS: a very clear classification according to 3 categories (safe, allergy risk, or toxic risk) — it can also be personalized according to your own allergies, for example. One small drawback: the database is not yet very extensive.
MIREILLE: a new paid app created by a biologist and a YouTuber that also allows you to analyze your skincare products ingredient by ingredient. Here, the product is not rated, but the ingredients are! Alternatives considered more “natural” may also be suggested.
Their weapon: websites
Their target: organizations
EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a true institution in the USA and allows you to learn everything about the ingredients that make up your skincare product: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ . You can even access scientific publications on each active ingredient. Serious stuff… Too bad this organization, which also offers a complete evaluation of formulas, covers only cosmetics sold in the USA.
For now, there is no French equivalent (an opportunity for entrepreneurs!), but the Observatoire des cosmétiques allows its subscribers to search for an ingredient and obtain up-to-date information, as well as the cosmetic products in which it is found.
You also have "La verité sur les cosmétiques," which provides a database of ingredients and, above all, editorials and product tests that demonstrate genuine independence. Finally, I would add https://cosmeticobs.com/fr/: a specialized site for connoisseurs and very popular with professionals in the beauty industry. Its premium subscription is very comprehensive.
Their weapon: social media
Their target: influencers
Influencers are a less dry, more friendly source and can help you discover “hidden gems.” And when some of them wield irony brilliantly, it becomes a pleasure in its own right. I will leave it to you to identify, according to your own criteria, those who will satisfy your thirst for information, while of course watching out for those who follow the money. A small clue to their independence: if they talk as readily about unknown brands as they do about established brands, with a touch of freedom that allows them to criticize, that is generally a good sign.
Their weapon: specialists
Their target: dermatologists and naturopaths
I have not mentioned them yet; perhaps that surprises you, since clearly they are best placed as skin experts. But the fact is that only a few brands fund medical representatives to promote their products, so their knowledge of the cosmetic market is necessarily limited. My advice? Show your dermatologist the skincare product you use (with the packaging displaying the ingredient list) so they can advise you. The same advice applies to your naturopath, who can guide you as long as the formula is natural.
Oh yes they do, but most of them have become… inaudible! You think I am being harsh? Yesterday, they championed silicone and harsh chemicals; today, they promise to save the world… In the past, they mocked natural products, but now they embrace them shamelessly (in their messaging only). It reeks of opportunism, or even panic at being left behind by consumers who have memory and common sense! To see more clearly through this cosmetic cacophony, here are my final two tips:
1 / A COMPASS RATHER THAN A WEATHER VANE: make sure the brand’s “positioning” has not changed over several years, which reflects deep-rooted convictions.
2 / FACTS RATHER THAN WORDS: pay attention to the content of their communications. It must be unambiguous. For example, when it comes to natural origin, the total percentage of the formula must be displayed, along with the organization that certified it. And this should apply to every product from the brand, without exception…
Happy investigating, everyone, and above all, contact us if you discover any hidden gems (hint: you do not have to go too far...).
Buying a skincare product means choosing a product, yes, but today it is above all about trusting a brand. Are you looking for a committed brand offering effective products of natural origin? You are absolutely right. We are much more than “beauty makers”; we want to be knowledge brokers.
So we do our best to advise you and turn you into an informed super-consumer! Apps, websites, influencers, specialists: choose what suits you best to learn more and make your own choices!
At Novexpert, it is much more than beautiful promises; it is a completely transparent approach: 100% skincare products of natural origin, vegan, made in France, with concentrated active ingredients and proven effectiveness. Discover, for example, the iconic Hyaluronic Acid Booster Serum or explore our entire world of skincare products and routines.
Beautiful skin is above all healthy skin.
Creating a new way of doing beauty is a necessity. For 15 years, Novexpert has been committed to demanding cosmetics based on science and facts. These are researchers fascinated by science, passionate about skin and health.
And here is what we do.
Explain, share, and teach: how the body works, how the skin works.
Formulate without compromise: products 100% natural origin and highly concentrated active ingredients.
Test, study, adjust, for clinically proven effective care.
Support, provide what a serum, a dietary supplement, or a treatment lacks: nutrition, sleep, advice, and daily recommendations.
Create a new kind of care to take care of your skin.
