About
Who are the Beauty Brains?
The Beauty Brains are a group of cosmetic scientists who understand what the chemicals used in cosmetics really do, how products are tested, and what all the advertising means.
Left Brain
The most hardcore skeptical scientist of all the Beauty Brains, the Left Brain peruses the world of science to bring you the latest developments and how they might apply to the cosmetic world.
Right Brain
Still scientific, but a bit less militant, the Right Brain has a good eye for the humorous, and human interest, side of science. The Right is particularly skilled in interpreting advertising claims.
Sarah Bellum
The more sensitive Beauty Brain, Sarah focuses on the aesthetics of the cosmetic world and is more likely to find stories on the pages of People than Pubmed.
The Other Lobes
The other Brains work behind the scenes researching questions, reviewing the latest beauty technology, and keeping up with the day to day business of running this website. As we continue to grow, you’ll be hearing from some of the other “lobes.” All of us use “brainy” nicknames because being anonymous lets us blog about all kinds of products from many different companies without any bias.
What’s the Purpose of The Beauty Brains?
We’re here to help you cut through the confusing, misleading and sometimes false information that the beauty companies bombard you with. Our goal is to explain cosmetic science to you in a way that’s entertaining and easy to understand. We believe the more information you have, the better you’ll be able to find products that you like at a price you can afford. So, you can listen to the advertising. Or advice from a friend. Or what your stylist tells you. But if you want to really understand cosmetic products in an unbiased, scientific way, Ask The Beauty Brains. You’ll get answers from a team of scientists who have no sales pitch and nothing for you to buy.
Ask A Question
Sound intriguing? Click here to ask a question! And welcome to the Beauty Brains community.
And to get your daily dose of The Beauty Brains subscribe via RSS now!
Want more Beauty Brains brilliance? Get your copy of the Beauty Brains book here.
DISCLOSURE POLICY
This policy is valid from 03 December 2009
This blog is a collaborative blog written by a group of individuals. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
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Love the site- Excellent! I have been telling our readers this info for years! Great to see some experts back it up. Keep up the great work.
Hey, this is the site I’d love to have made if I wasn’t a scatterbrain! I’ve added you to my roll, and I’ll be following you. This kind of info really needs a home, and I’m glad that you’re doing it.
Great site! I love that you cut through the marketing. This info needs to be out there!
HI!
have you heard anything about a product called Dermasal for tattoo removal…..have you heard of one that works???
thanks
Lynn
Who are you? Love the site, but now wonder if you aren’t a front for drugstore.com?
Kay, I can assure you that we are not a front for drugstore.com. We belong to their affiliate program but that’s about it. They just do an excellent job of providing ingredient lists and product claims. Quite helpful when trying to analyze a company’s formula. Another great site (competitor of drugstore.com) is Ulta.com. You can find some great information here too.
Who are we? We are just scientists who work in the beauty industry, trying to be a candle in the darkness of Cosmetic Marketing.
Hello Brains! I just happened to stumble onto this site myself after being another minion following the Jan Marini craze! I have a degree in biology and a job in pharmaceuticals…I know all TOO well how the FDA works and how stringent studies and submitted information must be for a product to land an indication for something. STILL, I was getting pulled in by their trickery! I was cursed with bad genetics in the hair department–thin strands and terrible growth patterns. I want so badly to believe that her new Age Intervention Hair could help me out…but secretly I knew better! I am so glad I found your site before I got in a depressed mood and spent 160 bucks on something that won’t help. I love science because its honest. Thanks for what you do…but you better tell me when they figure out how to change my genetics in the hair department!
I googled Jan Marini’s Age Intervention Eyelash after reading an article in March ’07 Elle Magazine that Dr. Patricia Wexler uses it, and it’s a must! So glad I found this site before odering. I’m adding Beauty Brains to my “favorites”. Thanks!
I also would like to hear from the scientists running this site. If they are professionals they have a responsiblity to protect the public and safety should be their mission. Is this the case?
evpowell, Our mission is stated above. But thanks for your suggestion. It is our belief that people have to think for themselves. We can tell people when we think something is marketing hype or bogus but it’s up to them to decide what to do with the information.
hello,
really like the idea of your site and appreciate your work. But one question: in the interest of transparency and scientific accountability, why don’t you list your names and your credentials? Could you at least say what your degrees are in and where you got them? Seems incredible that someone can just claim to be a “scientist” and be completely anonymous and vague about it.
Thanks–
A
this is a great site
im glad i found it
keep up the good work, you’re helping us all out!
Loving the site!
Thank God there are people out there who care enough to answer my beauty questions!
I admit, I’ve become a lurker!
Keep updating please,
Alicia
You brains are awesome!
keep it up!
This is great!
i am so glad i stumbled upon you and your site. its exactly what i am about. the science behind beauty.thank you.
Your site is so unique. I’m not sure how I got here but I’m glad I found it! Thanks a bunch!
Wonderful site, how about a little about Sara here in the who are the beautybrains section
Finally – a website that is balanced and a real benefit to the public. With so many scaremongering websites it wasn’t just refreshing to find this website, it was downright thrilling! I am involved in Household and Industrial Cleaning and I have recommended the HI&I industry take a look at your site.
You are doing a Great job ! Keep it Up.
I enjoyed reading the blogs on your website. But I’m wondering why you don’t post your credentials for answering these types of questions. How can I trust what you’re saying if I don’t know what type of background you have?
Hi Stacey,
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading The Beauty Brains! As a regular to our site you’re probably familiar with the Left and Right Brains and Sarah Bellum. But there are others in the Brains who help with researching and running the blog. From time to time, our readers ask for more details about our identities and our credentials. Unfortunately, since we all work for companies in the cosmetic industry, we can’t say too much for fear of creating a conflict with our “day jobs.”
Rest assured though, we are all degreed scientists (chemists, biologists, biochemists, etc.) who work (or have worked in the past) for some of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world.
I hope this answer is satisfying; we certainly want you to trust us! Thanks for being part of our community!
Arbonne claims by using “nanotechnology” the products can be delivered to the deeper layers of the skin. Is this true and does it really work.
Great site. I found vanilla from cow dung fascinating. Also, use of chicken bone marrow interesting. Organic issues!
Keep up the good work
I am curious: is BeautyBrains sponsored by a company? I have found some of your content interesting but it seems some of it is rather biased. I am like many here and would like to see your credentials. But I would take that one step further and would like to know who owns and pays for this service. Could it be one of the companies you tend to write glowing praise for?
Hi Jack,
I suppose we are biased – toward products that we know have a scientific basis. But we promise we’re not sponsored by any company. We’re an independent group of scientists and our efforts to help educate our community are supported by the advertisers you see on our site.
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