I am sure most of the cosmetic chemists have been asked at least once, if not million times- WHAT DO YOU USE? The politically correct way we are trained to say is “Whatever we are developing!”. Of course, for continuous improvement, whatever product the cosmetic chemists are doing SHOULD be the best.
Cosmetic chemists also are constantly testing out new products on the market for competitive reviews. Being a cosmetic chemist does not guarantee you have the most beautiful skin just like a manicurist can not wear nail polishes or perfumers can not wear perfume to work. It is hard to say in general what line of product is the best as you do not know if every product in the line are created equal.
Another question often asked is “does price matter? ” For me, if I would have to buy a mass brand product, I definitely go for the big known brands like P&G, L’Oreal or Avon. For a masstige or prestige or niche products, there are more room to try different brands as most of the smaller brands may not have the money backed up by R&D but they are willing to use the best ingredients at the most proper concentration.
SO- what do I use? Here’s my FAVORITE list but not an exclusive list since I have mountains of products from my own development, from clients, from actual purchases, and from sampling programs like BeautyArmy and New Beauty. It is not really fair to say these are the IT list but surely My PICK only.
For Hair: Mass- Pantene is the way to go. Their conditioners is so buttery you can feel down to your toe when you rinse. Prestige– Joico K Pak has enjoyed decades of fame and still great. They have a new hair mask totally rocking.
For Skin: Mass- Olay or Neutrogena are decent for the creams/lotions. For Prestige, Lauder or Dr. Denese products are awesome. I am in particular favor of Dr. D’s skin firming pads, hydroshield serum and eye cream. I also religiously use GrandCentralBeauty SMART Skin Perfecting mask weekly.
For Color: Mass- Maybelline has done a fabulous job in mascaras/blush/eyesahdow. Avon color also has great offerings. For Prestige, Paula Dorf, Fusion brands, MAC are my favorites.
For Fragrance: For mass market, Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret fragrances are very affordable. For prestige, I like Marc Jacob Daisy, Prada Candy, Ralph Lauren Blue, D&G Light Blue.
So- these are the just “some” of the products that you will find in my “rooms” of beauty products 🙂