I want to be beautiful, at the best price!

I decrypt the labels

The INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) list at the back of our tubes looks like Chinese? The ingredients are listed in descending order of importance . "The first 3 or 4 constitute 80 to 90% of the product; the following can be present at 1%, or even much less, "says Laurence Wittner, Cosmetics Observatory. The reading of the first line therefore makes it possible to gauge the recipe for a product . On your mind ? Water (aqua), alcohol (alcohol) and mineral oils (paraffin). Plant extracts have their Latin name: Matricaria Chamomilla for chamomile, for example. As for the names of the classical molecules, they are written in English (shea butter for shea butter, etc.). When the content of the ingredients is less than 1%, manufacturers have the right to quote them in disorder. As a result, the ingredient that has the wind in its stem can be placed high enough in the list , even though it represents only 0.001% of the total of the recipe. Conclusion? When a label emphasizes the presence of argan oil, for example, it is better to see it placed as high as possible. Otherwise, the product contains very little.

I find the right assets

In cosmetics, there are marketing assets , with complex names and beautiful stories around, and the others, which are not new but have proved themselves: hyaluronic acid that replenishes the epidermis, antioxidant vitamin E , or anti-cellulite caffeine. But in the face of more and more informed consumers, brands have reacted. The simpler , clearer formulas ... The labs now prefer formulas containing a single "active star" highly dosed rather than cocktails with dozens of assets. It is the case of the State Pure brand, which plays the game to the end by launching 40 "pure assets", and Vichy, which capitalizes on its queen molecule, a sugar extracted from the birch, and pushed its concentration to 10% in its new serum.
The same goes for Lancôme, who puts the promises of his visionary care on LR 2412, a molecule mimicking the effect of jasmonic acid on the healing of plants, dosed at 4%.

The advantage of "less but better"? The tolerance of formulas increases . "If you put too many ingredients into a cosmetic, it can overstract the skin and turn out to be counterproductive," says Dr. Sheldon Pinel, dermatologist, founder of the SkinCeuticals brand. "The skin can not bear everything : it is very necessary to control the capacity of the assets to cohabit," he concludes. This is why the expert brands of sensitive skin nowadays rely on even shorter formulas, such as Avène's DEFI Extreme Tolerance Cream, and on packaging that minimizes the use of preservatives, such as the Hydraphase Intense cream from La Roche- Posay, with an airless bottle with a retractable pocket.

I buy in pharmacy

The supermarkets are unbeatable in terms of low prices, but the pharmacy-parapharmacy sector is a serious challenger, a true place of beauty become more glamorous, with brands like Nuxe or Caudalie. No wonder that a brand like L'Occitane has decided to establish itself in 750 pharmacies in the provinces. And just take a look at the parapharmacy space of Monoprix or Leclerc: gift boxes, 2 products purchased, 1 product offered, loyalty cards . Of what to do sacred business .

I play the multifunction card

Consuming smart is also know how to divert our products from their initial use . And, in the matter, studio makeup artists are experts. Miky, at Lancôme, likes to use a pink lipstick as a blush: "The creamy side gives a very sweet result". His other tip? Use a pearly white pencil as an illuminator by hatching areas that need to hang light. We fade to the finger and hop , the shine is there. Good to know: we can also divert other everyday objects, such as socks or a toothbrush.

Side deviations, the good plans of girlfriends

• Recycle a mascara a little dry in eye-liner spreading on the back of the hand, then adding a drop of cream. In passing, one recovers the brush, one cleans it, and one makes a super brush with eyebrows.
• Use a cream too rich , bought by mistake, like a mask , to apply in thick layer on evenings where the skin is flap ...
• Recycle a shampoo that you do not like too much smell to wash its sponges and make-up brushes .