Paula Begoun News Letter:


Dear Paula,

I enjoyed reading in your July 17, 2003, Beauty Bulletin about the limitations and lack of scientific procedure for a cosmetic company’s testing of their products. I have a personal story to share.

During the early 1990s, I was hired by Avon as a cosmetic tester. There were a lot of ladies in my area of New York who did this for a little extra money. Avon would give us samples of various new products to use and then we had to come in to be checked by a dermatologist for "results." Of course, each time we came in we were also asked for our personal evaluation and filled out a form about how much we liked the product. We were paid a sum of about $25 or so per test, with the final compensation being tied to the number of times we had to come in during the testing period.

Anyway, what I finally understood, albeit a bit later, was that if you wanted to be called back to participate in other testing you were supposed to rave about the product. Silly me--I thought they were looking for an honest evaluation in an effort to improve the product.

In fact, I sometimes found the products I tested too perfumed and some creams made my eyes sting. After honestly reporting my negative reaction a few times too many, I was simply not called to do more tests. That's when I realized that one of the ways companies like Avon get to say how wonderful their products are is by dropping anyone from the testing panel who has a complaint. If you wanted to keep getting free cosmetics and get paid for using them, you'd better say you love it and leave it at that. So much for scientific studies!

Maxine, via email

Dear Maxine,

Your story is fascinating! Thank you for letting us in on a part of the cosmetic business that always sounds better than it actually ends up being

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