"Cosmetics Cop" compares Cheap vs Expensive Facial Cream

Reported by: John Matarese

Its a question that women have been asking for decades: Will spending more money at the makeup counter give you better looking skin?

The cosmetics companies want us to think so....but one woman is on a mission to prove them wrong.

Paula Begoun has spent 20 years calling herself "The Cosmetics Cop." The author of the book "Don't go to the Cosmetics Counter without me" has a simple message: No cream, no matter the price, will eliminate wrinkles.

Paula says "there isn't a cosmetic skin care product in putting a cosmetic surgeon out of business. If it worked, no one would have wrinkles."

Expensive vs Cheaper Products

During a recent stop in our studios...the Seattle based author told me many drugstore brands are fine. Plenty of cosmetics companies would disagree...but Paula says a $7 jar of Olay or a $4 tube of Neutrogena can be as good as products costing $40, $50 or more."

Example? She says a 60 dollar bottle of "Creme de la Mer" cleanser is no better than inexpensive "Cera Ve," which is a fraction of the price. She says "its a great cleanser: $12 for 12 ounces at the drugstore. The only place you'll notice a difference is in your budget."

Some of Paula's recommended brands:
-Avon
-Neutrogena
-Olay Regenerist

Eye Cream Warning

Another pet peeve of Paula's: Expensive tiny jars of eye cream.
Paula tells me"what they end up doing is giving you half as much of eye cream...and charging you twice as much, and telling you its concentrated. In most cases, it;'s the same formula."

Another tip: she also suggests buying moisturizer in airtight bottles, not widemouth jars.

Wide jars, she says, are not air tight ..."so that $300 expensive moisturizer, once you open it, stick your finger in it, all the expensive ingredients would be gone in no time."

Creams as good as Botox?

Paula's final piece of advice: Beware any facial cream comparing itself to Botox injections.

She says if a product in a jar was really as as good as Botox...Botox's manufacturers would be out of business in a week, as would all the plastic surgeons who inject it.

So she says Dont Waste your Money on outrageous claims. I'm John Matarese.