The Complete Guide to Buying Skincare Products Online for New Users

December 29, 2021

Did you know that in 2021 the skincare industry has increased to 100 billion dollars? This growth is only expected to continue in the years to come since, after all, good skincare is a way of life for many people. However, if you're new to buying skincare products online, you might be unsure as to where you should start. 

After all, when shopping online instead of in-person, sellers can more easily scam you. Beyond that, you might end up buying the wrong product for your skin because you missed the product details on the website. How can you save yourself time and money when it comes to your online skincare product options?

Fortunately, you found the right article to guide you through the jungle of online shopping. With this article, you'll learn everything you need to know when it comes to finding the right skincare product store online and choosing the right products for you. With this information, you'll never regret an online skincare purchase. 

To start off, let's take a look at what you need to look for when choosing a skincare product store website to shop from. 

How to Choose an Online Store for Skincare Products

Buying good skincare products online can be harder than you might expect, especially if you don't know how to differentiate a professional seller from a non-professional seller. Skincare products tend to be expensive and the money you spend on them is worth it only if they're the real deal and not a cheap ripoff of another company's formula. No one wants to spend a hundred dollars on a skin cream only to find out that it's not really any better than lotion you can buy at the grocery store, right?

So, where should you start when it comes to finding a reputable online store? These days, scammer websites can look surprisingly professional. However, there are a few things that you can look for that can help you distinguish a reputable brand from a non-reputable brand.

The first thing you should look for is online customer reviews. In the age of the internet that we live in, almost every brand has reviews and they can give great insight into the quality of a brand. If you decide to shop from a company that you've never heard of before, you'll want to check more than how many stars that company has.

Exploring Customer Reviews

You'll most likely want to explore what previous customers have to say. Customer comments can give you the full story of what is good or bad about a certain company. After all, if you scroll through reviews and only look at how many stars a company has, you won't really know why it was rated well or poorly. 

When rummaging through customer reviews, try looking for the most negative reviews first. Negative reviews, especially if they are all similar, will let you know about common problems that the company has. For example, if many people say that a certain skincare product from a given company gave them skin rashes or irritation, that most likely means that the skincare product is made of cheap materials and isn't a great choice.

What if there are only a few negative reviews and a mountain of positive reviews? As a rule, the fewer negative reviews there are, the better. This is evidence that people don't have much to complain about when it comes down to the company's products. 

You can also disregard negative reviews that have nothing to do with the quality of the skincare products themselves. For example, some might give a brand negative reviews because the shipping time was too long or they accidentally ordered the wrong product. After you read through enough negative comments, you'll be able to get an idea of what kind of products a given company sells and what quality they are. 

From the negative comments, you can read the positive comments since they are equally important. Positive comments will tell you more about the quality of different products and how these products work for different people. The more positive comments a company has, the more reputable they likely are. 

Check The Ingredients

Checking the ingredients is always an important task before you buy any kind of skincare product. This is especially true if you have any allergies. There are many products in cheap skincare products that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. 

Many skincare products have even been taken off the shelves for including certain ingredients that might cause cancer in the long term. Some reputable skincare companies might even sell products that have harmful ingredients in them. So, how can you tell the difference between ingredients that are good for your skin and ingredients that might harm your complexion? 

All you have to do is remember some of the most common harmful compounds found in skincare products. We will explore some of these compounds starting with parabens. You may or may not be surprised at how many skincare products use parabens since they are necessary to preserve skincare products so they'll last longer. 

However, parabens are endocrine disruptors. What does this mean exactly? The endocrine system is responsible for secreting hormones that are in turn responsible for controlling our neurological, immunological, and reproductive systems. 

There are many different types of parabens that may be included in skincare products. However, if you see the word "paraben" anywhere on a product's list of ingredients, it might be best to skip that product. 

More Harmful Ingredients

You've most likely found products with the term "fragrance" included on their ingredient lists. However, what is fragrance exactly? It's hard to say since "fragrance" is an umbrella term that can refer to a hundred different chemical compounds. 

These compounds might be harmless or they might be neurotoxins or carcinogens. Because the term "fragrance" is always so vague, it's best to avoid products that include fragrances to err on the side of caution. 

Oxybenzone is most commonly found in sunscreen. While it might be great for protecting your skin from UV rays, it might not have many other benefits. While more research is necessary, it seems that oxybenzone may disrupt the endocrine system much like parabens. 

More than that, oxybenzone is awful for the environment. The state of Hawaii banned this ingredient since it has a tendency to harm coral reefs.

One more ingredient you should be aware of is carbon black. Luckily, carbon black is not commonly used in skincare products anymore, but you may occasionally find it here and there. Carbon black, as the name suggests, is a black pigment that is mostly used in mascara and eyeliner. 

While it might give your eyes that perfect sleek look, using products with carbon black isn't worth it since this ingredient seems to increase the likelihood of developing cancer. Some researchers believe that carbon black, when used for a long period of time, may even increase the risk of certain developmental defects in fetuses. So, if you're ever shopping for black-pigmented skincare products, watch out for carbon black. 

Compare the Cost of Skincare Products

As mentioned earlier, skincare products can be very expensive. However, just because they're costly doesn't mean you always have to drain your wallet in order to take care of your skin. When shopping for skincare products online, the internet gives you the convenience of being able to check different sellers that sell the same product.

Different sellers tend to sell their products at different prices. However, this is not to say you should go straight to eBay and start buying suspiciously cheap products from a shady seller. Instead, you should stick with reputable brands. 

As long as a certain product isn't a signature product for a given brand, you can often find the same products at different companies. Some companies won't differ too much when it comes to the cost while others might differ significantly. 

Some companies might offer discounts or have coupon offers as well. So, if you're looking to save some money as you build up your skincare arsenal, don't hesitate to shop around and see which companies have the best deals. 

Another way to save money is by not buying the most expensive skincare products on the market. This may sound obvious, but for many people, the hype around certain skincare products is so great that some will pay anything to get their hands on them. Keep in mind that most skincare products almost never live up to the hype. 

This is because skincare products can only do so much. Sure, a $200 wrinkle cream might be able to take away your fine lines and wrinkles, but it won't make a fifty-year-old look eighteen again. So, don't be fooled by a hefty price tag and hype. 

Choose the Right Products for Your Skin

Many people get so caught up in the joy of shopping for new products that they forget they need to shop for products that actually work with their skin tone and complexion. Everyone's skin is unique so it's important that you know your skin type inside and out before you buy anything, otherwise you might be wasting your money. 

Some of the most common skin types are oily, dry, and sensitive skin. Some people also have acne-prone skin or a mixture of these types. As you can imagine, if you buy a moisturizer that is rich in oils when you already have oily skin, your results might not be what you hoped for. 

As a matter of fact, if you buy skincare products that are all wrong for your skin, your skin might end up worse than it was before you started using your new products. So, what kind of products should you look for when it comes to choosing the perfect products for your skin? 

Choosing the Right Ingredients for Your Skin 

If you have oily skin, you'll want to look for products that have glycolic acid or salicylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide and hyaluronic acid are great choices as well. This is because all of these ingredients are perfect for controlling oil production (often known as sebum production).  

On the other hand, hyaluronic acid is the perfect moisturizer for oily skin because it doesn't contain any oils. Instead, it attracts water so it plumps and hydrates the areas of your face that need hydration while it leaves the rest of your face alone. After using these ingredients, you should find that your skin will lose its oily sheen and instead have a healthy and moisturized glow. 

Dry skin is quite the opposite of oily skin and needs plenty of moisture to look its best. Shea butter is a great option for dry skin because of the way it locks moisture into your skin cells. You should also find a gentle exfoliant as well.

This is important because many people who have dry skin also have flaky skin. Flakey skin is the result of dead skin cells trying to slough off of your face. An exfoliant will take off all of those dead skin cells and a good moisturizer will turn dull and dry skin into hydrated skin. 

For sensitive or acne-prone skin, you'll need to be especially careful to avoid ingredients that might aggravate your complexion. More often than not, you'll be most successful when sticking with natural ingredients such as aloe vera and shea butter. As an exfoliant, oatmeal is often the best choice.

Your Guide to Buying Skincare Products Online

By the end of this article, you should know all you need to take into account before you start buying skincare products online. With this information, you can be more confident when it comes to choosing the perfect skincare products for you. 

To learn more, contact us here.





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