Blog #5

One of my roommates is obsessed with skincare. She is always looking for the next best thing to fix her acne-prone skin, as if that is something that will be done overnight. She's tried every facial wash, mask, toner, moisturizer, serum, and spot treatment she can find at the local target, but has not yet found something that works to quickly fix her acne. She knows she lives a fairly unhealthy lifestyle, and repeatedly expresses her want to change that. Several weeks ago, she was telling me about these "beauty supplements" that Sephora, a higher-end makeup store, has begun offering HUM beauty vitamins that promise to turn your beauty routine inside out. She told me about these "vitamins" (though they're in actuality classified as supplements) and how there is a quiz you can take that will suggest the vitamins that are right for you and your concerns. Out of curiosity I gave their website a look. It's no wonder she was so mesmerized. With bright colors and eye-pleasing pictures, the website seems to lift your spirits. A bottle with a months supply of their pills runs you between $10-$30, depending on what the pill is meant to do. All of their supplements seem appealing, promising better nails, shinier hair and glowing skin, energy boosts, stress relief, and even weight-loss. However, the fine print at the bottom of their webpage reads that none of their claims have been evaluated or accepted by the FDA. Keeping this in mind, I drew some prior knowledge from a previous pharmacology course. Oftentimes, supplements such as these that are not FDA regulated may contain harmful ingredients, such as heavy metals and carcinogens that are not tested for or required to be on the label as there are no regulations behind these. Ultimately, despite my best efforts to question my roommate's intrigue, she went ahead with the purchase of three of these beauty vitamins. So far, she hasn't noticed any changes, and I kind of doubt she will. With the grand claims and brilliantly beautiful and feel-goody packaging, how can you say no to trying it out? If it were me, I think I would try to change up my lifestyle or see a doctor or dermatologist or something, but who knows if this actually works? Maybe it's the placebo effect, or a combination of the supplement along with some other change that has customers continue their purchasing. Ultimately, a lot of the ingredients in these supplements can be found in your daily recommended fruits and vegetables. Maybe that's the place to start.