Burt's bees skin products.

Apr 3, 2017

Leuca S.

Burt's Bees is a brand that frustrates me. They're at a price point where if they omitted the fragrance and essential oils they could be a slam dunk "natural" brand that's widely available, but they repeatedly include citrus extracts and the aforementioned no-no ingredients.

A quick scan shows lemon/orange extracts, neither of which are good for your skin, especially not for when it comes to evening skin tone as they're photoreactive.

Photoreactive substances interact with UV radiation (sunlight) and can damage other organic/biological substances they come in contact with while this takes place. They have no business being on your skin and I guarantee they're in this product for their fragrance, because they aren't advertised on the packaging (for good reason). The irritating (no pun intended) part of this is that they're listed before you even get to the middle of the formula; I have never purchased this product, but I'd wager it has a very zesty smell to it.

Beautypedia can be a little extreme, but they weren't really lying in this case. Discoloration is best tackled with a multifaceted approach including exfoliation, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, melanin-inhibiting substances, and adequate sun protection. This product contains some antioxidant plant oils and what looks like a good amount of daisy extract (more on that below), but scant else that can effectively fight discoloration.

I have seen a small amount of research suggesting daisy extract can be effective at inhibiting melanin production, but it's also a plant that is more likely to irritate the skin, especially if you have any seasonal plant allergies. I don't see the benefit to picking such a double edged sword over any of the other widely substantiated melanin inhibitors available on the market.

Skincare and the cosmetic industry in general can be exhausting to keep up with. My general rule of thumb is that if I can find bad things about an ingredient without any substantial good to counteract it, it doesn't belong on my face. Well-researched ingredients will be easy to look up precisely because so much time has gone into documenting their effects on skin. Paula's Choice and by association Beautypedia can be a bit alarmist, but they at least follow the advice they give their consumers to the best of their ability.

See here about daisy: http://www.skincaredupes.com/cosmetic-ingredient/daisy-extract/

Paula's Choice has a few articles addressing ingredients/strategies to combat discoloration. You absolutely do *not* need to use their products to follow their advice; they happily recommend products from other brands that achieve the same end goal via Beautypedia. Once you've gotten better acquainted with how to really analyze ingredient labels, I highly recommend venturing out into the internet to find more indie brands that actually put out stellar products at a great price point.

See here: http://www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/brown-spots/

I apologize if this sounded like I was ranting at you; I just find myself perpetually frustrated by "natural" brands who manage to mess up really simple things that innocent consumers aren't looking out for.

Apr 3, 2017

Roz X.

That's not going to do any lightening or brightening and certainly won't tackle dark spots. I'd request a refund, but that's just my personal opinion.

(I also agree with Leuca, and although I sometimes disagree with Beautypedia, they are on the money in this instance.)  

Apr 3, 2017

Jackie S.

Thank you both so much! I should've looked it up before purchasing... but didn't lol. It's unfortunate that they are claiming things that are inaccurate. 
Sigh.

Apr 3, 2017

Leuca S.

Ideally companies would be legally held to a higher standard, but that's likely not going to be the case. I wasted a lot of money on products that did nothing back in the day. The best thing you can do is look up the ingredients of any product before you buy it. Fragrance should be minimal, solvent alcohol as well, and as a general rule if I see preservatives clogging up the early part of an ingredient list it's probably not worth my money except in very specific, single ingredient specialty products.

Apr 3, 2017

Jackie S.

Thank you Leuca,
After my her Renda's experience with retin-a, my skin is somewhat back to normal. Is it still a little too dry, and I have these sun spots and discoloration I want to get rid of. After consulting my GP she suggested that less is more for my skin. That's why was like burts bees, brightening, perfect. The hunt continues.

Apr 3, 2017

Leuca S.

What was your skin like before the retin-a?

Apr 3, 2017

Jackie S.

Normal, and sometimes Oily

Apr 3, 2017

Jackie S.

Thank you Rozberry! I went to my derm and that's when my real issues began, so I'm not too keen on spending a lot of money after that. But I totally agree. I want to find one good product instead of putzing around.

Apr 3, 2017

Leuca S.

I think it may be wise to keep your routine basic until your skin finishes recovering. Once you have a good baseline to work with I think it'd be a great idea to come back and fish for product/routine recommendations 😊