It’s hard not to be lured in by the prospect of a hot new beauty product. From products that will claim that they will get rid of your spots instantly, to products that claim they’ll reverse time, if it’s being advertised on Instagram or buy a celebrity, you might just buy it.

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Sadly, more often than not, the products you buy don’t live up to their bold claims, and the expensive new wonder cream you bought is no different from the $5 drugstore version. Understanding the labels on your skincare products can help you make better purchase decisions, helping you to spend your money wisely.

Learn the secrets of deciphering beauty labels to help you work out what to buy, and what to leave on the shelf.

Ignore the price tag

A high price tag isn’t always the marker of a quality product. While it might seem that more ‘high-end’ products have the edge when it comes to their claims, you could easily find that a lot of the ingredients on the more expensive label are also found in the cheaper label. Price doesn’t mean everything, so avoid the attitude of ‘more expensive is better’. You can read some guides to cheaper versions of expensive skincare to help you find some products that others have already taken the time to review

Learn which ingredients matter

There’s always a new trend in skincare, but not every hot new ingredient delivers the goods that are promised. Learning which skincare ingredients matter will make it easier for you to choose the right kinds of products.

So what should you be looking out for? Retinol, caffeine and various acids are typical examples of effective anti-aging products, for example. Look into companies who research and buy peptides and other products - these could help you establish who’s taking their research seriously and who are simply jumping on a trend. You could find that there is little known about these ingredients, so it could be worth you holding back until things become established.

Understand the red flags

While there are ingredients you should keep an eye out for, there are also some you should avoid. There are several chemicals of concern that you should look into to help you pick your beauty products more wisely. Buying products cheaply or buying them from untrustworthy eBay sources could save you some money, but their use of different chemicals could be a red flag. If in doubt, opt for natural ingredients to help you understand exactly what’s gone into the products you’re using.

Being better informed about the products you buy can help you make better choices when it comes to skincare and other beauty products. While there are some surprising benefits of Botox, for example, you wouldn’t just dive in without doing your research first. There are some exciting things happening in the world of skincare and beauty R&D, so watch this space for the latest developments.