https://www.mydadthechemist.com/categories/disappointing-products/ Recent content in disappointing products on My Dad the Chemist, a blog with skincare recommendations for real people Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/acure-buildup-balancing-conditioner-review/ Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/acure-buildup-balancing-conditioner-review/ The water in my apartment is so hard that it leaves mineral deposits on my sink and bathtub—and it’s also the bane of my hair’s existence. It makes my hair feel dull and oily, no matter how often I wash it. I recently bought a bottle of CLR cleaner and it’s been a game changer. But unfortunately, solving the problem for my hair is a more complicated matter. After all, I can’t just spray some CLR cleaner on my hair and call it a day. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/cetaphil-sheer-mineral-sunscreen-review/ Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/cetaphil-sheer-mineral-sunscreen-review/ Cetaphil makes some of the most trustworthy skin care products you’re likely to find at the drugstore today. Lots of people have raved about their lotions, including me. But a few months ago, I tried one of their sunscreens, and I could instantly understand why this company isn’t famous for its sunscreen. I’ve only used it a few times because it makes me look like a ghost, so I tend to reach for other sunscreens instead of this one. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/evoluderm-micellar-water-review/ Sun, 28 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/evoluderm-micellar-water-review/ Micellar water has been big business for a while now. This magical elixir promises to remove makeup and sunscreen (even water-resistant ones) without requiring you to tug at your skin or undergo a double cleansing process. I picked up Evoluderm Micellar Water for Dry & Sensitive Skin from TJ Maxx on a whim. I’d been hearing about the benefits of micellar water for some time. Even though I don’t wear makeup, I am always looking for a way to remove my water-resistant, tinted sunscreen without irritating or drying out my face. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/la-roche-posay-rosaliac-cc-cream-review/ Sun, 21 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/la-roche-posay-rosaliac-cc-cream-review/ It’s Father’s Day! My dad and I aren’t the kind of people who can just shoot the breeze over the phone. When we can’t be together in the same place, it’s often hard to get him to keep talking to me unless we have a specific reason to talk. So I’m grateful that this blog has given us a new way to connect and share ideas, and for me to learn more about what he did for many years before he retired. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/kiehls-midnight-recovery-concentrate-review/ Thu, 14 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/kiehls-midnight-recovery-concentrate-review/ Last fall, I attended the grand opening of the first Nordstrom in NYC, and snagged a bunch of Kiehl’s goodies for free. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate was the smallest sample of the bunch. It came in a miniscule, 0.14-oz. glass vial with a dropper. When I went home and looked it up, I understood why the bottle was so tiny. This stuff is expensive. Are you curious to see if it lives up to its price tag? https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/walgreens-baby-spf50-sunscreen-review/ Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/walgreens-baby-spf50-sunscreen-review/ I love a good deal, but if you buy something that you’re not going to use, it’s no longer a good deal—it’s just a penny saved, a penny wasted. This is exactly the sinking thought that came to mind when I finally tried out that bottle of Walgreens Baby SPF 50 Sunscreen I bought on clearance a while ago. I’m writing this review in hopes of saving others from the same fate: If you see this sunscreen at your local drugstore, save yourself a few bucks and…just. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/coppertone-waterbabies-sunscreen-spf50-review/ Sun, 12 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/coppertone-waterbabies-sunscreen-spf50-review/ When given the option between a physical sunscreen and a chemical one, I’ll choose the physical one every time, because many chemical sunscreens irritate my face. But given the option between no sunscreen and a chemical sunscreen, I’ll likely choose the chemical sunscreen if I have to spend some time in the sun. Lately I found myself in that situation, which is why I had the opportunity to try out a chemical sunscreen I would normally never use or buy: Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen SPF 50. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/suave-silkening-body-lotion-baby-oil-review/ Sun, 10 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/suave-silkening-body-lotion-baby-oil-review/ When I was at my parents' house about a month ago, I noticed an open bottle of Suave Silkening Lotion with Baby Oil in the bathroom. My last experience with a Suave product did not go so well, so I’ve been wary of using any product that contains DMDM Hydantoin and/or fragrances ever since then. However, I can never resist the opportunity to try out a new hand lotion, so I decided to try out just a little bit. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/moroccanoil-hair-treatment-review/ Sun, 27 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/moroccanoil-hair-treatment-review/ I still remember the first time I discovered the magical qualities of the hair straightener. As an awkward teenager with frizzy, wavy (not in the cute way) hair, I could have benefited from discovering this appliance five years before I finally used it for the first time in college. Since moving to NYC, I haven’t had as much of a problem with frizzy hair, since the NYC humidity seems to actually help tame my hair in comparison to the dry heat of Los Angeles, where I grew up. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/amorepacific-treatment-cleansing-foam-review/ Sat, 19 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/amorepacific-treatment-cleansing-foam-review/ I just came back from another trip and was happy to be able to use my travel-friendly bottle of Fresh Soy Face Cleanser (review here). Today I’ll be reviewing another travel-size face wash: AmorePacific Treatment Cleansing Foam, which I received as a sample. The problem with sample and smaller-sized face washes is that the ingredients may not be printed on the bottle. My bottle only listed the instructions—not one peep about the ingredients. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/suave-professionals-sleek-and-smooth-conditioner-irritation-review/ Tue, 15 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/suave-professionals-sleek-and-smooth-conditioner-irritation-review/ At Whole Foods, you can see a Purell dispenser that says, “Free of parabens.” Those words may provide comfort to anyone who doesn’t like parabens, but they only make me wonder what those wipes contain instead of parabens. All personal care products usually have to contain preservatives, unless they’re completely water-free (since microbes need water to live)—see a list of preservative-free products here. Anyway, I guess I’ve been thinking about preservatives—and their potential to irritate us to varying degrees—because of my recent experience with Suave Professionals Sleek & Smooth Conditioner. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/not-your-mothers-leave-in-conditioner-review/ Tue, 13 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/not-your-mothers-leave-in-conditioner-review/ My hair gets pretty darn frizzy in the summer. I usually throw my hair into a ponytail because I’d have to get up an hour earlier to have enough time to tame all that frizziness. I was curious if Not Your Mother’s Leave-In Conditioner could help keep my hair under control, so I picked up a bottle when it went on sale at CVS. I bought it on the same day I picked up Not Your Mother’s Texturizing Sea Salt Spray. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/the-inkey-list-retinol-serum-review/ Fri, 09 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/the-inkey-list-retinol-serum-review/ THE INKEY LIST, to put it in Zoolander lingo, is…“so hot right now.” This company continues to take the world of skincare by storm, following in the tradition of transparent, affordable skincare that has garnered so much success for the The Ordinary. However, instead of The Ordinary’s signature glass bottles with droppers, THE INKEY LIST products are packaged in plastic tubes or bottles with black-and-white labels. The company only sells 20 skincare products, all of which cost under $20—which maybe explains why, when I checked a few minutes ago, over half of those products were sold out. https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/not-your-mothers-texturizing-sea-salt-hair-spray-review/ Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/not-your-mothers-texturizing-sea-salt-hair-spray-review/ Ever since I got back from Hawaii, I’ve been daydreaming of long, lazy days at the beach. That’s probably why I impulse-bought Not Your Mother’s Texturizing Sea Salt Spray when I spotted it at CVS. It promises to leave your hair looking perfectly wind-tousled, like you just spent the day at the beach. I was intrigued—I’ve only ever used sea salt for cooking/eating before. Could it really help texturize my hair and shape it into glamorous, tousled waves? https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/cotz-plus-spf-58-sunscreen-review/ Sat, 20 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.mydadthechemist.com/reviews/cotz-plus-spf-58-sunscreen-review/ My local TJ Maxx recently revamped its layout, and significantly improved its beauty section. I was really excited to score two physical sunscreens, each priced at less than 50 percent of their retail value. One of them was CoTZ Plus SPF 58 Mineral Sunscreen, which I’m reviewing today. CoTZ has an interesting story behind its name. It actually stands for “Contains only Titanium and Zinc”—the company has doubled down on physical sunscreens, so all of its sunscreens are formulated with either a combination of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, or only zinc oxide.