I find drug store versions of name brand skincare products to be pretty fascinating. Recently I saw some pretty bold anti-aging claims on two SPF 70 sunscreen options at CVS. One was from the name brand (Neutrogena), while the other was CVS’s generic version, under a very similar name (Age Defense rather than Neutrogena’s Age Shield). A shield is a type of defense, so I think this is pretty much a case where the marketing team looked up “shield” in the thesaurus when it…

Shave gels are one of the most interesting personal care products on the market—particularly the ones marketed to men. They have to simultaneously achieve the purpose of soothing the skin after it’s been freshly shaven with a sharp (or sometimes dull) razor, they have to make men feel pampered (which is usually achieved through some combination of fragrance and a velvety texture), and they have to make sure they don’t damage the integrity of razors by clogging or dulling the blades.…

I never had the chicken pox as a kid. But I know what it’s like to feel intense itchiness, so much so that you want to rip off the top layer of your skin. Itchy, eczema-ridden hands are the worst. You try and try not to scratch, but it’s nearly impossible not to (especially when you’re sleeping). You wake up in the morning and you can tell that you scratched during the middle of the night. You apply steroid creams but they thin out the skin, so you’re told not to apply…