Disturbing information that I'm simultaneously surprised by and expected simultaneously. Great info on the lie that the beauty industry is.

I didn't start using skincare until a few years ago and I'm almost 50. Gasp...I know! I was a network marketer for a short time for an up and coming cosmetic company who came out with a skincare line and I thought I have to try it but I couldn't afford it so I looked for cheaper versions. My skin is sensitive and I have rosacea so I wanted to be careful what I used. After reading this book, I stopped my quest to find all that stuff and now I only use a moisturizer with sunscreen. Very informative book. Don't be fooled by those expensive skincare regimens.

I picked this book up because I do have a great interest in skincare, but the information in here was nothing new for me. Regardless, it was still an interesting read. SPF and moisturize always!

This book was good but not great. I initially picked up this book because I have a love for all things skincare. So I wanted to see if there was new information I should know about what I do for my skin.

The book basically says we don’t necessarily need all of these items, which I totally understand. I just know that I’ve seen a difference in how my skin looks and feels and I enjoy that. So while I do appreciate the author’s opposite perspective, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

Very interesting perspective on the skincare industry. A very good read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC for an exchange for a review.

I love how controversial this topic is. The information in this book seemed to be well researched from somebody working in the field.

To be absolutely clear with you, I didn’t have high hopes for this book Somehow I was convinced that it would be just a bunch of info dump and nothing useful. But, I will be first to admit, that I was completely wrong.
I think this book is a great starting point for those who wants to learn about and understand skincare. The information in this book is straight to the point, very understandable and easy to follow. There are a lot of suggestions and easy steps to follow.
Even though it is nonfiction it was a page turner and I read it in two days.
I’m so happy that I read it. I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

This is a refreshing antidote to the messages the beauty industry sends. Dr. Frey cuts to the chase and assures us that no skincare is magical and that SPF and moisturizer are the two best products to use.

Liberating and oddly controversial.

I will say that Skincare Hoax is repetitive. However, every time that Fayne Frey repeats a claim she uses new studies, examples, and anecdotes to resupport her claims. There are even quotational blurbs on each page to further reiterate the sentiments expressed throughout.

In essence, Frey has taken the science behind fryface.com and extrapolated in a very user-friendly approach to skin care. Without pointing fingers or shame at the consumers she uses her professional experience and studies to debunk the multi-million dollar skin care industry. Even further, she provides numerous examples of ways in which she has been approached about and simultaneously censored for her views. Though I would argue that she treats skin care very pragmatically, the idea that we could simplify and cut costs seems alarmingly revolutionary.

I have been asked to rethink my entire hygiene routine from scalp to toe, and while I am eager to put Frey's observations into practice and see if I can't make my skin healthier as a result I should note- this is coming from someone who already has a minimal (5 min or less) skin care routine. For those who rely on multiple high-end products, Skincare Hoax may be asking for a startling amount of change.

While repetitive, this book was a game changer and has given me a lot to both think about and research further. For anyone who has ever bought into hygiene marketing- this one is for you. Guilt-free.

[Thank you to NetGalley and SkyHorse Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

Fayne L. Frey, M.D., is the author of THE SKINCARE HOAX. With a medical degree, indepth understanding of chemistry and 30 years as a practicing dermatologist, she is more than qualified to cover the topic of skincare. Dr. Frey’s recommendations are simple and easy to follow and highlight the importance of sunscreen and a quality moisturizer, and how you can use regular tap water as your facial cleanser. Dr. Frey also explains the marketing employed by many cosmetic companies promoting expensive products that contain the same ingredients as more reasonably priced products that are readily available. I especially liked the last three chapters that list some quality sunscreens and moisturizers. In addition, Dr. Frey maintains a free website (fryface.com) that has information on skincare and a product selection guide.

At first I was a little skeptical, as I always am when a book starts out by listing the author’s credentials. I always wonder, what’s in it for them, what’s their angle…but I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

If you can get past the kind of cringy humour, it actually provided a lot of really good, really actionable advice. I’ve literally been wearing sunscreen every day since reading this book.

I tried out the author’s online quiz for face cream recommendations and it led to the product she most recommends in her book so she clearly believes what she wrote. Overall it was an interesting book.

As a self-proclaimed skincare junkie, I found this book very eye-opening. Frey goes into great detail about the inaccuracies of what skin care can do and won't do. Packed full of scientific basis and ways to simplify your skincare routine, Frey provides us all with many tips and tricks while opening our eyes to the mistruths spoken each and every day of what certain products will do to make you look younger.

This book confirms what we probably already know, we don’t need to spend so much or rely on certain products!
I enjoyed reading the scientific aspect of skincare, I wondered about the sensitive side of problem skin conditions! We can’t all race off to the dermatologist, nor can some rely on the suggestions in this book. A little more on the troubled skin side would have made the information provided more rounded.
A thought provoking read allowing decisions on our skincare choices and regime.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the copy to read and review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has a lot on information - it does pare down from what all is thrown at us on the market every day to what the bare basics are.
However, this is where it all gets a bit fudged up. There are basics...and then there are basics. Moisturizer and sunscreen, apparently. While there's a 'decent' chapter on sunscreen, I still felt I didn't come out much more informed than going in. We're told what 'works' and what doesn't, apparently, but it is a bit hard to believe that 99.9% of what is being offered in the skincare world is BS - as the author would like us to believe in this book.
The caveat in this one is: 'this' is what you need provided you have 'normal' skin and are not dealing with issues like eczema and such. But what is 'normal' here? Take for example, the statement that you only need warm water at night to wash your face, never mind if you've been inside all day, out in pollution all day (pollution doesn't exist, according to the author - or it doesn't affect your skin/doesn't get on your skin), wearing makeup all day. Or the claim that sleeping without washing your face will only make you end up with a dirty pillowcase.
On these fronts as an example, this was a rather misleading book. If you're going to say you'll only end up with a dirty pillowcase, then at least suggest changing the pillowcase daily because sleeping on something dirty is actually bad for your skin!
No mention of levels of hydration, nutrition, alcohol consumption/smoking not being the best thing for your skin - okay, it is about skincare and the skincare industry, but some balancing of the debate wouldn't have hurt.
There is information to be taken from this book, but it's not the Holy Grail that will answer all your questions, either. Read it for knowledge, maybe, but it's really rather condescending and at times also rude with its 'put you down' tone and know-it-all approach

This book was equal parts biology book, self-help book, and tell all book. So much of what the author details is common sense and yet we have all been repeatedly duped by marketing and the beauty industry. The author explains what items you truly need for a beauty regimen and it’s shockingly short. She explains how the skin works and how several terms (polishing! Nourishing!) that companies use are just marketing. She gives recommendations for good, affordable products to purchase instead of expensive ones that claim to do things they won’t do. Lastly, she states over and over again that we are all perfect the way we are—lines, sun spots, and all. Now I’m off to go throw out about a dozen bottles of useless junk!

Do you want to look younger? Do you spend a lot of money on anti-ageing creams, eye creams and neck creams? This book by a qualified dermatologist will tell you how to stop! Cosmetic companies apparently use every trick in the book to sell their products. Fayne L. Frey is a qualified dermatologist who know what is good for skin, and what isn’t. She goes through all the myths about caring for skin, ingredients such as Retinoids, and the latest buzz words, such as ‘nourishing’ and ‘polishing’. She explains how to care for your skin, and suggests the best oroducts to buy.

I found this book very useful. It is especially helpful for anyone who has skin problems, such as eczema.

I received a free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

You’ve been doing skincare wrong all your life
And Dr Fayne Frey is here to tell you why, and what to do about it.

This book just completely transformed my entire outlook on skincare products.
No, seriously.

I consider myself a beauty enthusiast - I’m very interested in makeup and skincare, and try to learn more about it as the years go on, but it’s never been my specialty. This is one of the reasons why I often get quite overwhelmed by the amount of different products on the shelves when I go to stores like Sephora - between the eye creams, the moisturizers, primers, SPF foundations, day creams, night creams, essences, toners… I don’t really understand which is which, and what should be put on my face, at what time of the day, for what purpose.

This is the main reason why I picked up this book in the first place : I wanted to understand more about skincare, and make sure I was “doing it right”, so to speak. And oh boy, was I not disappointed.

This book makes you take a long hard look at your makeup and skincare cabinet, and want to throw out at least half of your products. Because guess what ? Apart from sunscreen (SPF 30 or over) and moisturizer, says Dr Frey, everything else is either fake or useless. Fake in the sense that it’s actually a moisturizer in a different packaging (looking at you, eye cream!). Useless in the sense that the claims that are so neatly written on the fancy little tube are unproven, void of any sense, and medically unverifiable.

It seems silly to say so, but I really did believe that face serums could be “anti-aging” and reverse wrinkles. It was written on the glass jar! Surely, marketing wouldn’t lie to me, now, would it?

Yeah. It feels really naïve, when you put it like that. But Dr Frey is here to explain the whole thing to you, step by step, and if there is one thing she seems to be really good at, it’s breaking down the science and the facts for her readers without making you feel inadequate or stupid for not having realized it sooner.

During the entire course of the book, one thing the author insists often upon is self-esteem and appreciation of our own appearance.
In her opinion, women’s poor self-esteem and confidence in their looks are strongly linked to the reasons why we keep buying all these unnecessary products, and why we fall victim to all of these marketing tactics. They’re designed to make us feel bad about ourselves, about how we look - hate the fine lines around our eyes, the softness of our cheeks, the light color differences on certain areas of our face… the worse we feel, the more - overpriced and useless - products we buy.

And I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to waste all of my hard-earned money on a ton of products that won’t do anything for me, just because some random marketing exec decided I needed to feel bad about the way that I look.

Who is this book for?

Every friend you have that thinks eye cream and night cream are both essentials to their daily routine. That person in your class you heard complain about having acne breakouts after using a primer that was advertised as non-comedogenic. Your sister. Your mom. Every woman you know.

This is a very easy to read non-fiction, and one that I think could change - at least a little bit - the lives of a lot of people. I do believe it will slightly change mine, for the better.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the author's feel good message about beauty and self-worth. That women are enough just the way they are in their natural skin, without the need for make-up and expensive products.

I can't attest to the recommended products as they are brands I have always avoided and the specific products don't seem to be available in my country, but I have taken other advice on board.

I am now regularly using sunscreen and trying to find a moisturiser that fits my skin. I have problem skin and this book has honestly motivated me enough that I may go see a dermatologist if I can't figure it out on my own!

An interesting little book that mostly focuses on cosmetic advertising and how these myths are responsible for taking money from our pockets and adding very little value to what we seek. I think it needs more scientific sources to back up its own claims, and people need to get used to being fact-checkers. I’d also change the title: “hoax” as a word that Trump has tainted.

The Skincare Hoax is a tough one for me, as I felt like there were some important facts shared throughout, but also a lot of redundancy. Dr. Frey came off as very patronizing in my opinion, which turned me off pretty quickly. I think she shared some interesting information, but also that a lot of her generalizations didn't apply to me, and honestly, to most people.
This is definitely the kind of book I'll take some nuggets of wisdom from, and leave the rest behind.