Hair Care psuedoscience

[Nerdius Maximus]

I love how shampoo bottles claim that their products contain all kinds of scientifically researched additives. It's like, "the nutrileum peptide beads penetrate the hair at the root level with our patented nexusphere technology." Then you put in the conditioner that "reinforces hair structure while delivering ceramide proteins and micro pomegranate oils to the follicle, resulting in thick and lustrous growth!"

 

[RoJoHen]

I do enjoy the animations that they use in the commercials to demonstrate just how the shampoo particles are entering the hair.

I also like those animations for acne medication where you can see the soap "getting deep down into your pores!"

 

[StolenThunder]

In their defence, it is one of the more entertaining pseudosciences.

 

[SiorX]

I think my most recent favourite bit of doublethink redundancy are L'Oreal's new particles which give your hair a new "light-reflecting shine".

As opposed to *what* kind of shine, exactly?

 

[Holdfast]

I love hair adverts. They're a masterclass in how to create an ad that just skates on the right side of breaching advertising regulations. Brilliantly devised.

*flicks hair*

"Because I'm worth it!"

 

[Kestra]

As long as the product is pH balanced, that's what's really important.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I love hair adverts. They're a masterclass in how to create an ad that just skates on the right side of breaching advertising regulations. Brilliantly devised.

*flicks hair*

"Because I'm worth it!"

Nobody did it better than Jennifer Aniston and her "science bits."

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I love hair adverts. They're a masterclass in how to create an ad that just skates on the right side of breaching advertising regulations. Brilliantly devised.

*flicks hair*

"Because I'm worth it!"

Nobody did it better than Jennifer Aniston and her "science bits."

It makes me laugh when you read the small print and it's something like "80%* agree that their hair looked shinier and felt softer"


*of 32 people questioned"

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As long as the product is pH balanced

Whatever that means.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Needless to say, even the Misc. forum takes a dim view of this sort of thing:

 

[Miss Chicken]

It isn;t haircare but I am amused by one commercial I see regularly. It is for an anti-wrinkles cream and it states that when you use it wrinkles are reduced by 63.14%. what experiment/s were done to allow them to arrive at that exact number

 

[Holdfast]

I love hair adverts. They're a masterclass in how to create an ad that just skates on the right side of breaching advertising regulations. Brilliantly devised.

*flicks hair*

"Because I'm worth it!"

Nobody did it better than Jennifer Aniston and her "science bits."

It makes me laugh when you read the small print and it's something like "80%* agree that their hair looked shinier and felt softer"


*of 32 people questioned"

Small sample size is the least of the dodgy science behind these studies.

You know, I don't actually mind the pseudoscience. Good advertising is a thing of beauty - it's such an unbashedly pure form of communication where the only aim is to sell. That purity makes it attractive; it's enjoyable seeing how well a message can be sold. The dark arts of data manipulation and quasi-scientific exposition is part of that.