Organic Skin Care Blog – Product Reviews & Healthy Skin

Yes, more skincare questions are answered in today's post! This is part 2 of the post where Cetaphil's Regulatory Affairs Manager answers some skincare question, and busts some skincare myths along the way. And today, we're going to talk about how to simplify skincare routines, what you should do for different skin types, and answer some product questions, including those pertaining to Cetaphil products. As a skincare geek, I always feel like I already know most of the skincare basics, so knowing more about what makes a brand's products different from the other dozens of products on the market definitely excites me!


Fortunately, Tracy Chean, Regulatory Affairs Manager at Galderma South East Asia, was very kind to answer all of my (and everyone else's) questions! If you've read the previous post you'll already have some idea of who she is, but in short, she ensures that Cetaphil and other Galderma products comply with strict safety and compliance standards, and is also a licensed pharmacist. She was very friendly and helpful in answering questions at the Cetaphil Experience Workshop, and I really appreciated her broad knowledge of everything from cosmetic regulation to skincare science.


Some of the bloggers during the session - everyone is busy taking notes!
As with the previous post, while the content of the answers is reflective of the information conveyed, it might not be the exact word-for-word answer that Tracy gave, just because I was furiously scribbling down notes during the entire session, and couldn't get down every single word said exactly. However, the gist of each of the answers is accurate. I've also added in some editor's notes (aka my own additional thoughts) here and there to provide supplemental information where appropriate.


A quick photo of one of my notes pages - I'm not kidding when I say I was furiously scribbling down notes!
So without further ado, let's take a look at some common questions about building your skincare routine, and Cetaphil products! If you want to learn more skincare facts, and find out what else went on during the Cetaphil Experience, do check out the Cetaphil Singapore Facebook Page!
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In August earlier this year, I had the opportunity to go for the Cetaphil Experience - basically a 3-day trip where I got to learn more about the brand, the philosophy behind their products, and their history in Singapore and in the Southeast Asia region. You might have seen some of the updates on my Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and so on - and now that I've had a bit more time to settle down after the trip, I've decided to share some of the learnings with you guys!


As a skincare geek, one of my favourite parts of the trip was the ability to get some burning skincare questions answered, and skincare myths busted by Cetaphil's own Tracy Chean, who is the Regulatory Affairs Manager for Southeast Asia at Galderma Singapore. Tracy ensures that Cetaphil and other Galderma products comply with strict safety and compliance standards, and also manages the Galderma National University of Singapore (NUS) Student Internship Programme. She graduated from NUS with a Bachelor of Science, and has also been a Singapore Licensed Pharmacist since 2010. Above that's a photo of Tracy, looking gorgeous in red! She was very friendly and willing to answer a lot of our questions, no matter how basic or esoteric they were.


The entire session was 1.5 hours long, and there was a lot of information shared during this session. During this session, Tracy helped to bust some skin myths, answer some questions about cosmetic regulations, and offer advice on a good skincare routine. Since there were quite a number of questions, I've arranged them by topic, rather than just in chronological order, so that it makes more sense to the reader. I've split the post into two - today's post will deal with skincare myths, and the next post will deal with questions on skincare routines and specific product questions.

Also, while the content of the answers is reflective of the information conveyed, it might not be the exact word-for-word answer that Tracy gave, just because I was furiously scribbling down notes during the entire session, and couldn't get down every single word said exactly. The photo below is of my notes pages from the session - you can see how much I was trying to write down! Nevertheless, the gist of each of the answers is accurate. I've also added in some editor's notes (aka my own additional thoughts) here and there to provide supplemental information where appropriate.


Cetaphil has uploaded lots of videos from the session on the Cetaphil Facebook Page. Where the videos of a particular answer is available, I've also embedded it directly below the answer - so you can hear Tracy in the flesh as well! For more of the learnings from the trip, and to see more skincare myths and questions, do check out the Cetaphil Facebook Page.
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Creme De La Mer is one of those iconic products in the beauty industry everyone's heard of. It is legendary, and the very definition of a cult product, and is often claimed to be a "miracle broth" that miraculously somehow helps in anti-aging. Despite its outrageously high price, or perhaps because of it, the buzz around this product is high - celebrities are said to use it, lots of blog reviews can be found raving about it, and those who spend the money on it claim that it definitely does work. It is the one and only Creme De La Mer, after all, and it is so unique that nothing can come close to it, and there aren't any products like it - or are there?


You guys know that I get pretty skeptical of such claims. It has been said that the humble ol' Nivea Creme is a dupe for Creme De La Mer - but of course, if you search the Internets, you'll find people saying that they don't see a difference between the two, and you'll also find tons of people who say that the La Mer version is still much better, and the plain ol' Nivea can't compare.

So with that said and done, let’s examine the Creme de La Mer more closely, and find out what exactly is in this "miracle broth". From there, we can figure out how the product works, and then, see if there are any dupes for it, or if not dupes, perhaps similar products. And the only way to begin this process is to get down and dirty with the Creme De La Mer ingredients list!
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