Beauty & Skincare

Before you buy skincare, makeup, or fragrance. What the label is allowed to say, what you cannot return once it is open, and where the price stops buying anything.

Buyer Guides

Medium Risk

Before You Buy Makeup in 2026: One Mini Costs 36.5% More Per Gram. Mascara Has a 2 to 4 Month Clock.

Makeup sits on your eyes, lips and face, and you can't see most of what matters. The FDA doesn't approve it before sale. Here's what a mini really costs, what you can return once it's opened and which recalls to know.

Medium Risk

Before You Buy Skincare in 2026: Most of 130 Sunscreens Tested Below Their Label. One $55 Moisturizer Tested at SPF 8.

Skincare sells at huge markups with little proof. Consumer Reports found most sunscreens it tested fell short of the label. Some products are drugs held to drug rules. Most are cosmetics that need no FDA approval.