From deceptive marketing to false promises, the beauty and fashion industries are filled with questionable practices that prey on consumer insecurities. Join us as we expose the most notorious scams that have fooled millions, from misleading sustainable fashion claims to ineffective miracle products.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Oh, where shall we begin?
00:03Mmm.
00:04Welcome to Mizmojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the worst cons
00:09pushed by the cosmetics and fashion industry.
00:12Our luxury label selling a European fantasy.
00:16Here's more on what's really going on.
00:20Number 10. 24 Karat Gold Beauty Products.
00:23I love gold.
00:25Gold. The look of it, the taste of it, the smell of it, the texture.
00:32Having precious metals infused into your everyday products may seem like the height of luxury.
00:38If anything, however, it's the exact opposite.
00:41Gold has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties,
00:44but has primarily been used to treat arthritis rather than skin concerns.
00:49But it has so many side effects, and it needs to be monitored so closely
00:53that sometimes the benefit outweighs, or the risk outweighs the benefit.
01:00So they're not using it as much nowadays.
01:02While it could have some positive effects on issues like redness or acne,
01:06there's no proof that it's better than any other antioxidant already on the market.
01:11So while using gold products will give your face a bit of a glowing effect,
01:15they won't do anything for you in the grand scheme of things.
01:18There are plenty of other options like vitamin C and green tea
01:22that are just as effective and far less expensive.
01:26It contains high concentration of polyphenols.
01:30Now, polyphenols itself is great for internal health and great for your skin's health.
01:36Number 9. Influencer Gifting and Paid Reviews.
01:39Is that what I look like?
01:41What a dork.
01:42But actually, I'm a business that makes millions of dollars exploiting the authenticity of YouTube.
01:46Speaking of which, I love this stuff because of the way it makes me money every time I say that.
01:53The continued popularity of social media has led to web-based moguls taking on the role of QVC.
02:00Despite clear guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission stating that ads,
02:04gifted products, and sponsorship must be disclosed,
02:08prominent TikTokers have promoted items without doing so.
02:11If an influencer is making an endorsement in a video,
02:14the disclosure should be right in the video and not just in its description.
02:19And the FTC says you can't bury the disclosure in a sea of hashtags.
02:24The fact that the rules were flaunted so easily quickly built a culture of distrust.
02:29You can't be sure who's being genuine,
02:32especially when negative reviews have been bought as well.
02:34With the FTC imposing fines on fake reviews in 2024,
02:39we may finally see the end of this phenomenon.
02:42But for now, it's too soon to tell.
02:44When they tried to make a crackdown in 2017,
02:46they ended up basically making sponsored content aspirational.
02:50And so then now you see the rise of fake sponsored content,
02:52which is people pretending that they have brand deals
02:55with luxury brands or aspirational brands
02:57because it's seen as such a status symbol to have a brand deal.
03:00Number eight, collagen improving facial elasticity.
03:03Though the average lifespan is longer than it's ever been,
03:06looking your age has become a cardinal sin.
03:09People all over are pressured to keep their youthful appearance.
03:13Younger, more beautiful, more perfect.
03:18One single injection unlocks your DNA.
03:22Some have turned to collagen-infused products that claim to maintain skin elasticity
03:26after the body stops naturally producing it.
03:29While it has been found to have moisturizing effects,
03:32the cells are too big to effectively breach through the skin,
03:36meaning those promises of reduced fine lines are exaggerated at best.
03:40No, no, no, I know that they're not really noticeable,
03:42and it's more of an emotion.
03:42No, no, no, I can see them clear as day.
03:45Oh.
03:48Well, good.
03:48With the protein becoming a thriving industry,
03:51companies have realized they could profit off the insecurities of millions.
03:56Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and wearing sunscreen
03:58is all you should need to maintain what your body has made for free.
04:0310 minutes in the sun can cause irreparable skin damage.
04:05And constant shoulder tension creates a hunchback.
04:07Fine, go.
04:08I hear melanoma is very in this year.
04:10Here, Casper, you better use this.
04:12Number 7.
04:13Detox teas and skin supplements.
04:16The concept of being able to fully cleanse yourself is thrilling,
04:19but unfortunately, impossible.
04:22Detox diets and teas have been around for years,
04:25promising weight loss and a clean gut.
04:27From over 100 herbs and botanicals,
04:30bringing you energy, awareness, clarity,
04:34and a rush of well-being.
04:36While some may experience the former,
04:39it's only due to the laxative-like effects found in certain ingredients.
04:43A slightly newer idea has been skin detoxification,
04:46which claims that the largest organ can purge negative particles
04:50with the help of supplements.
04:52Magnesium is also a heavy metal chelator,
04:55so making sure you're optimizing your magnesium levels is really important.
04:58Most people do need to supplement.
04:59Always look for magnesium bisglycinate, my favorite type to take.
05:02The science behind this is weak.
05:04Because there's no evidence they work,
05:06it's impossible for toxins to exit through the dermis,
05:10making it nothing but a gimmick.
05:12Both forms can be achieved through eating healthily
05:15and keeping yourself exfoliated and moisturized,
05:18which will feel better for your body and your wallet in the long run.
05:22We exfoliate the dead skin cells of envy,
05:25and we detoxify his soul.
05:28Spa day.
05:29Spa day.
05:30Number 6.
05:31LuLaRoe Pyramid Scheme
05:33Countless people dream of running a business from their own home.
05:36Legging company LuLaRoe seemed to be a beacon for that demographic,
05:41until the rug was suddenly pulled from beneath them.
05:44The complaints were rolling in,
05:46and people were posting,
05:49is this a pyramid scheme?
05:50The business model was seemingly simple.
05:53Potential sellers purchased inventory,
05:55and then resold it.
05:57Distributors were expected to sink thousands of dollars into their first batch,
06:01and many learned that interest in the close was less than expected.
06:05You know, people say things like,
06:06you couldn't do it,
06:07or your sales were dwindling at the end.
06:10My sales were dwindling at the end because
06:11I didn't want to do it anymore.
06:13I didn't want to be a part of the...
06:14This was a classic multi-level marketing scheme,
06:19where a few people at the top make bank off the struggles of the people at the bottom.
06:24Despite its legal woes,
06:25LuLaRoe still exists,
06:27and people are still risking their financial futures to sell for them.
06:31I want to keep working and doing LuLaRoe.
06:34I get excited.
06:35I have new inventory coming this week.
06:39New product, new styles.
06:41Number 5.
06:41Made in Italy and Paris fashion mislabels.
06:45Who knew something as small as a clothing tag could hold so much significance?
06:50Clothes from style-heavy areas of the world,
06:52especially France and Italy,
06:54have become somewhat of a status symbol.
06:57Imported chemise,
06:58French silk,
06:59handmade shirtwaist, English Lyle,
07:02crepe machine drawers.
07:04Consumers want to believe they're buying pieces from countries with storied fashion histories
07:09and good labour practices.
07:11What many don't know is that the label is only partially honest.
07:15More than 80% of the luxury bags in the world are made in China,
07:20but those luxury brands just won't acknowledge that.
07:24They take almost finished bags from China factories,
07:28back to their own factories,
07:29and just do the repackaging and logo installing.
07:34While tags were made and stitched into the garments in those countries,
07:38most of the clothes themselves are made in the global south by exploited workers.
07:43There have been several recent ramifications to this phenomenon,
07:46including a 30 million euro fraud case.
07:50But it was President Trump's recent tariff plan that inspired several Chinese influencers
07:55to expose the truth on a broader scale.
07:58For brands such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, all the way to Lululemon and Nike,
08:03as they say, their same factories produce the same products for a fraction of the cost.
08:09This creator, for instance, says this Dior bag that costs $6,000 in boutique only costs them $300 to make.
08:17Number 4. Blue light protection products.
08:19Modern problems require modern solutions.
08:22Or do they?
08:23There are products made to protect us from the sun's UV rays,
08:27but in recent years, more people are exposed to light through screens.
08:31A present for us both.
08:38Yep, come on, we're heading to the showers.
08:40Constant exposure to this blue light can result in dry eyes and cataracts.
08:45Companies have attempted to profit off this newfound health fear
08:48by creating skincare supposedly designed to protect from the harmful effects.
08:54Meet Reflect. It's the skincare collection that's for everyone who uses a screen.
08:59They've utilised popular influencers to push it,
09:02with streamers and TikTok stars alike creating new lines.
09:06I'm on my phone and my laptop a lot,
09:09and if you don't know, the blue light that comes from devices can actually cause skin fatigue.
09:14So this is clinically proven to help protect your skin from those artificial blue lights.
09:19There's limited research on blue light's correlation to skin damage,
09:23making the item's proposed solutions nothing more than speculation.
09:27Experts have found that, for now, regular sunscreens do the trick,
09:32cutting out the need for newer, more expensive alternatives.
09:35If you already have a sunscreen that is untinted that you like,
09:38put that sunscreen on first, let it dry,
09:40and then go in with your foundation or your CC cream on top.
09:44The first layer is going to be protecting you from UV light,
09:47and then that foundation with iron oxides is going to be protecting you from blue light.
09:50So it's kind of like a one-two punch.
09:52Number 3. Clean Beauty All Natural and Organic Labels
09:56Some labels may promise the world, but it doesn't mean they can be trusted.
10:01It's easy to see something labeled as clean or organic
10:04and automatically assume it'll have no ill effect on the body.
10:08So it's really left up to manufacturer interpretation.
10:11You'll see clean, you'll see non-toxic, and it's really not regulated.
10:14But there are some groups that have created officially sanctioned labels
10:17because they have a little bit more rigor.
10:19With so many beauty products containing known carcinogens,
10:22it makes sense that an alternative option be created.
10:26However, the lack of regulation in the industry as a whole
10:29has led to various corporations having different definitions of clean.
10:34So unfortunately, the FDA doesn't define exactly what makes something clean or natural.
10:40So as a board-certified dermatologist, I like to spend the time educating my patients
10:43on what skincare really means, what ingredients to look for, what to avoid.
10:48Many still sell things that are riddled with potentially dangerous ingredients.
10:53Organic cosmetics aren't any better, with the Food and Drug Administration confirming
10:57that goods with natural ingredients aren't automatically healthier than synthetic ones.
11:03It just goes to show that you can't trust companies, even ones that claim to want to help.
11:08Clean Beauty will have you believe that putting chemicals on your skin is bad for you.
11:13When in reality, their products have just as many, if not hundreds more chemicals
11:18than any other non-clean brand.
11:20Number 2. Creams that make cellulite and stretch marks disappear.
11:25They're seemingly nothing corporations love more than profiting off insecurity.
11:30Where there's something to dislike, there's a product offering to fix it.
11:33They'll banish your blemishes, tooth decay, cellulite eyes will fade away.
11:37Oh, hey, have a visual frisee.
11:40Businesses have been peddling creams and touting miracle cures for decades,
11:45and they haven't become any less insidious.
11:48For cellulite, no amount of ointment can get rid of unreachable fat cells beneath the skin.
11:54At best, they can slightly reduce their appearance.
11:56You know, skinny girls can have it, bigger girls can have it, all races have it.
12:01So, you know, it has nothing to do with the fat.
12:04It's directly related to the condition of the fascia underneath the skin.
12:08The same goes for stretch marks, which might fade a little, but may never go away.
12:12It's easier said than done, but radical self-acceptance and de-stigmatizing normal body conditions
12:18are simpler and less expensive than creams that may never provide the results you desire.
12:24Well, vanishing cream, what is something that grown-up people use to make things invisible?
12:30Invisitable? What kind of things?
12:32Oh, unsightly liver spots, age marks, stuff like that.
12:35Does it really work?
12:36Well, no, but your mother likes to pretend it does.
12:39Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
12:42and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
12:45You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
12:49If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
12:54Number 1. Fast Fashion Sustainable Collections
12:58If you're paying five bucks for a t-shirt, think about it.
13:02If you were going to sew that t-shirt, wouldn't it be more than $5, right?
13:08It's just, it's not a thing, right?
13:10That $5 t-shirt, something, somewhere was hurting the environment
13:15or potentially hurting laborers or something like that.
13:18By now, many are aware of Fast Fashion's disastrous impact on the environment.
13:22Some brands have tried to dance around controversy by releasing collections
13:26claiming to be sustainable or starting clothes recycling programs,
13:31all while obfuscating the real truth.
13:33And where some just see scraps and leftovers, we see the beginning of something new.
13:41Because we're changing fashion, starting with the things that used to be thrown away.
13:47Research has confirmed that while these companies put on a front of caring about the earth,
13:52there's little proof that they're actually reducing their carbon footprint and emissions.
13:56Additionally, many continue to horrifically mistreat the workers making these clothes,
14:01with countless rights violations being committed.
14:04It's proof that some corporations only care enough about social issues to earn another dollar,
14:10and that consumers should be extra critical before financially enabling them.
14:14The Swedish fast fashion giant H&M is currently investigating
14:1820 alleged instances of labor abuse at garment factories.
14:21Which of these scams do you think is the most insidious?
14:25Let us know in the comments below.
14:27It's a bombshell source of pollution in so many different ways.