Quelle surprise

Can manufacturers of beauty products survive the constant onslaught of criticism?

Apparently the answer is yes. Create a product and they will come. Advertise with the celeb du jour and they will come in droves. Promise it will take years off your face, body, feet and you buy two. Tell you it is new and improved, add two more.

Then a study comes out debunking all the product claims. Consumer reports is at it again, having tested nine facial serums finding absolutely no significant improvement after 6 weeks of use. 

What will the devotee of ointing and slathering do? Anoint and slather some more I suspect, for fear that even if it doesn't improve the condition, could it hurt?

There was some delicious irony in my hearing about the Consumer Report study and then reading about animal behavorists trying to determine ".. the distinct personalities quirks and preferences," of our fellow mammals, reptiles and insects.

Without going into the intricacies of how a scientist tags, follows and records the behavior of, lets say, a juvenile female spider, suffice it to say that figuring out why a flock of geese follow one fairly vocal goose into flight is probably not that different than seeing what your latest new best friend is bathing her body in and immediately following suit.

If you agree, honk.