‘Super serum’ Snoxin launches – but is it product results or media hype that drives sales of so-called ‘wonder products’?

A new so-called ‘super serum’ called Snoxin hits the shelves of Boots today, claiming to ‘combat all aspects of skin ageing appearance, including the look of dynamic wrinkles, deeper folds, fine lines, crow's feet, textural irregularities and sagginess.’ Snoxin promises to ‘expect results within 7 days with continued improvement for up to 12 months’.

Snoxin is produced by Indeed Labs, the makers of Nanoblur - a Skin Corrector which launched among much media hype last year with the very bold claim of ‘look 10 years younger in 40 seconds’ and resulted in sales of one Nanoblur being sold every 10 seconds. As regular readers of this blog will know, I am always very skeptical of bold product claims in beauty and I’m in favour of honest claims in return for consumer trust and loyalty.

Remember that Channel 4 TV programme 10 Years Younger? Well the women on there did look 10 years younger at the end of each show – but not before undergoing a vast amount of invasive cosmetic surgery, a complete makeover and a whole new wardrobe. How a beauty product can claim to do the same in 40 seconds with just a swipe of cream is beyond me. I nearly fell off my chair when I read on Indeed Labs’ website that its objective was to ‘eliminate all marketing hype from skin treatments’.

At least Snoxin doesn’t hold quite such bold claims as its predecessor, although I’m anticipating the same amount of hype. I find it fascinating when beauty brands hail new launches as 'wonder products' and go on sale with such instant frenzy - or in some cases, the hype starts before the product launches to create waiting lists for something that isn’t even available yet, thanks to some very clever marketing.

I deem sales statistics of 'Wonder Products' (which they can then quote to demonstrate the popularity of the product) - in Nanoblur's case ‘one sold every 10 seconds’ - is less indicative of how effective the results are and more about people rushing out to buy the product because of its hype; I believe this works on the psychological level of ‘Oh my goodness everyone has this product, I HAVE to have one too. Everyone is talking about this product, I HAVE to be able to join in. Maybe THIS is the product that will finally work.'

The actual results of many 'Wonder Products' tend to be open to debate. Reviews of Nanoblur were mixed – many said it didn’t work (and when claims are so bold you are only building your consumers up to be more disappointed), while others said they loved it. When it first launched, I was sent a Nanoblur to try. I barely have any eye wrinkles so I thought, well if it’s going to work, it should definitely work on me because there are not that many wrinkles to fill in. It didn’t work at all.

But what I found interesting was, when I gave Nanoblur to a 60-something relative to test and told her about the claims, she applied some to her nose to reduce her pores, looked closely into the mirror and declared that it had really worked. And while I couldn't see any real difference, it's fascinating that using a cream can make someone feel more confident about their appearance, whether it be based on well-marketed claims or actual results.

What do you think about the media hype surrounding beauty 'wonder products'?

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