In 2016, post-truth was Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year: “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
Pseudo-science can be described the same way. Take skincare’s hottest new item: jade face rollers. (You can buy them in different crystal types for gifts this New Year: rose quartz for the Taurean, amethyst for the Aquarian and so on.) Aimed at anti-ageing (that bad word we don’t say out loud but secretly aspire to), they’re supposed to boost collagen, reduce puffiness and wrinkles, promote lymphatic drainage, eliminate toxins, tighten pores, remove under-eye dark circles. They’ve been called wands, because well, with those kinds of benefits, I’m quitting my job now, and just rolling my serum on with it through the day.
Elle magazine, Australia, in an article titled ‘What’s The Deal With Crystal Facial Rollers?’ says they “take a look at the science behind this skincare-nature fusion.” Ironically, there’s not a single dermatologist or researcher quoted. It ends by saying, “If you’re looking for a more spiritual clean, clean the roller with salt by either washing it with salt water or leaving it in a dry bowl of salt overnight. Salt is considered cleansing and will help to draw negative energies out of the tool, so they don’t transfer back to your skin.” Life gets simpler as ‘science’ advances.
The problem with pseudo-science is that it is blogger, influencer and celebrity-perpetuated. Doctors are unfortunately so uncool, because hell, seven to 10 years of their lives goes not spending it on Instagram stories. Unlike the organised media, bloggers aren’t accountable to anyone but the companies they ‘collaborate’ with.
Unfortunately, traditional-media houses that had established norms on how a story would go out: usually at least a five-step process that also involves a fact-checker, are now pressured into having to go viral, compromising those methods.
This free-for-all, easy-fix attitude is what also gets us, the consumer, excited.
They’ve been shown the way by some of the most dangerous health quick fixes that have prevailed for years: antibiotics for all the wrong reasons, concealers rather than remedial measures for inflamed or troubled skin, slimming capsules and diet drinks. Fear-mongering and tapping into insecurities was at the root of the earlier generation of products. Today, it’s all about the mind-body-soul connection, and we’re desperately seeking for science to endorse products. Fine, use that jade roller. When you outgrow it, pretend it’s a paperweight. Just don’t say it’s science-backed.
