On snake oil salesmen, pseudoscience, and the ethical dilemma of skincare MLMs - Ana Negut ,

The idiom ‘snake oil salesman’ is one of my favourites in the English language, not only because of how fitting it has proven to be during current public health debates but also because of its interesting origins. The snake-oil scam has its origins in the deceptive American appropriation of Chinese traditional medicinal practices, following the popularization of medicinal snake oil by Transcontinental Railroad migrant workers. In the opportunistic spirit of late 19th century US capitalism, businessman-doing-business Clark Stanley patented a “miraculous” rattlesnake oil cure that was vaguely reminiscent of Chinese traditional medicine. By the early 20th century, both the claim about the effectiveness of rattlesnake oil and the presumption that Clark Stanley’s product contained actual snake oil had been debunked, earning the phrase ‘snake oil salesman’ its infamous meaning.

Contemporary pseudoscientific scams continue to illustrate this concept. Thanks to modern-day Stanley Clarks, the commercialisation of ineffective products using the guise of enlightened medicine often continues to appropriate cultural practices and traditions. However, during the last few decades, we can identify varying emerging trends among pseudoscientific scams, whether we are talking about Big Essential Oil™ challenging nationwide vaccination programmes or fraudulent cosmetic companies profiting off of societal pressures on the female body image.

Inserting scientific-sounding language in cosmetic product descriptions and commercials has proven to be a highly successful business practice, partially due to a misinformed public, but also due to the vulnerability of the target audience. Due to ever-changing and ever-growing expectations regarding one’s youthful appearance within the patriarchal system, consumers prove to be desperate enough to blindly trust misguided advertising. This type of vulnerability, as well as the financial vulnerability of the consumers, are largely exploited by the skincare industry. Promises of unattainable results (such as reverse-aging effects) and financial abundance are often weaponized in order to manipulate women into elaborate distributor-focused marketing schemes. Sooner or later, as these consumers find themselves wrapped up in multi-level-marketing schemes, they reach a point where the effectiveness of the product they bought loses relevance. Seeing as they are stuck promoting “miracle cures” with personal financial risks in mind, those who find themselves at the base of MLM pyramid structures are inclined to replicate corporate patterns of misleading advertisement.

The pseudoscience of skincare is a particularly controversial topic, with well-known brands selling face creams with “active water” or “deconstructed water”, or even products that claim to “replace” the water in the traditional composition of skincare products with the much more effective aloe vera (keep in mind that aloe vera leaf gel contains over 98% water). The research behind these products usually involves a very small number of subjects and is often presented without information regarding the skin conditions or personal lifestyles of the subjects, both crucial factors in real dermatology. Furthermore, it has been argued that the majority of the ‘skintech’ field is a pseudoscientific paradise. The testing of skin tech devices often occurs in less-than-ideal conditions, failing to follow trusted scientific methods, especially when having to replicate results. What skin tech companies lack in scientific backing is compensated for by aggressive social media marketing campaigns, usually starring your favourite low list celebrities that you haven’t thought of in years, as well as your lifestyle and beauty influencers, and micro-influencers turned girlboss businesswomen.

Personally, my fascination with pseudoscientific scams started after a local Eastern European micro-influencer I had been following got involved in a very interesting pyramid scheme. For privacy purposes, let’s call our young entrepreneur Alicia. After Alicia started advertising these products on her Instagram stories, as well as presenting her female audience with unmissable business opportunities at the tender age of 16, I had to find out about the intricacies of the MLM she had been sucked into. After a quick glance, I could notice most of Alicia’s advertisements consisted of pictures and videos of packaged products, as well as alleged before and after pictures. The images were accompanied by claims about the health benefits and long-term results of using these products (e.g., the lip-gloss Alicia was selling wasn’t your usual lip gloss; it was a long-term non-invasive alternative to lip fillers that would magically increase the outer surface of your lip). Interestingly enough, her website contained a link to a PowerPoint created by the US-based multinational company whose products Alicia had been selling. The presentation detailed advertisement guidelines and tips about social media marketing tools, outlining a basic marketing strategy. The most interesting parts of the PowerPoint were, of course, the disclaimers about the fact that the company does not pretend that their products have actual health benefits or that their skincare products are proven to cure acne. A few Google searches later, I was looking into multiple lawsuits involving the company, including a 47 million dollar settlement following a class-action lawsuit in China.

In conclusion, I will simply reiterate a powerful phrase once spoken by female rap icon (ironically) turned anti-vax media personality Nicki Minaj: “Barbz, stay in school”.

by Ana Negut.