A quizzical look at the claims of modern advertising.

As a teenager, I briefly did a regular Saturday morning radio broadcast on 2XB, the Masterton offshoot of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC),

This touched irreverantly on skincare products amongst other topics of interest to young people.

One not unreasonable suggestion was to use boot polish instead of mascara. Given the ingredients of many sticks of mascara, this was on an equal par with most official brands, but research is always a good thing before you talk. Not just into the ingredients of the item I was tacitly criticising but the implications of doing so.

Another more acceptable suggestion was to mix almond oil with lemon juice for the hands – far cheaper and more reliable than expensive, glamorously packaged products. It still does the job; and almond oil is an ingredient for many a good face or body cream.

Around the time of the infamous mascara broadcast, the head of the local department store’s make-up and skincare section took umbrage and spoke to the station manager.

I was removed from my 2XB slot. The advertising manager and copy manager suggested that I start selling advertising instead of decimating it, thus sowing the seeds of a later rebellion. That was my first run in with the conflict between integrity and business. It’s followed me all my life.

The maverick in me developed underground, however, and one of the plethora of Groupon promotions in this morning’s emails moved me to a quick investigation (don’t get me wrong, some of the coupons are quite useful).

One Groupon offer, then, is for a skincare product, hyped as Liquid Gold Moroccan Argan Oil - 100% Pure – Use on face or body (100mls).”

Maybe it is a skincare paragon but this advertiser does go over the top with descriptive copy…

• Instant silky glowing skin

• Repairs skin, fast results!

• Advanced skin firming,

• Prevents deep wrinkles, frown lines, spots, scars, severe sun damage, photo-ageing & pigmentation

• 100% Pure Moroccan Plant Extracts

Consider these qualities…

• Non greasy

• Immediate results of glowing skin and softness

• 100% vegan, paraben free, NO animal testing

• No artificial colours, preservatives

• No chemicals

• No alcohol

On a positive note, it is useful to know that Argan Oil is vegan, paraben free and not tested on animals.

That it also contains the following, may be rivet you to your chair (if you know what the names mean… ).

• Exceptional high levels of vitamins E and F

• Fatty acids

• Squalene

• Antioxidants

• Carotene

• Cytosterols, and

• Phenolic compounds.

Now the killer prose

• Dramatically repairs skin tissue

• Advanced skin firming, superb glowing skin and lift

• Prevents deep wrinkles, frown lines, spots, scars, severe sun damage, photo-ageing & pigmentation

All of this at just £24 for a 100mls pot but cheap today with a Groupon coupon (£12).

The real payoff

I found a simply packaged, straightforward version of Argan oil on Aromantic, a well-regarded website for skincare ingredients and readymade products:

Aromantic identifies Argan oil in English and Latin (Argania Spinoza) and here is their simple, descriptive text, which – as it happens – does corroborate some of the glam site’s claims, although they have missed the real selling point – you can eat it!

“Used for cooking and Skin Care. Rich in the Essential Fatty Acid, Linoleic acid, which helps the body to reduce inflammation by producing prostaglandins. Add to Creams and Massage Oils. Keeps for 2 years. ”

The cost is £9.70 (100mls) and the organic version is £15.70 (100mls). Yes, you can get the organic version of Argan Oil here.

Tip: Type ‘Argan Oil’ in the search box on the left.)

Or you can click here for the glam version of Moroccan Argan Oil.

The choice is yours.