Skin Care Talk banner
Cancel

List of scamming/dishonest skin care product "reviews" websites

14666 Views 54 Replies 33 Participants Last post by  GoGreen, 
D
I found this forum after becoming so disgruntled at the number of dishonest websites that pretend to be honest reviews of skin care products. In my searches for wrinkle creams and other skin care products, I have discovered so many misleading websites that claim to have unbiased reviews, but really in fact they are paid to rate/rank certain products higher than others only because the website owner (reviewer) earns commissions on any sales that are generated from the reviews. So in order to prevent others from being duped by these so-called "reviews", I would like to compile a public list of websites that are known to be purposely misleading consumers.

So you may ask, how do you really know if a website owner is earning money from the products they rank/review? Well here are the signs:

1) The review/ranking website is being advertised on Google/Yahoo sponsored results (the ads you see in the blue box or on the side of the search results). These types of advertisements cost money. The website can not run these types of ads unless they are generating money from people buying the products that they "review".

2) When you click one of the products in the review, you see a weird URL in your browser before it directs to you to the actual product website. So what is this weird URL you might ask? Well, that weird URL is what puts a tracking code on your computer. Now, if you end up purchasing the product, they know you came from the "review" website and they can pay the owner of that website a commission.

3) The review/ranking website has no other real content except for just the rankings of products. If it was a legitimate website, it would also have other types of content like blogs, articles, etc.

So now for the list of websites I have come across that are in fact MISLEADING/DISHONEST/SCAMMING "review" websites:


  • bestwrinklecream.org
  • heathers-blog.com
  • antiaging-reviews.com
  • medicalhealthreviews.com
  • ReviewSpot.Org
  • StretchMarkCreamRankings.com
  • BeautyProductsCompared.com

  • [*]Acne-Reviews.org
    [*]ClearSkinReviews.com
    [*]acneway.com
    [*]10acne.com
    [*]10acneproducts.com
    [*]faceyouracne.com
    [*]myacnetreatmentreview.com
    [*]acneskincareproduct.org
    [*]skincarebuyersguide.com
    [*]bestantiwrinklecreamreviews.com
    [*]wrinklecreamsreview.com
    [*]wrinklereview.com
    [*]wrinklecreamsreviews.org
    [*]wrinklecreamreview.org
    [*]wrinklecreamreview.net
    [*]wrinklebest.com
    [*]pricesexposed.com
    [*]wrinklecream.pro
    [*]wrinklecreamsreview.com
    [*]bestwrinklecreamreviews.org
    [*]bestantiwrinklecreamreviews.com
    [*]bestantiwrinkleeyecreams.com
    [*]thebesteyecream.com
    [*]wrinkleserased.com
    [*]topantiwrinklecreamreviews.com
    [*]skinwrinklecream.com
    [*]thebestwrinklecream.org

Just so everyone is clear, I am not saying that the products they review are bad products, but just that their reviews are biased and are written for the sole purpose of making a sale. And don't worry I will be adding more as I find them!
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 55 Posts
fawnie
Excellent post and very good info! Thanks Diva!

What boards do you find that are reputable?
I have gotten some good info from www dot smartskincare dot com. Do you think it's on the up&up?



Reply
Save
Like
S
Thanks for the 411
Reply
Save
Like
pumi
Thanks for the information, Diva. I usually check reviewcentre.com for product reviews. Do you think this website might be misleading too?
Reply
Save
Like
D
Both reviewcentre.com and smartskincare.com are legitimate websites with honest information. Both of those websites make their money in other ways instead of earning commissions from their reviews.
Reply
Save
Like
D
so here are some more fake/scam review websites:

  • bestofantiaging.com
  • eyecreamreviews.com
  • antiaging-wrinklecream.com
  • anti-wrinklecream.org
  • antiwrinklecreamtests.com
  • wrinkleremovercreams.com
  • antiwrinklecreamreview.com
  • beautifulreview.com
  • wrinklereview.com
  • wrinkle-away.com
  • mrwrinklesreview.com
  • wrinklebest.com
  • reviewnailfungustreatments.com
  • nail-fungus-help.org
  • altstretchmarks.com
  • stretchmarksexpert.com
  • stretchmarkcream.org
  • stretchmarksbuster.com
  • skinlightenerreview.com
  • compareskinlighteners.com
  • compareskinbrighteners.com
  • skinlightenerstudy.com
  • hairlossreview.com
  • hairlossreviews.net
  • Hair-Loss-Product.ws
  • Hair-Loss-Rankings.com
  • Golden-Reviews.com
  • BreastEnhancementGuides.com
  • BreastEnhancerReview.com
  • Breast-Enhancement-Guide.com
  • ResearchBreastEnlargement.info
  • Breast-Enlargement-world.com
  • ConsumerGuideSkinCare.org
  • CelluliteTreatment.org
  • Cellulite-Treatment-Study.com
  • ConsumerHealthDigest.com
  • InfoAboutHoodia.com
  • 100Hoodia.com
  • Hoodia-Facts.com
  • ConsumerBestDeals.com
  • BestRatedHoodia.com
  • StrongestDietPills.net
  • consumerpricewatch.net
  • weight-loss-institute.com
  • pricesexposed.net
  • researchdietpills.com
  • dietpillrating.com
  • weightlossguide.com
  • ConsumerDietReview.com
  • WeightLossResearch.net
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
pumi
Thanks for updating the lists, Diva. Keep it up
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
ondine
Thank you for this interesting & informative post. I have seen some of them before & they struck me as fake although I couldn't quite understany why. It was more of a gut feeling. Would you know of any that are legitimate?
Reply
Save
Like
L
Thank you for this list!
Reply
Save
Like
R
i dontthink they are scams, they are affiliates site
Reply
Save
Like
vtoodler
In my opinion, when an affiliate sites pretends to be a legitimate review site, it is a SCAM.

Good looking out, diva.
Reply
Save
Like
D
rossmora said:
i dontthink they are scams, they are affiliates site
Click to expand...
These affiliate websites are ranking/reviewing products based on the payout they receive from the manufacturer. In other words, the companies that pay higher commissions get their products ranked higher than their competitors. The "reviewers" have not actually tried the products, let alone actually "reviewed" them. In addition to this, these "review" websites claim that the "reviews" are honest and unbiased.

What this all means is, a manufacturer could possibly have the worst product on the market, yet if they pay a big commission, their product will be ranked #1 on all their affiliate websites and also reviewed very highly.

Does this seem honest and fair to you? They're misleading customers by making false claims. They are in fact scamming people.
Reply
Save
Like
C
wow, i never really thought of it like that! thanks for all the info on that, and the websites too! thanks again! and no it doesn't, the product could be a total scam, and people think its the best cause of that!
Reply
Save
Like
F
I like to go to a site like skinstore.com, etc and read the reviews there. It has been my experience that they post the negative reviews as well as the positive ones, and also give an average review. As it's said "Let the buyer beware." and cosmetics, skin care can be so expensive, it pays to be careful. I also believe in asking for samples at department stores.
Reply
Save
Like
S
Good Idea! Thanks for posting these scam sites...
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
M
Diva -- you're doing everyone a favour by posting that list. I ordered from one company on your list, was charged but never got the product. I read through the agreement and noted that if you ordered you were put on auto deliver -- charged every month. I contacted the company and told them to cancel my account -- received a cancellation number. The following month on my credit card statement I was charged the same amount under a company name I didn't recognize. Googled the name and found a list of posts where people have been hassled and scammed. I learned my lesson -- I'll only buy directly from the manufacturer.
Reply
Save
Like
fawnie
Definitely do not buy from eskinstore.com. They sold me defective used products then I had a devil of a time getting PayPal to delete the charges after I protested.



Reply
Save
Like
pumi
Thanks Diva. There are so many dishonest online companies nowadays-- makes me wonder if it is safe at all to buy stuff online or rely on their fake product reviews!
Reply
Save
Like
M
pumi said:
Thanks Diva. There are so many dishonest online companies nowadays-- makes me wonder if it is safe at all to buy stuff online or rely on their fake product reviews!
Click to expand...
These companies are scam artists -- don't go for those fancy free trials-- the product I ordered was from a site advertised as "as shown on Ophra ..." What is so utterly unfair is that I have to prove to the bank I never received or ordered the product. I have also been told that if I cancel my credit card I will still be liable for the charges until I officially cancel with the company or can prove I never ordered it! Some of these companies as soon as they get your credit card number they will start charging; you cancel with them and then an affiliate company starts billing you; this means every month you have scam charges on your credit card statement. Know the merchant before you buy.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
IluvNY
Hey Mari if i were you id find out about suing the company, iv had to threaten quite a few companys before with legal action and normally once you start doing this the company soon gives you your money back, just be strong about it! Also if you do buy stuff off the internet always use a credit card this way you automatically get credit card protection! Hope you get your money back
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 55 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Skin Care Talk
A forum community dedicated to skin care professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about recipes, health, gels, peels, lotions, cosmetics, care, reviews, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Skin Lightening Anti-Aging Basic Skin Care Europe New Member? Introduce Yourself!
Top