BEAUTY EXPERT:PAULA BEGOUN

As the cosmetic cop launches her skincare line in India, Drishti Kapadia talks to her about the biggest beauty myths

A career in investigative cosmetic journalism served as the perfect foundation for Paula Begoun to launch her cruelty-free skincare line in 1995. Since then, the serial multitasker has penned 21 books, while simultaneously busting every false claim in the beauty industry on her cult website, Beautypedia.com.

Begoun was inspired to create a comprehensive resource for honest product reviews, in 2008, after the success of her bestselling book Don’t Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. Over the years, she built a reputation for calling out brands for below-average formulations. She says, “When I met Oprah, 35 years ago, she told me, ‘As long as you are speaking the truth, never be afraid to challenge the hype and misleading information the cosmetics industry imposes on women.” She stuck with this advice and it helped her win readers’ trust and respect for her in-depth analysis of every beauty product out there.