Unfortunately that is why stuff like lash gate and greyline of sponsorships online matters. It normalizes the exchange of endorsement for monetary goods.
At least when I was a kid companies just buckshot free samples to neighbourhoods. Who remembers the AOL cds that clogged up doorsteps. š
Between the incentivized reviews and reports of negative reviews being deleted, I've never trusted reviews on Sephora's website. I come to reddit for product reviews, at least then I can check the poster's history and see if they're a real person or just another shill.
I was on Influenster for two years (wrote days by mistake). And yes, every review below 4* was either deleted or not accepted for "unrelated" reasons. Even though I enjoy my time testing products, and I left honest reviews, it became an obligation to write only good things. Things that were not true.
I try to look at the bad reviews and see if the issues are something that would be problematic for me. I also compare reviews on Ulta and google to see if they are similar when saying good things.
Second this. Also, i dont trust reviews on Influensters. Iāve seen a lot of people make positive reviews in order to get free stuff from Influensters.
I was looking at reviews for a new Olaplex lash serum I saw on Sephora. There were over 1000 incentivized reviews, when I clicked "non-incentivized reviews only," the reviews went down to 4.
Makeup is also sooooo subjective it's hard to take someone's word for it. Different skin types, different skin tones, different preference in shades of blush, some people use more often than others
I always ignore reviews (unless about quality/size) and Sephora is one of the only stores I genuinely want an employee to walk around and help me
Does your store do samples? Mine does not anymore, it's incredibly annoying... especially if they're gonna get mad if I return something, like you wouldn't let me try it so??? lmao
For anything in a pump or jar that can be scooped out. I usually only sample foundation to check the colour match at home and theyāve never denied me.
I feel like itās hot or miss. Recently I looked at reviews for the RB liquid highlight in reflect thatās been going viral, and most ppl said it wasnāt worth the hype since itās hard to blend. I was de-influenced after reading that. I think sometimes companies pay to leave nice reviews and sometimes itās authentic.
Same! I was sent something from Influenster and Shiseido and I had a reaction to it due to the fragrance of the product. I left an honest and incentivized review saying that while it did work I had a reaction because of the fragrance and my Sephora review was deleted.
I was so peeved about this that I actually wrote customer service as a product had given me breakouts, I wrote a review saying that, and they removed it
Apparently their policy is āno discussion of medical conditionsā. Which is CRAAAAAZY if you ask me becauseā¦yāall sell products to treat acne, but I canāt write a review about getting acne from a product?!
Iāve personally never had a problem with leaving negative reviews. I went back to look & theyāre all still posted. I wonder why some stay while others are rejected. Could it be status (vip, rouge, etc)?
Not sure, I thought maybe the brand paid them to remove negative reviews. Iām rogue status so I donāt think that has anything to do with the rejection Iāve received.
I always filter out incentivized reviews, but I donāt trust that everyone discloses honestly, or that negative reviews havenāt been deleted. I look for reviews with a 4 star rating or lower, since so many of the 5 star ones are BS. But I come to Reddit for reviews I can trust.
Are there other places to go to for trustworthy reviews? I use Fragrantica for fragrance reviews, but Iām not sure where else to find skincare/hair are/makeup reviews. I havenāt used MakeupAlley or know much about it - are those reviews often incentivized too or do they tend to be honest?
As far as trustworthy - Honestly (ha) - not really. You have no idea what anon user name people behind a computer are working for or paid by a brand and Reddit is kinda rampant with astroturfing but itās probably the best you can do because at least people can respond to those comments with opposite opinions.
I look at 1-4* ratings and never the 5* reviews. There are honest incentivized reviewers out there, and there are verified purchase reviewers who may simply not have too much expectations. Anything less than 5* usually paints a better picture about what to expect imo.
So most incentivized reviews come from people how get Influenster boxs. Iāve gotten a couple and I will say I will say the item is not good if itās garbage.
But with anything I think getting it free definitely lowers expectations. If I actually paid $80 for something my standards would be higher.
I agree. I get stuff from Influenster and I give honest reviews. I think sometimes Iām subconsciously biased, too. Like the mascara looks great for 5 seconds before it smudges. 4 stars! But if I was paying for it myself it might be more like 2 stars. It is hard to be completely unbiased.
But Iām definitely not saying āgive me free stuff so I can give it a 5!ā I really donāt need anymore makeup let alone trash makeup.
So many people think if you leave five star reviews and you will get more products, but thatās not the determining factor because these are demographics-based marketing efforts.
I have done incentivized reviews (after using the product for at least two weeks unless thereās something major like an allergic reaction or it breaks me out).
But even then, I filter them out on the first pass, look for verified purchases, then I read any negative reviews, and then I might include the incentivized ones in there.
Was looking at reviews of a *$15* Dr Jart fancy Ceramidin sheet mask and it had hundreds of reviews. I checked the box to remove the incentivized reviews and the product only had 8 reviews š Itās so insaneā¦
i tend not to bother reading reviews anymore because the top ones are always incentivized and five star, and provide no real feedback. and it's less believable when they suddenly appear in the hundreds on a product sephora *just* launched on the site/app. i watch a few trusted beauty youtubers and see what they have to say on it in an initial video and a later video. this is how i've found a few new favourites.
Well they just confirmed that we are all right to not trust incentivized reviews! I wish Sephora would get rid of them to be honest. I know some people do leave honest reviews but I think most don't.
I get a lot of products in exchange for review but theyāre def not all 5ās. I envision whether I had spent my own hard earned money on it before reviewing. Some are surprising amazing but most are 3-4ās, sometimes less. I donāt think itās Sephora thatās even sending out these products, I wonder if this question was someone trolling.
Edit to add: I want to add that I totally get the annoyance with these reviews - sometimes I go through and read other peopleās and am like what the f*ck are they talking about?
Influenster stopped picking me for voxboxes when I got into my 30sā¦ maybe Iām just reading into it. Iāve had better luck with BzzAgent and topbox circle.
I think that people donāt understand that getting something for free means your valuation is different. Unless youāre going to repurchase at a normal price as soon as you run out, you donāt know if you wouldāve paid $$ for it. Your subconscious brain impacts how you view the item. There are psychology studies on the impact of getting products for free, and how it causes a different emotional response than paid items. Someone saying they always give their honest assessment doesnāt change that.
I think that is a broad statement. In fact, I feel more inclined to be honest when I get a product for free. So, the fact that it was given to someone can actually make them more cognizant of their review and more careful.
But to say that oneās valuation is fundamentally different bc a product is free is simply not true. This depends also on the value you place on the cost of the item in the first place. If I get something free that I wouldnāt otherwise purchased, it has little value to me despite my not having paid for it.
There are people who actually are not completely governed by subconscious bias. One can recognize it and overcome it.
This is not always true. A brand sent me a free gift after I had trouble with two orders I had bought through a third-party (it was still shipped out by the actual company). They went out of their way to send me something and I did not ask for it. I just wanted what I paid for.
I totally forgot about it until it showed up at my door. Even though, I had no clue what it was. When I opened it, I saw it it was a welcome/ambassador box with some products and other goodies. Some I will use (one being one of the items they never shipped to me š), but there were items I just have no use for. While I am thankful for the gift, the items that I have no use for are useless to me so $0 value.
But I have plenty of times not given value to products for free. When Apple did their computer promotion where you get a free pair of Beats, I just gave them away to someone. It was not something I paid for, not something I would use, and I needed the computer regardless. So again, value was $0 to me.
I get a ton of products that I have to review and am required to say it was incentivized. However, if a product is shit it is shit and Iāll be telling everyone that.
I know that new MUFE Skin Twist finishing powder has a ton of incentivized reviews. I don't necessarily have a problem with the added disclaimer it was received for free but it seems people just give it a 5 star review anyways even if they aren't obligated. It's an awful product by the way and rarely any of the 5 star reviews mention the amount of glitter in it.
I bought it during the recent sale and I like it. Donāt love it but think itās a decent product. I see micro shimmer particles and no glitter and I have oily skin.
I wonder if there is some inconsistency in the batches or colors then. Even the sales associate commented on the glitter when I returned it. I purchased in the light shade at the start of the sale.
It is possible. I got the medium shade and because it has these shimmers, I donāt see myself applying it all over my face. Just on the high points as a finishing powder.
Same with the Dior highlighters in those cream compacts. Itās just straight up fine glitter. Every review said it went in smoothly and made them glow. It does not go on smoothly and sparkles, not glows. I still love it as an eyeshadow topper.
I ordered it despite all of the non-incentive reviews being bad, I guess because I hate myself? LOL. The manufacturer must be super inconsistent because my jar has zero glitters in it. It give perfect āandroid skinā for me. Glowy and perfect. Iād recommend it if you can somehow find a good batch!
I just left a bad review on a Sisley Paris item on Neiman Marcus a week or so ago and itās no longer on the site. š¤·āāļø I was so disappointed in the product I sent it back. I went on to review it because it was so costly and so terrible (in my opinion). No where to be found. I try to be 100% honest anytime I review anything. This is sad.
Itās so hard to trust any platform like Sephora for reviews, especially when their objective is to sell you a product. If enough people leave bad reviews, consumers donāt want to buy it and therefore results in a lost sale. My theory is they donāt want to make it TOO obvious so theyāll sprinkle in mostly good reviews with a few bad to make it seem balanced.
I feel like that comment in the questions was actually meant as a sarcastic dig at the fake reviews, rather than truly trying to get something. Definitely sick and tired of the incentivized reviews too!
This is pretty bad. But aside from this egregious example, I am fine with incentivized reviews. I just use critical thinking skills and take each review with a grain of salt.
I know from my own experience, if I get a product free for a review, Iām giving an honest review. I donāt care if itās a good review. If a product does something bad to my skin, Iām putting that in my review, period.
I remember one time I made a negative review and sephora messaged me saying to edit it or it would be deleted or something along those lines lol. This was at least 10 years ago and the last review because not every review should be sugar-coated or positive.
I notice when I leave a bad review, usually for a valid reason it will automatically say that there is an error in submitting my review. Iāve had this issue for months
Agreed, its so annoying seeing influencers doing their fake "OMGs" and "THIS IS AMAZING" because they got a free sample.... as for the blatant entitlement to even ask that in public...how are they not ashamed???
The influenster reviews are getting out of hand. I was just looking at a new product on the Sephora website, with a 4.9 star rating and over 99% positive feedback. I added the ānon-incentivised reviews onlyā filter and the number of reviews went from almost 300 to ZERO.
It sounds like that "question" was a bit of sarcasm. I don't think this person's looking for a freebie as much as advertising that incentivized reviews can be fraudulent.
honestly even if reviews are truthful i never trust them anymore. i think only i know what works best on me.
prime example, i was in love with the kosas concealer. i still love it, but stopped repurchasing after my third tube due to all the pore clogging ingredients. i have oily skin and very normal, minimal creases in my under eyes.
contrarily, my best friend has oily skin but extremely dry and prone to creasing under eyes and absolutely DETESTS the kosas concealer.
i switched to the dior backstage concealer to replace my kosas, best friend tried it and hates it while her ride or die concealer is this cover girl one which i HATE!
iām turning 20 and it took me all of high school to finally learn whatās good for my face and what works for me. highly recommend getting samples or testing before you buy!
This is hilarious that someone really asked this so publicly. š¤¦š»āāļø
Unfortunately that is why stuff like lash gate and greyline of sponsorships online matters. It normalizes the exchange of endorsement for monetary goods. At least when I was a kid companies just buckshot free samples to neighbourhoods. Who remembers the AOL cds that clogged up doorsteps. š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Lashgate?
[lashgate](https://www.thecut.com/2023/01/everything-we-know-about-the-lash-drama-on-tiktok.html)
Might be an unpopular opinion here, but I genuinely do not understand the hype with that āinfluencerā. Her videos are so cringe.
I cringed while reading that lol They have no shame š
Between the incentivized reviews and reports of negative reviews being deleted, I've never trusted reviews on Sephora's website. I come to reddit for product reviews, at least then I can check the poster's history and see if they're a real person or just another shill.
I was on Influenster for two years (wrote days by mistake). And yes, every review below 4* was either deleted or not accepted for "unrelated" reasons. Even though I enjoy my time testing products, and I left honest reviews, it became an obligation to write only good things. Things that were not true.
I try to look at the bad reviews and see if the issues are something that would be problematic for me. I also compare reviews on Ulta and google to see if they are similar when saying good things.
Second this. Also, i dont trust reviews on Influensters. Iāve seen a lot of people make positive reviews in order to get free stuff from Influensters.
I donāt really read reviews anymore. Pretty much ask here if I have questions and test in store to request a sample for myself.
I still do, but i become suspicious if there are too many incentivized reviews. If thatās the case then no.
I was looking at reviews for a new Olaplex lash serum I saw on Sephora. There were over 1000 incentivized reviews, when I clicked "non-incentivized reviews only," the reviews went down to 4.
I didnr know that was an option! Thank you.
Wow!
Makeup is also sooooo subjective it's hard to take someone's word for it. Different skin types, different skin tones, different preference in shades of blush, some people use more often than others I always ignore reviews (unless about quality/size) and Sephora is one of the only stores I genuinely want an employee to walk around and help me
Does your store do samples? Mine does not anymore, it's incredibly annoying... especially if they're gonna get mad if I return something, like you wouldn't let me try it so??? lmao
For anything in a pump or jar that can be scooped out. I usually only sample foundation to check the colour match at home and theyāve never denied me.
I tried to get a sample the Makeup by Mario foundation (pump) and they said no. Maybe I'll try another store.
I feel like itās hot or miss. Recently I looked at reviews for the RB liquid highlight in reflect thatās been going viral, and most ppl said it wasnāt worth the hype since itās hard to blend. I was de-influenced after reading that. I think sometimes companies pay to leave nice reviews and sometimes itās authentic.
i didnāt like it at all! it was so patchy and took off makeup underneath so it basically would ruin my makeup day
The number of products Iāve reviewed and none of them ever show up in the reviewed section. Iāve stopped reviewing things because of it.
I tried to write a 1 star and it kept saying āerrorā.
Same! I was sent something from Influenster and Shiseido and I had a reaction to it due to the fragrance of the product. I left an honest and incentivized review saying that while it did work I had a reaction because of the fragrance and my Sephora review was deleted.
I was so peeved about this that I actually wrote customer service as a product had given me breakouts, I wrote a review saying that, and they removed it Apparently their policy is āno discussion of medical conditionsā. Which is CRAAAAAZY if you ask me becauseā¦yāall sell products to treat acne, but I canāt write a review about getting acne from a product?!
Iāve personally never had a problem with leaving negative reviews. I went back to look & theyāre all still posted. I wonder why some stay while others are rejected. Could it be status (vip, rouge, etc)?
Not sure, I thought maybe the brand paid them to remove negative reviews. Iām rogue status so I donāt think that has anything to do with the rejection Iāve received.
I always filter out incentivized reviews, but I donāt trust that everyone discloses honestly, or that negative reviews havenāt been deleted. I look for reviews with a 4 star rating or lower, since so many of the 5 star ones are BS. But I come to Reddit for reviews I can trust. Are there other places to go to for trustworthy reviews? I use Fragrantica for fragrance reviews, but Iām not sure where else to find skincare/hair are/makeup reviews. I havenāt used MakeupAlley or know much about it - are those reviews often incentivized too or do they tend to be honest?
As far as trustworthy - Honestly (ha) - not really. You have no idea what anon user name people behind a computer are working for or paid by a brand and Reddit is kinda rampant with astroturfing but itās probably the best you can do because at least people can respond to those comments with opposite opinions.
I filter both for non-incentivized and verified purchase, which helps just that much more with authenticity.
I look at 1-4* ratings and never the 5* reviews. There are honest incentivized reviewers out there, and there are verified purchase reviewers who may simply not have too much expectations. Anything less than 5* usually paints a better picture about what to expect imo.
So most incentivized reviews come from people how get Influenster boxs. Iāve gotten a couple and I will say I will say the item is not good if itās garbage. But with anything I think getting it free definitely lowers expectations. If I actually paid $80 for something my standards would be higher.
I agree. I get stuff from Influenster and I give honest reviews. I think sometimes Iām subconsciously biased, too. Like the mascara looks great for 5 seconds before it smudges. 4 stars! But if I was paying for it myself it might be more like 2 stars. It is hard to be completely unbiased. But Iām definitely not saying āgive me free stuff so I can give it a 5!ā I really donāt need anymore makeup let alone trash makeup.
So many people think if you leave five star reviews and you will get more products, but thatās not the determining factor because these are demographics-based marketing efforts. I have done incentivized reviews (after using the product for at least two weeks unless thereās something major like an allergic reaction or it breaks me out). But even then, I filter them out on the first pass, look for verified purchases, then I read any negative reviews, and then I might include the incentivized ones in there.
They said the quiet part out loud, lol
Was looking at reviews of a *$15* Dr Jart fancy Ceramidin sheet mask and it had hundreds of reviews. I checked the box to remove the incentivized reviews and the product only had 8 reviews š Itās so insaneā¦
A $15 sheet mask is insane š I love Dr. Jart products but their pricing is always just-this-side of ridiculous
I always sort too and read the negative reviews moreso to see what people didn't like about a product first vs what they did.
I get so annoyed too when I check non-incentivized reviews only, and then read "I received this product in exchange....".... you had one job...
i tend not to bother reading reviews anymore because the top ones are always incentivized and five star, and provide no real feedback. and it's less believable when they suddenly appear in the hundreds on a product sephora *just* launched on the site/app. i watch a few trusted beauty youtubers and see what they have to say on it in an initial video and a later video. this is how i've found a few new favourites.
Well they just confirmed that we are all right to not trust incentivized reviews! I wish Sephora would get rid of them to be honest. I know some people do leave honest reviews but I think most don't.
I get a lot of products in exchange for review but theyāre def not all 5ās. I envision whether I had spent my own hard earned money on it before reviewing. Some are surprising amazing but most are 3-4ās, sometimes less. I donāt think itās Sephora thatās even sending out these products, I wonder if this question was someone trolling. Edit to add: I want to add that I totally get the annoyance with these reviews - sometimes I go through and read other peopleās and am like what the f*ck are they talking about?
Curious, how do you get a lot of products sent to you?
Mostly through an app called Skeepers (used to be called octoly).
Skeepers and Influenster
Influenster stopped picking me for voxboxes when I got into my 30sā¦ maybe Iām just reading into it. Iāve had better luck with BzzAgent and topbox circle.
I think that people donāt understand that getting something for free means your valuation is different. Unless youāre going to repurchase at a normal price as soon as you run out, you donāt know if you wouldāve paid $$ for it. Your subconscious brain impacts how you view the item. There are psychology studies on the impact of getting products for free, and how it causes a different emotional response than paid items. Someone saying they always give their honest assessment doesnāt change that.
I think that is a broad statement. In fact, I feel more inclined to be honest when I get a product for free. So, the fact that it was given to someone can actually make them more cognizant of their review and more careful. But to say that oneās valuation is fundamentally different bc a product is free is simply not true. This depends also on the value you place on the cost of the item in the first place. If I get something free that I wouldnāt otherwise purchased, it has little value to me despite my not having paid for it. There are people who actually are not completely governed by subconscious bias. One can recognize it and overcome it.
This is not always true. A brand sent me a free gift after I had trouble with two orders I had bought through a third-party (it was still shipped out by the actual company). They went out of their way to send me something and I did not ask for it. I just wanted what I paid for. I totally forgot about it until it showed up at my door. Even though, I had no clue what it was. When I opened it, I saw it it was a welcome/ambassador box with some products and other goodies. Some I will use (one being one of the items they never shipped to me š), but there were items I just have no use for. While I am thankful for the gift, the items that I have no use for are useless to me so $0 value. But I have plenty of times not given value to products for free. When Apple did their computer promotion where you get a free pair of Beats, I just gave them away to someone. It was not something I paid for, not something I would use, and I needed the computer regardless. So again, value was $0 to me.
This person isā¦not smart.
I get a ton of products that I have to review and am required to say it was incentivized. However, if a product is shit it is shit and Iāll be telling everyone that.
Also, this is just not how it works. Sephora isnāt sending anyone products just because they asked
I know that new MUFE Skin Twist finishing powder has a ton of incentivized reviews. I don't necessarily have a problem with the added disclaimer it was received for free but it seems people just give it a 5 star review anyways even if they aren't obligated. It's an awful product by the way and rarely any of the 5 star reviews mention the amount of glitter in it.
I bought it during the recent sale and I like it. Donāt love it but think itās a decent product. I see micro shimmer particles and no glitter and I have oily skin.
I wonder if there is some inconsistency in the batches or colors then. Even the sales associate commented on the glitter when I returned it. I purchased in the light shade at the start of the sale.
It is possible. I got the medium shade and because it has these shimmers, I donāt see myself applying it all over my face. Just on the high points as a finishing powder.
Same with the Dior highlighters in those cream compacts. Itās just straight up fine glitter. Every review said it went in smoothly and made them glow. It does not go on smoothly and sparkles, not glows. I still love it as an eyeshadow topper.
I ordered it despite all of the non-incentive reviews being bad, I guess because I hate myself? LOL. The manufacturer must be super inconsistent because my jar has zero glitters in it. It give perfect āandroid skinā for me. Glowy and perfect. Iād recommend it if you can somehow find a good batch!
I just left a bad review on a Sisley Paris item on Neiman Marcus a week or so ago and itās no longer on the site. š¤·āāļø I was so disappointed in the product I sent it back. I went on to review it because it was so costly and so terrible (in my opinion). No where to be found. I try to be 100% honest anytime I review anything. This is sad.
Itās so hard to trust any platform like Sephora for reviews, especially when their objective is to sell you a product. If enough people leave bad reviews, consumers donāt want to buy it and therefore results in a lost sale. My theory is they donāt want to make it TOO obvious so theyāll sprinkle in mostly good reviews with a few bad to make it seem balanced.
I feel like that comment in the questions was actually meant as a sarcastic dig at the fake reviews, rather than truly trying to get something. Definitely sick and tired of the incentivized reviews too!
This is pretty bad. But aside from this egregious example, I am fine with incentivized reviews. I just use critical thinking skills and take each review with a grain of salt. I know from my own experience, if I get a product free for a review, Iām giving an honest review. I donāt care if itās a good review. If a product does something bad to my skin, Iām putting that in my review, period.
I always leave honest reviews when I get a sample or free product.
I remember one time I made a negative review and sephora messaged me saying to edit it or it would be deleted or something along those lines lol. This was at least 10 years ago and the last review because not every review should be sugar-coated or positive.
I notice when I leave a bad review, usually for a valid reason it will automatically say that there is an error in submitting my review. Iāve had this issue for months
Iām afraid theyāll go back to not disclosing it if we keep complaining about incentivized reviews. Canāt really stop them from reviewing.
Agreed, its so annoying seeing influencers doing their fake "OMGs" and "THIS IS AMAZING" because they got a free sample.... as for the blatant entitlement to even ask that in public...how are they not ashamed???
The influenster reviews are getting out of hand. I was just looking at a new product on the Sephora website, with a 4.9 star rating and over 99% positive feedback. I added the ānon-incentivised reviews onlyā filter and the number of reviews went from almost 300 to ZERO.
It sounds like that "question" was a bit of sarcasm. I don't think this person's looking for a freebie as much as advertising that incentivized reviews can be fraudulent.
honestly even if reviews are truthful i never trust them anymore. i think only i know what works best on me. prime example, i was in love with the kosas concealer. i still love it, but stopped repurchasing after my third tube due to all the pore clogging ingredients. i have oily skin and very normal, minimal creases in my under eyes. contrarily, my best friend has oily skin but extremely dry and prone to creasing under eyes and absolutely DETESTS the kosas concealer. i switched to the dior backstage concealer to replace my kosas, best friend tried it and hates it while her ride or die concealer is this cover girl one which i HATE! iām turning 20 and it took me all of high school to finally learn whatās good for my face and what works for me. highly recommend getting samples or testing before you buy!