The Gap in the Conversation

Week 5 (09/05-09/11)

It's been a fun week in AP Research recking John Oliver's "argument" against charter schools. I'm excited to make the official competition video at the beginning of next week. :)

Although class this week has been devoted to dissecting the Oliver video, we have all still been working on the sidelines to gather sources and piece our academic conversations together. In order to demonstrate how my specific subtopics are coming together to form a gap, I'm going to put several pivotal authors in the same room and allow them to "converse":

Cast:

1. Margit Lai Wun Juhász and Ellen S. Marmur from the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and New York

2. Anne Marie Todd, a professor of Communication Studies at San Jose State University who teaches courses in environmental communication

3. Diana Crane, PhD in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania

4. Maison, Greenwald, and Bruin, Psychology professor at the University of Warsaw, professor of Social Psychology at the University of Washington, and manager of a medical data group respectively


Setting: All 7 authors sit at a round table at one of those pretentious parties where smart people come together and discuss academic issues


Script:


Todd: Cosmetic companies have been promoting the quality effects of natural ingredients in their products since the environmental movements of the early 2000s. It's a pretty smart move - this way, the companies do not only appeal more to environmentally conscious consumers, but they also attract consumers who could care less about the environment and simply want a quality product.

Juhasz and Marmur: Interesting...in general, consumers have also been pushed toward natural cosmetic products because of some misleading health studies attacking chemical additives in unnatural makeups. Cancer foundations and health administrations have released warnings concerning ingredients such as parabens, lead, and formaldehyde in cosmetics when, in actuality, agencies like the FDA, CDC, and CIR have all found the additives to produce no negative health effects in the small quantities found in makeup products.

Todd: So consumers have been mislead about lead? How lucky for the natural makeup companies. They have been able to reel in consumers with environmental concerns, those with personal health concerns, and those with merely product quality concerns.

Crane: I see your point Todd, but it's likely that the natural makeup companies are benefitting primarily only from the latter two types of consumers you mentioned. My studies have shown that consumers buy natural and organic products primarily for the perceived personal benefits, usually related to health.

Juhasz and Marmur: If that is the case in the makeup industry, consumers are splurging on natural products for illogical reasons.

Todd: There is also some debate as to whether or not the natural makeup companies are exaggerating the quality effects of their ingredients. For example, the CEO of Bare Escentuals claims that natural makeup has less tendency to become cakey and dry out one's complexion, but, with the larger variety and manipulability of unnatural makeup ingredients, there is a large range of makeup textures that can be achieved.

Crane: So...consumers are psychologically drawn to the phrase "natural" because of perceived health benefits and greater effectiveness, but these things may not be true?

[Todd, Juhasz, and Marmur nod]

Maison, Greenwald, and Bruin: It would be interesting to see how consumers of natural makeup products judged different makeup brands during blind consumption, or, using the makeup without knowing what brand it is. Consumers choose different brands based off of either emotional distinctions or actual sensual distinctions. Emotional distinctions involve choosing brands because of what consumers believe about the product, which would align with consumers choosing makeup because of perceived, but false, health and quality superiority. Sensual distinctions involve choosing brands based off of quality differences actually felt during consumption, which would be the case if consumers were choosing natural makeup because of actual noticed quality superiority. If consumers have difficulty distinguishing between brands during blind consumption, or favor a different brand than their identified favorite brand, it is likely that they have made emotional distinctions between brands, as opposed to actual sensual ones. Through blind testing, we can answer your questions about the makeup industry by determining whether consumers actually detect superior quality in natural makeups.

Everyone else [in unison]: Brilliant! If only we had someone to do that....

Maison, Greenwald, and Bruin: We already have the girl for the task.

(732)