There's a vague legend behind a well-known luxury brand that involves a rocket scientist developing a moisturizer. Although Alcide declines to name the specific product, she does reveal that it's a "joke amongst high-end chemists." "It's just a marketing story they used to sell the product, and people buy into that," she says.

The skin care product in question does list its marketable ingredient, Seaweed Algae, as its first ingredient, but follows it with a slew of inexpensive ingredients comparable to Vaseline. Regardless of whether harvesting that seaweed is as expensive as the company may have you believe, Alcide says it's important for consumers to use common sense when considering paying upwards of $100 for a one-ounce product based on an intriguing story surrounding its creation. "A savvy consumer can sense if a story is bogus or not," she says. When considering splurging on expensive products, she recommends researching similar options to find less expensive alternatives, sans the bells and whistles (or in this case, the seaweed and rocket scientists).

Just because you don't have a degree in chemistry doesn't mean you can't shop smart in the beauty aisle. Alcide is quick to say that, while there are a lot of things to watch out for in your cosmetic products, there are also a lot of ingredients that can really help your skin.

If you're looking for a great acne product, Alcide says to avoid the harsh ingredients (like parabens), because irritating or drying products can make acne-prone skin overproduce oil, which means more acne and longer healing times. Great acne-fighting ingredients you should look for: salicylic acid (it kills the bacteria that causes acne), willow bark and licorice root (both are anti-inflammatory), citrus essential oils (like grapefruit and sweet orange), alpha hydroxy, clary sage (it helps with hormonal acne), honey (for its natural antiseptic properties), aloe vera juice, avenea sativa (oat) extract, and camphor extract.

For anti-aging products, Alcide recommends ingredients like squalane (a natural emollient and moisturizer), peptides, Vitamins C and E, ingredients from the sea (like blue or red marine algae), grapeseed and avocado oil (they help your skin retain moisture), seabuckthorn oil, non-petroleum derived vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, retinol, and topical antioxidants like Vitamin A, E, C and green tea, which help protect your skin from environmental damage.