White-Labeling and Contract Manufacturing in Skincare

Whenever available, I buy the drugstore dupes of name brands with the same efficiency to save a few bucks. The formulas are exactly the same, yet you pay far less. Today, let's discuss how Walmart and chain drugstores can afford to sell us these amazing bargains. Along the way, you’ll also learn some industry jargon.

YouTube’s Doctorly channel (hosted by dermatologists Dr. Madiha Shah and Dr. Tom Maxfield) reveals that celebrity, drugstore, and doctor-branded lines often get their products through white-labeling and contract manufacturing. They don’t create unique formulas from scratch; instead, they buy pre-made stock formulas from private 3rd party, contract laboratories and slap their own labels on them. Some of these sellers may make minor tweaks known as ingredient dusting to market the skincare (or makeup) as rare or innovative products.

The 3rd-party beauty labs are independent contract manufacturers and cosmetic chemists who formulate the base recipes. A solo lab might make a core retinol serum or moisturizer or skin treatment or body wash and sell the same stock formula to a ton of brands across various price points.

Celebrities or influencers rarely formulate anything. Beauty companies and marketers work with a famous name or physician to select a pre-existing stock formulation from a lab catalog, pick out custom packaging, and plan a marketing story around it.

Another YouTube dermatologist, Dr. Usama Syed, also explains how white labeling works: Labs own established recipes and sell them to many competing companies. A $10 drugstore serum or moisturizer and a $100 luxury/celebrity one often come from the very same lab.

According to Dr, Syed, ingredient dusting (minor adjustments or adding a tiny pinch of a trending ingredient) lets brands claim a custom formula while using a default stock product. Frequently, contract labs let sellers decide how much active ingredient goes into a stock formula based on whether they want a marketing level trace or an actual clinical concentration level in their skin care.

So now you know that a $10 Walmart or drugstore skincare knockoff and a $100 luxury/celebrity one are usually exactly the same, and you have insight into what you’re paying for ... is it the ingredients (about $10) or is it (a feeling) the packaging and name?

I highly reccomend all the fantastic Walmart dupes featured on today's blog. Walmart’s version for Noxema Original Cleansing Cream is the only dupe, I’ve tried that fails short of the Noxema brand. The eucaluptus oil cream performs exactly the same, yet smells funky. If you can get over the smell, buy it at half price. Sometimes I return to the name brand for the pleasant smell.🙂

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EDX Metal Utility Cart Storage

How cute and useful are these carts?

I can’t praise this EDX 4-tier metal utility rolling cart enough! At a fraction of the cost, it’s a superior upgrade from an expensive utility cart I bought at The Container Store after a wheel broke off. The Container Store cart was flimsy compared to this sturdy Walmart mobile cart that also has 360-degree rotating wheels. The new cart is heavy-duty mobile storage of greater capacity with locking coasters. I use it in my kitchen, but it could go in any room, closet, or basement where you need vertical and/or mobile storage and organization.

The metal utility cart is adorable in pink or green, but I selected gray to match my refrigerator and stove. Well-constructed and well-painted, I easily move the cart out of the way to open my utility closet or oven.

It arrives in a compact box with tools for assembly. Although it is easy to assemble, I had to text my cousin to ask whether to put the round head nuts on the inside or outside of the cart. He replied that generally they go on the inside.

I need the cart to store the heavy glass lids of my 12-inch chef skillet and wok pan. It is a hassle storing them in my cupboard, since I must remove them to retrieve my other pots and pans. I prefer to simply reach for lids, pots, and pans without having to rearrange them with each use. Call me lazy, but that’s annoying! 

A personal quirk: I dislike filling every bit of storage space to the brink, but love having empty tiers to temporarily put various things until either I put them away or promptly use them.

The EDX Utility Cart comes in either 3 or 4 tiers. I love my 4-tiers! Why waste vertical space?

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Mom Gets A Second Pair of Avia Sneakers

My senior mom walks the length of my hallway once a day, either with her wonderful occupational therapist or me. I want her to have good support for her feet, so I bought her a 2nd pair of the much hyped Avia sneakers that are sold exclusively at Walmart. Great quality for a low price. She does not run in them, but many reviewers who bought them do and have posted photos of themselves running in their Avia sneakers! The brand has 100s of positive reviews.

I can’t review them for running, but I highly recommend them for people who stand on their feet all day or walk a lot indoors. 

Avia sneakers are made of the same durable materials as the major brands, including lots of interior padding and good craftsmanship. Its footbed has odor-resistant properties. They are easier to slip on and off than my mom's New Balance sneakers, plus have more cushioning. Ultra stylish, I bought her the black with pops of color.

Because they are mass-produced for Walmart, you can grab what seems like a too-good-to-be-true bargain and save your expensive sneakers for specialized sports. Although I wear my Nike sneakers until they noticeably wear out, the conventional wisdom is to replace sneakers every 6 months.

Avia sneakers are perfect for all our casual smart outings. The color choice is huge and in flux. Frequently, Walmart reduces the already low price to bring in new colors. The types of sneakers also vary to dupe well-known name brands.  Because the sneakers live up to their hype, we have 2 pairs for daily wear!👟

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The Healthy Food Staples in My Home

I’m not against health food stores, but for convenience, most of my pantry/refrigerator food comes from either a supermarket or Fairway (for deli-type foods, sushi, and fresh-baked goods). I also order dry foods from Walmart and buy milk and eggs from Target Express (they are everywhere in Manhattan; there is no brick-and-mortar Walmart).

The following are healthy food staples I always buy and never let myself run out of stock. I’m not going to list ultra-common spices like salt or pepper, common condiments like mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise, or common beverages like coffee or tea. I know people who don’t drink milk or only buy a quart of milk for coffee, or never have eggs at home, so I’m listing them. We drink gallons of milk and always have enough eggs for cooking or baking.

Healthy Food Staples that are always In My Kitchen

1) milk, eggs, and all-purpose flour.

2) mushrooms, celery, carrots, tri-colored bell peppers, and onions. Onions last. I chop and toss mushrooms, bell peppers, and celery into the freezer, so when I cook vegetables, soups, stew, pizza, or omelets, I have them ready to incorporate.

3) Oatmeal - one-minute flaked - For cereal or to use as breadcrumbs.

4) Organic cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun spice. There’s nothing wrong with regular cider vinegar; I just think the organic, containing a mother, tastes better.

5) Greek yogurt - If I make potato or macaroni salad, I’ll boost the protein by substituting some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

6) Avocados, bananas, and berries (strawberries, blueberries, or both).

7) Canned salmon - Salmon patties are great for fast, last-minute dinners.

8) Bread and saltine crackers

9) Bags of frozen mixed vegetables, including frozen lima beans. Who decided to remove lima beans from mixed vegetables? Not me! I return them.

10) Potatoes - My favorite starch. I never get tired of potatoes.

11) Extra sharp New York Cheddar. Other types of cheese come and go, but extra sharp cheddar is always and forever in my refigerator.

12) 1/2 - 3/4 pound deli sliced ham - A pound was always too much, and we had to eat it before it went bad. We grill ham with eggs in the mornings or make sandwiches for lunch.

We eat beef, chicken, rice, pasta, corn, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables, too, but they come and go. The listed foods above are like our basics, so we always restock them before we run out.

How about you?

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A Homemade High Protein Drink

I buy my senior Mom Walmart’s Equate (30 grams with 1 gram of sugar) protein drink to supplement her diet because she doesn’t eat lunch. On Thursday I tried to re-order two 12-packs, but couldn’t have it shipped! It’s because Walmart put it on sale and removed the shipping option. We have no Walmart brick-and-mortar stores in Manhattan for pickup. Rats! So no Equate protein drinks until the shipping option returns.

Meanwhile, I’m making her a homemade high-protein drink alternative:

Homemade High Protein Drink

Ingredients:

1.5 cups (12 oz) milk - 12 grams of protein

1/2 cup (4 oz) Greek Yogurt - 12 grams of protein

1 tablespoon peanut butter - 4 grams of protein

banana, small, or 1/2 large - 1 gram of protein

3 whole walnut kernels - 3 grams of protein

= 32 grams of protein

Directions:

Toss into a blender or food processor. Pour into a glass. Add a straw.

Optional: Tossing in strawberries, cherries, blueberries, or a tablespoon of cocoa powder gives the recipe different flavors and adds nutrients. To further vary the drink, feel free to occasionally add 1/4 cup of chia seeds or oatmeal flakes. Both have protein and fiber.

Many high-protein drinks call for whey protein, but if you have to buy whey protein, you might as well buy the Equate or Ensure already-made drinks. Equate (Walmart’s brand) costs $1.67 each.

Every day I give my Mom 5,000 ius of vitamin D and a multi-vitamin, both drugstore brands.

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Sometimes All We Need To Spend is 29¢

Photo: Amazon

Years ago, we had a great store in Manhattan called Odd-Job-Lot Trading with several locations throughout the city. It followed the model of dollar stores, but the merchandise was of higher quality. Once I bought a 2' by 3' kitchen rug for $4 that cost $17 elsewhere. I got nice pots and pans before T.J. Maxx came onto the scene. Durable kitchen tools sold for under $2, so when I was furnishing my apartment, I bought an apple corker and bread knife before I knew what they were, as my cooking skills were more limited back in the day. One afternoon, a neighbor came into my kitchen and unwittingly told me what the knife I bought was by referring to it as um, a bread knife. 🎆Ohhhh!🎆 Fantastic quality, and now all these years later, I use both repeatedly.

Such closeout stores are fun because the inventory is always changing, and you never know what bargains you’ll find on your next shopping trip.

A couple of decades in, I’m still using my 29¢ pencil sharpener from Odd-Job-Lot Trading. Still looks new, and it’s very sharp to sharpen a pencil in seconds. If I ever had 50 pencils to sharpen at once, I might've considered upgrading, but this simple manual one does everything I need it to do! I don’t need space, batteries, or a plug to use it.

Now my mother needs a pencil sharpener, and I’m considering buying her this 84¢ one from Walmart (↙on the left). Since my cheapee has worked for me, does she really need a more complicated or costly one? Like me, she doesn’t sharpen more than one pencil at a time every once in a while.

Honestly, I’m surprised by how much value I get from my 29¢ purchase. The lesson learned: Don't spend more if a 29¢ pencil sharpener is all we really need! We’ll then have an emergency fund to spend more on goods or services, where you should not go for the lowest price. 

You’ll have the money when it really counts to pay for reliability, proximity, or greater expertise to avoid hassles down the road. A mechanic who fixes your car should give you peace of mind when you call, because you get trusted, reliable service you won’t have to wait more than a day to receive, plus you won’t have to haul your car to the next town to be fixed.

Is it just me, or do you empty the shavings every time you sharpen a pencil?✐✎✏ 

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Spicy Shrimp With Artichoke

Our leftovers for dinner tonight. A light yet filling meal.

I made shrimp at home for the very first time. A one-skillet dinner, it was easy and delicious, so perhaps we’ll eat it again. I made up the recipe as I cooked it; therefore, I'm posting it below to remember how to make it again:

Spicy Shrimp with Artichoke

Ingredients

16 oz shrimp, frozen (Any size of shrimp works, but small is bite-sized without being too small.)

12 oz artichokes, frozen, quartered

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 of an onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped (I eyeballed it.)

red bell pepper, about 1/2 cup, chopped

 1/2 cup carrots, sliced

A handful of nuts - I used almonds and walnuts, chopped

My homemade Hoisin Sauce --

4 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons peanut butter

A squirt so about a tablespoon of honey

2 tablespoons organic cider vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon hot sauce

A sprinkle of cumin

A sprinkle of salt

Directions:

1) I defrosted the frozen shrimp by tossing it into a bowl with water, vinegar, and lemon juice a few hours before cooking it.

2) Into a 12-inch skillet, I melted the butter and tossed in the diced onions, celery, carrot, and bell peppers. I let it cook covered on medium heat for about 8 minutes before tossing in the bag of frozen artichoke quarters to simmer for another 4 - 5 minutes. 

3) Chop and toss in the nuts. Lift the lid and stir occasionally.

4) Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. If the mixture gets dry, pour in 1/4 cup of water. I proably added 1 cup of water - 1/4 at a time.

5) Next, I used the ingredients of my homemade Hoisin Sauce, tossing them into the pan: 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons organic cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon hot sauce.

6) I added a dash of salt and cumin near the end, but before the dish finished cooking. Do so to taste.

Hours before cooking my shrimp dish, I separately tenderized 2 cups of dried brown rice in a rice cooker. It takes about 30 minutes but can sit for a while. Brown rice has slightly more fiber than white rice, yet I think people can eat the rice they prefer. I like the chewiness of brown.

We don’t have a Walmart in Manhattan, and I wish we did. Its house brand, Great Value, is excellent and lives up to its name!

On plates, spoon the spicy shrimp with artichoke and sauce over the brown rice. Bon Appétite!🍤🦐

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Why You Should Eat Walnuts Everyday

I won’t lie. I prefer other nuts like almonds and pecans over walnuts, but after I learned walnuts have several health benefits that other nuts don’t, I started using walnuts in place of pecans in many baked goods. Walnuts are cheaper, too. I also make a practice of popping a few walnuts into my mouth and putting a handful into my mother’s oatmeal each morning. 

As it turns out, medical evidence suggests a daily dose of 1 - 2 ounces (i.e., a handful) of walnuts supports heart health, cuts bad cholesterol, supports gut health, and sharpens brain function, plus they may improve sleep with a natural infusion of melatonin.

Walnuts contain essential omega-3 fatty acids (ALA), magnesium, and antioxidants. They reduce inflammation and lower bad LDL cholesterol. Studies show that people who eat walnuts have faster brain reaction times and delayed age-related cognitive decline. Walnuts act as a prebiotic to improve the gut microbiome by increasing good bacteria. Although walnuts are energy-dense, they don’t tend to cause weight gain because they help to manage our appetites.

Here are tips for eating  a healthy dose of walnuts every day:

1) Stick with a serving (1 oz to 2 oz) to control calories. 1 oz = 14 halves. Easy enough, as we don’t tend to gorge on walnuts. 

2) Eat them raw, roasted, soaked in water, or added to cereals, salads, smoothies, or yogurt.

3) Walnuts are beneficial at any time of the day, yet studies show they improve cognitive performance if eaten in the morning.

4) I find Diamond of California to be the better-tasting walnuts without any bitterness. Walmart sells this brand at a cheaper cost then its own store brand, also. I always have a 32-oz bag in my refrigerator or freezer (as well as a big bag of lightly salted almonds as snack staples)

🍍🥚🍍🥛🍍🥚🍍🥛🍍🥚🍍🥛🍍🥚🍍🥛🍍🥚🍍🥛🍍🥚🍍

Here’s a once-in-a-while treat (due to the sugar), perhaps for Sundays or holidays like Easter, to bake using walnuts. If you’re ambitious, you could toast the walnuts for added flavor before using. It’s a scaled-down, less sweet Hummingbird cake:

Pinnapple and Walnut Sheet Cake

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup of finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Photo: Indiana Connection

2) Beat in the eggs, then add the vanilla extract and pineapple with juice, and fold in the walnuts. Do not overmix, just enough to incorporate all the ingredients, so the batter doesn’t produce a tough cake.

3) Pour the batter into a well-buttered square baking pan.

4) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 - 35 minutes.

Cream Cheese and Nut Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese (I use low-fat)

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of powdered sugar or more

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (These I don’t chop as finely as the walnuts in the batter.)

Mix together except the walnuts. Spread the frosting on a cooled cake and top the frosting with the chopped nuts.

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A Fire Blanket For Your Home

A very inexpensive safety tool to consider for your kitchen, fireplace, or grill area is a fire-retardant blanket. In the event of an accidental fire, you toss the blanket over the flame to smother it out before it spreads to the rest of your home. It’s a safety precaution you could prepare every member of your family to know how to handle in such an emergency.

The fire-retardant blanket sells for as low as $5 on online retailer Temu, and it is available at Walmart and Amazon.

Made from 100% flame-resistant fiberglass, it forms an airtight seal to quickly cut off oxygen and suffocate the flames. It has a 6 year shelf life, so there’s no need to replace it often. I have no idea what elements go bad in the blanket, but time seems to spoil many material things.

It’s a very practical, low-cost tool to keep your home a little safer.

If you wish to invest more, you could also buy a fire extinguisher. You’d have to have a place for family members to easily grab it, and they must learn how to aim and spray it. The blanket requires less mechanical know-how, but the low cost means if you wish, you likely could buy both fire extinguishing tools for your home. 

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Top 6 Budget Anti-aging Skin Care Brands For Mature Skin

Although it's never too early or too late to take care of your skin, you probably think more about doing so as you mature, let’s say after you hit 40. But as I always say, what good is skincare with efficacy if it's too expensive to use every day? Luckily there are several budget brands dermatologists recommend based on science with effective ingredients that are also affordable and widely available at drugstores, Walmart and Target. Some affordable drugstore brands have more effective ingredients such as retinoids, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants like vitamin C, and optimal delivery systems than higher priced products because they were developed by dermatologists!

6 Top Dermatologists Recommended Budget Brands are:

CeraVe

Its Daily Moisturizing Lotion was a top pick in testing for instantly smoothing dry skin and fast absorption. Moisturizing your skin makes you look years younger instantly! CeraVe’s many formulas contain ceramides and hyaluronic acid to repair the skin barrier and lock in moisture, which is vital for aging skin. Its cleansers for sensitive skin rank high with skin doctors.

La Roche-Posay

Known for its testing and evidence-based results on sensitive, dry and acne-prone skin, this brand tops leading dermatologists' lists. Its Lipikar Balm AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream is a top choice for sensitive skin. Its Redermic R Retinol Cream forcefully targets aging.

Neutrogena

A top affordable brand hailed by dermatologists for its retinol creams and serums at lower costs, Neutrogena's wide range of products target all skin types and have a long history of clinical efficacy.

Gold Bond

Gold Bond Retinol Overnight Body & Face Lotion is a top-rated drugstore brand for both -- you guessed it -- the body and face. It contains retinol to help tighten and lift skin for a more youthful appearance by treating fine lines and wrinkles. Shea butter and coconut butter reportedly hydrate the skin for 24 hours.

No7

The Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Face Cream is cited as an effective anti-aging moisturizer that includes hyaluronic acid and collagen peptide technology to help erase fine lines and wrinkles.

Cetaphil

Very effective on dry and sensitive skin, the moisturizer contains niacinamide (vitamin B3), panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), vitamin E, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. Some formulas have added almond oil and ceramides.

If you know which drugstore brands are favored by dermatologists because they really work, you’ll have the knowledge and flexibility to save big bucks when a brand goes on sale. Pounce, buy 1 + 1!

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The Best Sizes of Food Containers

Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni Glass Milk Bottle 33.75 Ounce/1 Liter with Airtight Lid

In recent years I’ve become super orgainized. I tend to buy larger sizes of foods you might consider staples such as 4 lbs - 5 lbs of flour, sugar, dried legumes and sometimes pasta. I dislike having a job before starting a job, so having a little extra in storage containers means I can decide to make bean, lentil or pea soup without having to go to the supermarket. The same with baking, I never lack the flour or sugar to make pizza dough or a coffee cake if I get a craving or a visitor.

The 3 most useful shapes and sizes of food storage containers that fit most compactly into a pantry, refrigerator or freezer may surprise you!

1) 1 liter sized glass milk bottles - I discovered Bormili Rocco Quattro Stagioni Glass Milk Bottles with airtight lids at T.J. Maxx. Initionally, I only used them to store milk, eggnog, juice, Kombucha, i.e., liquids. But the mouth is wide enough for dried beans, peas, lentils and many pastas, and they take up less space than 32 oz canning jars, which are another great type of food storage containers. Had I considered compactness though, I’d have bought more of these than canning jars. The milk bottles are more versatile and can be lined up side by side inside a cupboard. 

2) Large (about 1 gallon) rectangle storage containers - They fit enough potato salad, cole slaw, guacamole or slices of an entire coffee cake to feed a family, but take up less room in your refrigerator or freezer than round or oval shaped contrainers. You could invest in glass or hardy plastic, but the takealong lighter plastic ones hold up surprisingly well for less moola.

3) Half cup Rubbermaid containers - When I got 8 of these as part of a set I thought it was a ripoff, but you’d be amazed at how many times they are the right size for condiments or leftovers. They also stack and snap together which is a useful space-saving function.

After I pack leftovers from a home cooked meal, I always think one day someone will design a more storeage efficient refrigerator! I notice flatter rectangles that hold a good portion of food fit better inside a refrigerator than round containers. When you get the black bottom containers or the plastic round ones for free with other food you buy, reuse them as they’re great for leftover soup or beef stew. 

Today I’d always aim to get shallow rectangle-shaped containers as the best space-savers for storage. You can stack them up!

Like-foods organized in (too thin for shoes but just right for a freezer) plastic shoe boxes bought at Walmart

If you’d like to add other space-saving-tips or brands for storing food in a cupboard, pantry, refrigerator or freezer, please comment.

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