Truth In Aging is published by Accord Media, founded by Marta Wohrle (marta@truthinaging.com) in January 2008.
An Interview with Marta
So what’s Truth In Aging all about?
Well, you practically need a degree in chemistry to decipher the label on a bottle of drug store moisturizer these days. Truth In Aging attempts to siphon out what really works and why, and deliver that honest truth to the consumer. I am dedicated to honest, unbiased reporting amidst claims that are often misleading and confusing. And, in all the noise, there are actually some good things out there that get missed because we are bewildered, jaded and/or cynical.
What’s the criteria for a good product?
It should improve our appearance and do no evil (to us or the planet).
How do we go about our reviews?
First we scrutinize and research every ingredient in a cream, shampoo, eyeshadow or whatever. Sometimes we’ll reject a product on the basis of the ingredients alone: too many that don’t do anything ; too many that do evil (an irritant for example, or pollutant, sometimes a carcinogenic).
For something to be Reviewed and Recommended, we must have tried it out and seen the evidence that it works (and doesn’t do harm) with our own eyes. This should take at least three weeks if its a product that builds up its effect (anti-wrinkle creams or eyelash growth products). We should be likely/willing to buy it again. Typically, products that make it in to our Five Best have been used for several months, until the bottle is empty and/or have become a regular fixture in our routines.
Do we take freebies?
We buy a lot of the products that we use and test. If we do get freebies, the review should state that we were given the product. Marketers, be aware, that Truth In Aging is very thick skinned and we never feel obliged to be nice about something because it was given to us. Free or not, it should go through the same thorough review process.
How does the TIA shop fit in?
We sometimes find some obscure things that we think are really good and other people might enjoy, so we offer them for sale in our store. Products only go into the shop after we have tested them and recommended them. We want to always stock the best we can find. On the occasions that we have found better, cheaper elsewhere under different brands then we have discontinued the versions we had.
How can marketers get involved?
You can write comments about your products on Truth In Aging. Information is informative. But please fess up to who you are. Posing as a consumer is not on and we will invariably sniff you out. Feel free to send us products and we love being hooked up to your clients so that we can understand more about the products and the technologies behind them.
How can readers get involved?
You can comment as often as you’d like. But we also love to make friends with guest reviewers. If you want to write a review, either suggest something you’d like to write about or ask us to send you a sample product. Please also suggest things that you want us to write about or research for you. We’ll even give you a view on your own skin regimen if you send in the details. Share as much as possible through comments on the blog, but if you are a little shy: email marta@truthinaging.com.
Meet Marta and the team of TIA Insiders that contribute regularly to our Marta & Friends section:
Marta Wohrle
I was born in England in 1960. A former journalist and recovering consultant, I now work in the online and digital media space. I got married in 1991 to a French man, Pascal Volle, and then lived in Paris for a while. Pascal is the handsomest man in the world. We came to New York around 2001 where we still live in a Garment District loft with our two cats, Esmee and Leila. Guilty about keeping Esmee and Leila in urban captivity we bought a patch of forest in the Catskills and spend our weekends feeding the deer that most of our neighbors seem intent on shooting. We figure that being European allows us the latitude to be eccentric.
I have never tried Botox.
I founded Accord Media in 2008 to publish Truth In Aging with a mission to offer truthful and unbiased guidance to people seeking to improve their physical health and appearance through skin care, hair care, health and beauty products, and salon and clinical treatments. A publishing industry veteran, I try to bring a uniquely curious, honest voice to consumer journalism through my web sites. In April 2010, we launched our second site, Truth In Slimming.
Sincerely,
Marta
