Can you get hooked on lip balm? Are Pantene shampoos really bad for your hair? And what in the world is so wrong with parabens? Admit it people, we’ve all asked ourselves one of these wacky questions at one time or another. Yep, even you over there denying it, you’ve wondered about these truly worldly mysteries at one point or another! I know I have.

So when a copy of “Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?” got sent my way, I was pretty psyched to check it out. Based on the blog TheBeautyBrains.com, this book takes some of the most mind boggling, misleading, and even downright false claims that beauty companies throw at consumers, and translates all that hype into easy-to-understand language. The best part? This book is written by a group of cosmetic scientists. And you know what that means? No one is trying to sell you a product, so you can trust the scientific facts as just that—facts.

Being a beauty blogger, I like to keep up on the latest beauty news, discoveries, and controversies. But as a beauty-loving gal in general, I also like to keep informed about the products I put on my body, and I’m sure that’s something you can all relate to as well. It’s pretty difficult to navigate the labyrinth maze of the cosmetics world, but the Beauty Brains help you do so with their wise scientific quips.

Let me say with full disclosure here that I absolutely HATED science in school. So my mind naturally turns to mush whenever someone starts speaking in scientific terms. But that didn’t happen with this book. The Beauty Brains have a genius way of translating dry, dirty facts into entertaining, fun information. And they do so without sacrificing quality.

Here are some of the fun facts I learned while reading:

1) You know those big, bad parabens? They’re bad for you, right? Yep, I thought so too. But according to the Beauty Brains, parabens actually are preservatives used to protect your products from disease-causing microbes.

2) You can’t be medically addicted to lip balm, but you can train your body to rely on it, making it more difficult to give it up.

3) No matter what kind of marketing fluff a shampoo company sells you, all shampoos fall into four basic categories: deep cleansing, conditioning, baby, and anti-dandruff.

Want to learn more? You know you do! If you’re curious about your products and the industry that created them, and you’re looking for an honest assessment, check out this chapter excerpt of “Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?”

Since we believe knowledge is power, and since we know you’re all as big beauty junkies as we are, BeautyStat is giving away one copy of “Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?” and a $25 Visa gift card to help you buy one of your favorite beauty products. Simply post a comment below telling us what your favorite lip balm is. Yes, name names!