Paula Begoun

Paula Begoun (born November 14, 1953), also known as "The Cosmetics Cop", is an American talk radio host, author, and businesswoman. She is the founder of Paula's Choice and Beginning Press Publishing. She is known for her view that skin care and cosmetics should be based on ingredients that have been subjected to peer reviewed research.

Career

Begoun was born in suburban Chicago, Illinois. As a child, Begoun suffered from acne and eczema. She studied science at Northern Illinois University before moving to Washington D.C. in 1978 to work as a professional makeup artist and esthetician. Begoun then relocated to Washington, and opened her own cosmetics stores in Seattle in 1981, adding a business partner a short time later. In 1982, KIRO-TV in Seattle, Washington offered Begoun a consumer/feature reporter position, where she began reporting on the beauty industry as an investigative journalist. At that time she began working on her first book, Blue Eyeshadow Should be Illegal.

Begoun had sold her business shares to her partner in 1984, and at the end of 1985 she self-published Blue Eye Shadow Should Be Illegal. The book gained national attention, and resulted in the first of many appearances for Begoun on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also began writing a syndicated column titled "Dear Paula," and received thousands of letters from women across the nation asking for specific information on various beauty products. These requests inspired Begoun to write Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. The first edition was published in 1992.