Canadians spend billions on cosmetics. Dermatologists say only a fraction of products are needed

The global beauty industry is worth billions, with Canadians spending almost $9 billion US on products like facial creams and other cosmetics. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images)

Read the label on the average cosmetics product in your local drug store, and you'll come across a variety of promises. 

A foundation brand may claim to be able to cover up any and all blemishes, while some skin creams go so far as to suggest they can make you look 10 years younger. 

Belief in those promises is likely why Canadians spent almost $9 billion US on cosmetics in 2024, contributing to the global cosmetics industry's roughly $650 billion in revenue.

Most of us know that the average anti-wrinkle cream won't actually turn back the clock, but it's not always clear how much cosmetics actually influence our skin health. 

Dermatologists agree that sunscreen, face wash and moisturizer are the three most useful products most people can buy, and suggest that consumers should be skeptical of products claiming to offer results that would usually require clinical treatment to achieve.

Bankrupt 23andMe is trying to sell Canadians' genetic information. Here's what you can do

More than two dozen U.S. states are suing to block 23andMe from selling its massive trove of genetic information without customers' consent. (George Frey/Reuters)

If you've ever sent a spit sample to 23andMe, your genetic information could soon be sold. 

The California-based company, which allowed customers to learn about their ancestry by submitting saliva samples in the mail, filed for bankruptcy in March. As part of that process, it's auctioning off the DNA profiles of more than 15 million people — including an estimated 700,000 Canadians.

A lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. seeks to halt that sale. But if it fails, privacy advocates say Canadians have every reason to be worried that their most personal, unique and unchangeable identifying information could be sold without their consent.

Aileen Editha, a PhD candidate at Queen's University who studies the property rights of human genetic materials, says Canada has several laws that protect genetic data, but she's not sure they are robust enough to meet the needs of a complex case like this one. 

"It's literally assets to the company," said Editha. "If my data was in there ... I personally would be concerned."

News influencers are changing how Canadians stay informed — for better or worse

A content creator records himself on a smartphone. (DC Studio/Shutterstock)

Amid viral dance trends and cute animal clips, social media feeds are seeing more and more of a new kind of content: news commentary from influencers.

Content creators have been seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with traditional reporters at recent events like Sean (Diddy) Combs' trial, capturing content and sharing updates directly with their online audiences on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Toronto-based creator Frank Domenic Cirinna, 31, has earned millions of views and over 100,000 followers online by offering his takes on the news. But he's clear he isn't a journalist, and his content isn't intended to be unbiased or balanced.

News influencers don't work in newsrooms and may have no formal journalism training. But their content — a mix of commentary, current events and reaction videos — is reaching people around the world.

But as trust in traditional news outlets declines, experts caution it's important to not only know what they're talking about, but how they're sharing and framing it.

How the trade war with the U.S. could fix Canada's internet

With Canada in the middle of a trade war, some believe it presents an opportunity to reopen a door that was closed because of U.S. trade pressure. (Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

Cory Doctorow says Canada's internet is in desperate need of saving.

"We created a policy environment that rewards companies and executives who do things that are bad for the internet and bad for internet users, and that does not punish them when they do things that harm us," said Doctorow, a tech journalist, activist and host of the CBC podcast Understood: Who Broke the Internet?

He believes that the current trade troubles could actually free Canada to fix how it polices the internet — more in line with the rest of the world, but less restrictive than the U.S.

That's because the current state of Canada's internet policy is directly connected to trade pressure — specifically tariff threats — surrounding internet and copyright law from the United States decades ago.

But since free trade with our southern neighbours is already in turmoil, Doctorow says it's time to unlock our internet by removing laws that benefit big tech companies, and opening up access for users.