Over-the-counter products

Over-the-counter products (OTC) are drugstore brands. Lots of them are out there and claim to do a lot, but do they really? These typically consist mostly of filler and nonactive ingredients. They will highlight the well known ingredients that are in the products but in very small amounts. Any product can claim to repair or change the skin but if it doesn’t exist in a usable amount or in a stabilized form that will actually absorb into the skin then it’s just there for show to persuade the consumer into buying the product.

Multi-Level Marketing or Direct Sales

This is a marketing strategy in which the “presenter” as they are referred to is compensated for both their own sales and the sales of the presenters that they recruit to work under them. These companies have seemingly unlimited advertising budgets to entice people to buy their products by saturating social media sites with their famous before and after pics and ads with big buzz words to grab the attention of the consumer.

Cosmetics Counter

These products will fall into the cosmetic grade of products in a typical situation. They can contain small amounts of key ingredients but not enough to penetrate into layers of the skin and produce any real change. Big name companies can put the ads out there with their claims but are they scientifically backed? Not really. Pretty packaging and celebrity endorsements are where they choose to spend their budgets.

Professional Grade Products

These are also sometimes known as Cosmeceutical grade products. These are products that are sold by licensed professionals such as Estheticians, plastic surgeons, dermatologists and medi-spas.  They are backed  by science and contain ingredients in levels that will penetrate into the epidermal layers of the skin, and some can reach the dermis as well. Cosmeceuticals are divided up into different categories, such as antioxidants, peptides, growth factors and retinols. These  are what the  active ingredients found in these products usually consist of and are the game changers in the skincare field.

As a licensed esthetician I choose to use and retail professional grade products. These are results oriented products that provide me with the education I need to accurately recommend the type of products my clients are looking for. Being properly educated is essential to providing the best treatments and I strive for the absolute best for my clients! I take every opportunity to advance my education by going to trade shows, taking online classes, vendor classes and any other way I can learn!

It can be a daunting decision, but at the end of the day would you rather take the word of a licensed professional or leave that decision to the makeup counter employee with way too much blush on? Would you get your teeth cleaned by someone who watched a seminar on cleaning teeth or would you rather go a licensed dentist?

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