The Frustrated Esthetician: Pro Products Sold Online (part 2)

This is Part 2 of a 2-part blog.

To return to Part 1, please follow this link: The Frustrated Esthetician: Pro Products Sold Online (part 1)

If we can briefly step out of our role as an Esthetician who is frustrated with online sales of professional skin care products by manufacturers, and -- just for a moment -- step into the minds of manufacturers who are watching their products be abused and misrepresented, it might make sense that the way to protect their company and their brand is to create their own online storefront. With an online store, they will have at least some control regarding how their products are stored, sold, delivered and represented to consumers. A few manufacturers have figured out a solution that also protects their Esthetician clients. Le Mieux is one such company.

Janel Luu is the owner, chemist and creator of Le Mieux products. I met Janel when Le Mieux was brand new in the US. I don’t even remember how many years ago that was but I'd guess almost 15. We often spoke about what was happening with online sales and Estheticians selling on Amazon, and how she was frantically trying to stop it -- even consulting with lawyers in her efforts to navigate the situation. She wanted to support her Esthetician clients and ultimately, she did come up with a way to sell online AND support Estheticians.

Le Mieux created an affiliate program for their wholesale accounts which allows an Esthetician’s clients to purchase directly from Le Mieux’s online site using a code that belongs only to the Esthetician. For each purchase, the Esthetician will receive a 40% commission. Le Mieux will pack and ship the products and even add samples to the shipment. This affiliate program works well for me because I don’t have to carry the full product line, and it makes things easy for my out-of-town clients to replenish their home care products without me having to go through the shipping process.   

Most importantly, please remember that financial success in our business is not about facials and products. Those are simply tools that we use.

Anybody can give a good facial. Others are probably giving the same facial as you are, and some might even be doing it better. Also, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that many others are carrying the same products that you do, and at least some of those products can be purchased online somewhere. So don’t spend too much time worrying about all of that because contrary to popular belief, we are not in the “service” business, nor are we in the “retail” business. We are in the relationship business.

What matters is what YOU do with those products and what you do for your clients. The only thing that cannot be duplicated, or done better, is YOU. The foundation of our success is the bond we have with our clients. If you’ve got that bond, and your clients trust you, they will always purchase their products from you. You are your esthetics business and you are your financial success. It's not the services or the products. It's YOU.  

As I said in part 1 of this blog, I am not encouraging anyone to embrace companies who sell online. I carry a few lines, most of which are not sold online by the manufacturer. If you're with a company who does not sell online, then by all means hang on to them. Keep them as your main product line. But don’t be afraid to explore other companies and maybe bring in a product or two that you love. Mix it up a little because as Estheticians, we never want to be boring or bored!

Life is like a buffet. There is no need to be mad at the options we didn’t choose. If a product line disappoints us, we just move on to another one which usually ends up being even better.

Estheticians selling professional products online

In part 1 of my blog, I explained why many manufacturers of professional skin care products are selling online. However, there is no logical reason for a licensed Esthetician to sell online to the general public. Not only is it irresponsible, but it is also literally killing the field of esthetics.

Let me make an important distinction:

Of course, it makes sense that Estheticians would want to make it easy and convenient for their clients to order products. We don’t want to force them to come in or call every time they need to replenish their home care products. The very simple solution is for the Esthetician to sell products through a password-protected page on their website that only their clients have access to. All website software offers that feature. In fact, I was doing that 20+ years ago, so that option has been available for a very long time.

Do you know that 60% of people diagnose their own skin condition incorrectly? That’s more than half!

What I am specifically referring to here is an Esthetician who sells professional products to the general public from their website (and/or on Amazon). As a Professional Esthetician, I would never sell professional products to someone without first assessing their skin condition in person. My reputation is on the line, as is the client’s well-being. I have studied long and hard (and still do!) to learn how to assess a client’s needs so that I can recommend the correct combination of products that will be best for their skin in that moment. (Estheticians know very well how quickly and how often a client's skin can change!) So, what is the point of spending all that time and money to earn your Esthetician license if you just want to sell products to the public? I don't get it.

Selling professional products to the public without having seen the client screams to the world: “Estheticians are not important. You don’t need us. We are not a necessary component in the world of skin care.” You may think you are only one person who sells online to the public and therefore it only impacts you. But it actually impacts the entire field of esthetics. 

All of these topics are covered in much more detail in my book, The Heart of Esthetics.