Professional vs OTC
If professional products are suppose to have more active or maximum amount of active ingredients and only sold by professional
1. How do I know what they are saying is true. Any company can say they are a professional skin care or nakeup line and have no more active ingredients than an OTC.
2. If you are a professional skin care line with the maximum active ingredients, why are you now selling OTC? Are the active ingredients no longer at the maximum amounts or was the company just BSing us in the first place.
I hope this makes sense. I want to invest in a skin care line where the active ingredients are at the maximum amount allowed. Whether PL or not. I would like to do PL, but I'm confused
I posted this also in Facebook groups
Views: 414
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Tweet on
-
Hey Vanessa, if I'm understanding you correctly you're wanting a product/line that isn't available OTC/online right? As far as strength and ingredients go I personally feel as an aesthetician we have the knowledge to educate our clients of what ingredients benefit them. There is a synergy between products within the same line vs someone who has an entire arsenal of products yet they're still unhappy with their skin. I feel some OTC skincare products have a bunch of "fluff" in the ingredients. Lots of fillers, perfume, dyes, etc that are known irritants. For me I believe progressive treatment is much safer than using the strongest product available. This is especially true when treating hyper pigmentation. Sure you can start your client on the highest percentage of Hydroquinone we can offer but brace yourself for negative effect it's going to have since there is a high risk of irritation. I wonder what are you wanting to achieve by having the maximum strength in your ingredients? I hope this helps in some way, looking forward to your reply.
-
Permalink Reply by Vanessa Barrientez on
-
Basically my question is what makes a retail product professional vs OTC?
-
-
I suppose it depends on the label, but I would say the quality of ingredients and the purpose of them. I personally use Rhonda Allison. Some people may use Philosophy, for instance, and love how it works with their skin. I say if your client is happy and their skin isn't suffering from what they're using then I wouldn't change a thing. There are so many lines out there I'm sure you'll find one that works for you with no problems.
-
-
Thanks, Tweet. I appreciate your feedback
-
Permalink Reply by Regina on
-
Hi Vanessa-
What a great question and yes it can be confusing so I will try to answer this simply.....
First a general statement: Professional products MAY contain more active ingredients this is not always true it depends on the line. You should always check with individual lines for this information. While most professional lines are intended to be sold by licensed professionals the advent of Amazon and other internet sales sites have compromised this. There are also two different sides of the coin you present 1) Professional back bar (products exclusively used during facial treatments and only available to you as a licensed esthetician, they are also not available to the consumer for retail and 2.) Retail products sold for aftercare.
Question 1
You are right a company can say they are a professional skin care or makeup line and there active ingredients are no more active than an OTC; yes that is true and there is no way around it. Peter Thomas Roth 40% Triple Acid Peel rivals many professional peels and you can get at Sephora. You can validate a companies claims about actives by reading the back of the label and checking the ingredients positioning. Your strength as an esthetician is in what you offer in way of treatments so you deliver microdermabrasion or other advanced treatments that CANNOT be brought in the mainstream and your aftercare is essential because it compliments the professional treatment you delivered before hand.
2.) A professional skin care line is selling OTC because it is profitable for them. The ingredients and the strength of them are probably the same. But you better believe the company still has backbar that has a high level of actives that is not being sold to the consumer for retail and is exclusively for spa treatments.
You want to invest in a line where the active ingredients are at the maximum amount I think you should look at a line that has active peels for spa treatment and complimentary homecare. Sure you can private label but there are also a wealth of lines out there that offer serious back bar professional treatments and complimentary homecare. That cannot be purchased in the mainstream. For recommendations just peruse the forum or visit a tradeshow to find a line that matches your personal philosophy. For further questions feel free to call at 202-471-0086.
Regina
-
-
Thanks, Regina. Are you a rep?
-
-
Hi Vanessa-
I am not a rep at all...I have used and experienced many different product lines both over the counter and professional. It is super overwhelming choosing a product line there are soooo many lines. When choosing a line I recommend identifying your own personal philosophy and then finding a line that is closely aligned with your brand positioning and budget. Read, Read, Read ingredient labels and choose products that add value to your practice. Also remember A client may be getting great results using a particular product however upon closer investigation of that products ingredients it reveals toxic if not carcinogenic containing ingredients. You as the ingredient expert can inform them of just what they are applying to there skin and set them on a path to better products specifically suited for their skin. It is an absolute win-win 1.) you set yourself a part as a professional and 2.) you get to provide skincare solutions that really work and don't cause harm. I am absolutely taken aback by the number of products on the market today that are potentially carcinogenic for the consumer population. I hope this helps.
Regina
-
Permalink Reply by betty bliss on
-
Awesome!
-
-
Regina, I understand reading ingredients and/or looking up ingredient. I also understand the ingredient list. What I don't understand is whether a particular ingredient is good or bad for the skin. Of cours3, not all ingredients. So I need a ingredient dictionary that not only tells what an ingredient is but whether the ingredient is good for the skin or is just a filler
-
-
Vanessa have you looked at the environmental working groups (ewg) website? They have a database were you can plug in individual ingredients and check safety ratings. Its a resource and not a be all and end all. You can look at case studies for particular ingredients as well.
-
-
I'm not kean on that group but there are others that I check out
-
Permalink Reply by Marty Glenn on
-
Vanessa
#1
Yes this is correct. Any Skin Care Company and or Make Up company can and will say just about anything they want.
#2
Your question is asking the wrong part. The real question is what is OTC?
( - by ordinary retail purchase, with no need for a prescription or license. )
Any product that you can buy WITHOUT a prescription is considered non-medical and falls within the guidelines of a cosmetic under FDA under rule. See this article from 2014 and it will help:
And the key part here is “License”. But that is where it gets really good so think about this:
If my skin care line Serene, can only be sold through licensed professionals then it is not OTC. It must be sold by a credentialed professional but what if I started out as a line for everybody and then I wanted to go after professionals so I switched to only can be purchased from a licensed professional. I did not change a thing or add or reformulate so in the end the OTC vs. not OTC does not mean a thing.
You are either a medical device written from a Dr. or you are a product which the FDA describes as a cosmetic.
Marty Glenn
SkinCareScience.com
© 2024 Created by ASCP.
Powered by
