Should an esthetician sell/use Rodan and Fields? Your opinions would be much appreciated!!

As an esthetician I have been approached many times by consultants trying to recruit me to sell Rodan and Fields.  My response to them has always been  "I am an esthetician.  I only use professional products."  I cannot sell products to people if I have not had them under the mag light and analyized their skin.  The consultants are told they are selling professional products.  They do not understand the hard stance I am taking.  I am very polite however i am firm.  To me, it is a matter of integrity.  I don't believe a product line can be sold by people who are not a dermotologist or an esthetician.  I understand the line was created by dermatolgists but these clients are not sitting in their chair getting a dermotogist recommendation.  They are getting a home consultants recommendation based on what the client tells them.  How many times have you have someone tell you what their skin type is only to get them in your chair and find out something totally opposite?  I believe they have the right to sell their multi-level marketing products just like mary kay and avon however mary kay and avon doesn't try to get me to sell their skin care line.  My question to my peers is this.  Am i thinking of this the right way?  I'm come to find out that there are many estheticians who do sell this.  Am I wrong?  They use it in their room and they retail it.  While that may be fine because they are looking at the clients skin, to me it sends a message that if she's using it, it must be good so lets all go buy it and we don't even have to waste our money on an esthetician doing our facial.  Plus, I"m not sure what the commission is but it's probably not 100% markup which is what the retail we sell typically is.  I would just like to hear your thoughts on the issue.  I was approached again last week.  I gave her my speech but told her I would research things and get back to her.  I have been wrong before and I will admit it if I"ve made a mistake about this.  Your opinions, please!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Kristina A on March 24, 2014 at 6:49am

He has unique service in his place - float therapy, there are only few places if not just two like that in our area. But with skincare choice , i really dont understand him. Well, maybe he will change his mind, some day... 
Amy, i totally agree with you. 

Permalink Reply by kristi willis on January 2, 2015 at 6:26pm

I find this thread very interesting.  1) All products & business fall under the category of network marketing.  It's how business everywhere is conducted through referral and advertising. 2)  Salons, Drs. ofc, etc. all buy products from a rep that is employed by a company.  The rep did not create the product, but recommends it to the business selling it.  They make a commission based on # sold and their area manager makes a commission as well as the corporation.  As far as Rodan + Fields products are concerned it does come down to education of how the product is sold.  Drs. Rodan + Fields, Stanford trained practicing Dermatologists with combined 50 plus years experience in the Medical Field and the 2 most respected and successful dermatologists planet, create the products so obviously meet their incredibly high clinical standards.   The R+F model allows for a virtual Dermatologist visit w/access to their nursing staff.   Customers are not simply getting a "recommendation" from a consultant.  The Drs. recommend the correct regimen through an online personalize consultation, the same that is done in their San Francisco Office.  If you were to be able to get into see them, they offer these same regimens to their patients.   The Products are not on trial as they have long term clinical studies as to their efficacy and a less than 1% return rate since the inception of the company which Estee Lauder is still a vested share holder.   My question to you is you are recommending some sort of products in your salon.  You only earn income when you are in front of a client on your feet.  These are a one time sale and while it may be at a higher profit it is also only when your doors are open, limited to your 3 ft circle plus costly inventory that has to be stocked.  Your client can just as easily take your recommendation & order from the Derm Store at a cheaper price.  (FYI...the VP of the Derm Store is also a consultant) So ....... What if your client could purchase product from you in your salon or you listed your R+F website on your salon website or business card and 1) your client couldn't purchase from anyone else without a 3-6 month waiting period. (Exclusive clientele) 2) Could buy any time of the day or night 3) could recommend the product from you to their friends and family across the U.S. and they could order whether you knew it or not 4)  you could recommend other salons to carry the product and earn income from their sales even when their doors are closed?  That is the power of R+F.    I respect the position of being an esthetician, but so many medical professionals are starting to carry this in their practice.  The OBGYN doesn't have to refer their melasma patient to the dermatologist, but can offer a solution in office & establish an exclusive client base earning residual income.  You are recommending a product anyway, isn't this just good business sense to earn an income w/out the added effort or overhead.  Bottom line Facts trump opinion.....whether anyone agrees with the Drs. original product, ProActiv the Drs. still own 85% of the billion dollar acne market world wide with a benzyl peroxide product.  The new company now focused on anti-aging w/products made as close to script strength as possible made over 275 Million just last year and is only 6 yrs. old and instead of the Drs. or a corporation being paid, the consultants did.   It's not a matter of if, but when they will dominate the anti-aging industry as well.  I will also let you know that there are very prominent beauty academies on my team that are now training their new estheticians on R+F products.  These are being included in their enrollment kits along with their at home skin care tools; AMP MD microderm roller & the  MacroE Professional Microdermabrasion tool.  This not only helps educate the esthetician on new products on the market that their clients will be looking for but also helps them earn an income while they build their clientele. It is not replacing the esthetician, but giving them something to recommend to their clients to use on a daily basis.  It is R+F  products results are what has people talking and such high profile beauty business professional, schools and medical professionals taking notice at what will be a legacy company.   Everyone everywhere will be using these products world wide and someone will be getting paid it just depends on who decides to join the Drs. in their next billion dollar venture.  Just a thought.....

Permalink Reply by Maria Casablanca on January 3, 2015 at 7:07am

Hi Regina and the others colleges,

I am esthetician from Spain and I am was living in many countries , now I am in Morocco and we have the same concerns about MLM cosmetics over the world: avon, mary key, oriflame , essential oils ( a very risky products in non educated hands) and it is very difficult to show to the customers about the goal of these products:make money . Of course they don't sell bad products ( they cannot risk their reputation) but  customers don't know the difference between a commercial cosmetic and a professional product and care . Is for this reason that I invite them to beauty workshops for educated them how to know what is inside them, how to know what kind of skin they have and how to take care of. I think so educated customers will be able to know the difference and make the right decisions for her skincare. 

Permalink Reply by Nondy Llewellyn on January 3, 2015 at 8:28am

Here is the bottom line for me. And only for me.  Who do you want to be as an esthetician?  Do you want to be a professional skin therapist?  Or.  Do you want to become a professional recruiter.  Because those two arenas are where the money is made.  If you're in MLM, the mark up on products is generally not going to set your panties on fire.  The money in MLM is in the recruiting.  That's why they're all over these boards, etc.  To get more recruits.  And that's not a bad thing.  It's how they make their money.  It's just NOT why I became an esthetician.  

As an Acne Specialist, I could never use their acne line.  For a couple of reasons.  #1.  The line is VERY limited in strength of active ingredients.  2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide?  3% sulfur.  Also has some pore clogging ingredients and who needs DYES in their skin care?  These products have to be somewhat "wimpy" because it's a mass market product that has to have a very broad appeal.  I became an Acne Specialist to customize skin care regimens for folks.  To educate them on their skin.  Not to become a convincer of people to "join my team," etc.

So.  Who do you want to be as a professionally licensed esthetician?  A Skin Therapist?  Or.  A recruiter? 

Permalink Reply by Kristina A on January 3, 2015 at 8:33am

Nondy, very good said.

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