Jessica’s Just Not Sure:
Many salon brand products such as indoor tanning lotions or hair care products claim they’re only guaranteed when purchased in a salon, because that’s the only way to ensure it’s the real deal. They suggest not to buy those products at drugstores or department stores, saying they are either fake or have been tampered with. Does that ever happen, or are they just trying to scare us into paying the higher price?
The Left Brain Makes Sure She’s Sure:
Great questions. The bottom line is yes, they are just trying to scare you into paying a higher price. We did a post about this some time ago…
http://thebeautybrains.blogspot.com/2006/06/beauty-qa-are-salon-products-in.html
Why would they do it? Because salon brands are not much different than store brands and they want to keep the prices artificially high to make a greater profit. Also, salons get paid money for every bottle of product they sell. They don’t make that money if you are buying it from a drugstore or grocery store.
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Thanks so much Brains! I’ll be saving a few bucks from now on
I’m not sure how the new “salons as exclusive reps” for a particular line of products works (e.g., Bumble&Bumble – try to find their products in a supply store!), but I do remember how we determined the retail price of haircare products at the salon I worked at in college: we doubled the price we paid. I would think that all other salons mark up their products at least that much.
I was always skeptical of the “only guaranteed if purchased in a salon” mantra, too. My best advice is to make friends with someone who has a cosmetology license (thanks, Aunt V!) and ask them to take you to the local beauty supply store when you need to stock up!
Yes, a doubling of the price has been my experiences with salons too. It’s good advice to have a friend get you product from a beauty supply store. However, the way most salon brands are going you can just wait to get it in your local grocery store. Paul Mitchel, Matrix, American Crew, Nexxus, Pureology, Phyto…you can find them all and they are the same stuff you’d buy in the salon.
You can often find them online too, cheaper than at the beauty supply store (and way cheaper than the salon). This works even for imported products, like if you want the French version of Kerastase hair conditioner (it is twice as thick as the American one).
You have to understand this first its your hair and you only want the best for your hair . We have to start conditioning our selves to understand that salons take the time to make you bueatiful and that is not cheap . You have professionals and they use professional products , money should not be a issue if you see better results
I am a manager @ a hair salon and the reason it states that it will only be guaranteed is because they product has been tested that is found in the grocerie stores and thay have found trace of salmonelia. Also the product that you find in the grocerie stoes that are profession, are usually about to expire or have already been expired. if you look @ the back of the bottle there is usually a little jar that either says 12 or 18. this means the product has 12 or 18 months from that date bafor it expires. and the grocerie store can not gurantee that they havnt been opened before. In fact if you or I find Paul Mitchell in a grocerie store we can turn that grocerie store in, and a rep from paul mitchell will go down there and buy every bottle and then fine them $10,000 per bottle, because they have to have a license to sell it. in the past people were taking bottels and dilluting them down, and this is also why its not guaranteed unless sold in a salon. hope this helps
There is no proof that this is true. It’s just not true that stuff you buy at the grocery store is going to be contaminated. Can you imagine the lawsuits?
THE TRUTH ABOUT SALON PRODUCTS
Let me spell it out.First,the professional salon product is manufactured. Boxed and sent to regional distributors. The distributors can only sell to licensed salons and individual professional stylists, colorists, nail techs,etc.
Some distributors have been known to be unscrupulous and sell to Diverters at a lower that wholesale price to make fast cash. These products could sit in the back of trucks for months then past on to other sources. Yes they can be contaminated. They have tampered with the product by diluting or refilling empty bottles with inferior product.
These products are sold in mass to stores like Target, CVS, and K-mart. They are listed in these stores flyers. The original Manufacturers seek these sources out and eliminate them.
Yes, you better to by the product in a salon; they get the product straight from the manufacturer. Products are sold for the set retail price determined by the manufacturer. These salons get direct training from the company and can lead you to the right product for your needs.
How much crap have you bought from the Beauty supply that you never use? Beauty supplies buy from the same source that salons do, but they jack them up a dollar or two, and they also throw in some of those diverted products from the back of the truck.
Salon-direct from the source.
Beauty Supply-direct from the source and from diverters. Also old products that could not sell at salons.
Target,CVS,K-Mart, Loeman’s, and Grocery Stores- From large diversion rings those market old, out of date products that many aren’t even being made anymore. They sell these for top dollar.
You will never lose by buying your professional grade products at a reputable salon. And yes salons do make a profit on retail sales these prices are set by the manufacturer.
@Dean – An interesting, but unproven scenario. It makes no sense that product would sit on the back of trucks for months. Manufacturers sell to stores like CVS because they do such volume that inventories do not remain stagnant. They have a higher turnover/sell through than salons and thus have fresher product. And how exactly are things getting contaminated? Unless the product is being opened (which makes no sense either).
Finally, salons do not get their products directly from manufacturers. Actually, if this were true than diversion wouldn’t be a problem. No product would go to distributors to be diverted! Salons get their product from distributors, not directly from manufacturers.
I have been a Cosmetologist for 21 years… This is crazy
OhMaGosh… This topic is completely off it’s rocker and over the top…
First off diversion is a tactic used mostly between greedy product representatives (sales people) and closing or overstocked salons. The Salon wants to get rid of, or move the product out because the salon itself made mistakes. This is where it started and it’s been happening ever since. Very rarely and almost never do they have a “back door” business.
Most Salons distributing or selling the salon products ligitimately, sign contracts that they won’t sell to unauthorized dealers so they can sue them if they can be caught… However “get caught” is the operative words…
That is also where the “outdated” or “old” product comes from. It doesn’t “sit in trucks”… it sits in the overstocked or closed Salon storage unit until they can unload it… That is why the “professional shelf” at Target or Walmart, etc. has only a sprinkling of any one brand of products and never a full line of any.
Also the “store bought is no different” arguement has a long history and is full of myths on both sides.
Let’s get real here… It is 100% mark up on all products. If the products costs $2 to buy from the distributer? Then the store sells it at $4… That means $2 to REBUY for sale and $2 profit… Did we miss economics 101? What? They’re supposed to buy for $2 and sell it for $2?? Who makes money like that? You think your grocery store sells ANYTHING for what they bought it for?
And let’s get down to the heart of it.. the cold hard facts… period…
The FDA ruled LONG ago that the hair is a “dead appendage” of the body not to mention they hardly regulate anything natural, and they REFUSED to get involved in any debate related to professional or store bought… This particular industry of beauty is self regulated… Both sides… There are NO laws governing hair care EXCEPT truth in advertising.
If a product says it contains a protien? it MUST contain that ingredient… BUT it does NOT have to reveal in what quantity (other then it’s place on the ingredient list)or in what potency (strength).
This is why ephedrine was taken off the market… It may have said it contained 30mg of product but its potency could have been that of 300mg… That was not required to be revealed and it was dangerous!
Now that’s not the same with hair care… it’s not neccesarily dangerous… There is increasingly mounting evidence that Sulfates are potentially dangerous (that is not proven yet) and definitely a known irritant… and that is going to change the face of hair care no matter where it is bought. But I digress…
The biggest difference is going to be in the quantity and quality of the ingredients when looking at the list. Shampoos like Pantene, Dove, and the like are using cheaper grade ingredients because…well?… they’re cheaper and they can… they are not different per say… just… cheaper… and larger in molecule size… Some are using the same kind of wax you put on an apple to make it shiney in the conditioner (you thought the shine was natural?)… It’s food grade, edible, and naturally derived… Therefore? Legal and acceptable…
The result from the conditioner is a coating to hopefully “hold in” the moisture you already have and hope that is sufficient enough… Saying that it harms the hair is irresponsible from a professional… It does NOT harm the hair… it usually isn’t enough to provide help, and that’s the actual problem. Look at the ingredents of a store bought shampoo compared to Dawn Dishwashing liquid… They are suprisingly similar… Even some Salon brands might be similar to Dawn’s ingredients by name… Just try using Dawn regularly and tell me it doesn’t have an effect on your color or the condition of your hair? That’s ridiculous to say that it “doesn’t matter”… or the ingredients are fully the “same”…
Salon brands use molecular sizes that are smaller… It may have the same name as the ones on the store brands, but it’s not always the same quality. They use the opposite concept of trying to put back what might have gone missing from your chemical services, heat styling abuse, or just water damage. NO it does not “repair”! That is a word that our industry needs to stop using… What it does is prevent futher damage and more breakage… it temporarily puts a safety net on the weakened hair until you wash it again. They also may advertise a bit much and pass on that cost to the consumer as well… Hey… Economics 101 again…
Salon products have one more thing that sets them apart that you’ll NEVER get from the store bought brand… The Stylist recommendation. They can work with your hair and see what it does and does not respond to… That way they can help you pick out the products based on what your specific needs and desires are, and YES that can take some trial and error. No “one” product is perfect for all… And no product on the store shelf is going to be able to tell you the things you don’t know about your hair.
Sorry.. one more thing…
It must depend on where you live what the prices are for diverted product…
In my town and my State (CA)… When I’ve come across the product on store shelves it has always been $5-$10 more expensive then the Salons I’ve worked for… that part always puzzled me… And no, I’m not refering to package deals… just straight up individual bottles… The least I’ve seen it for was $2 more per bottle… so saying it’s “cheaper” at the store shelves? That’s not true here…
I’m listing a website that gives the easiest understanding of diverted professional products. It’s listed with Paul Mitchell Products. The only incentive that professional manufacturers have to keep their product from being diverted is the loyalty of the salons who carry them.
Paul Mitchell has been a long time activist trying to educate the consumer about diversion. The average consumer is most likely getting ripped off or using a product that is not what is labeled on the front of the bottle. I’ve seen TIGI products in Sebastian bottles, Pantene in Paul Mitchell bottles, conditioner in shampoo bottles, etc. Take it from one who knows…. DON’T BUY DIVERTED PRODUCT.
http://www.paulmitchell.com/About_Us/Documents/get_real_pop_06.pdf