Why Go Pro?
by Dr. Claudia Aguirre
The world has experienced some economic downfalls these past couple of years. However slow, the U.S. market is showing some positive signs of recovery. According to market research firm The NPD Group, prestige skin care experienced the biggest dollar growth in 2010, compared to other prestige beauty categories, even surpassing pre-recession levels. We can only hope that these trends continue to improve at all levels. However, consumers still have tight budgets and continue to be cautious with their spending. Some may have even traded down to mass market or drugstore brands.
Is there a difference between mass market products and professional products?
The answer is yes. Although we cannot speak for every company out there, generally, mass market brands are more sensitive to pricing and will therefore use cheaper or fewer active ingredients. For example, a mass market brand will opt for a very low concentration of an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) to avoid potential issues with irritation in the general population. Professional products like Dermalogica products are sold with the added benefit of a thorough skin analysis and education from a professional skin care therapist. Therefore, these prescribed products will have higher (and efficacious) levels of actives that will deliver results to those clients in need. Furthermore, some ingredients are very expensive and inevitably bring up the total cost of the product. Peptides are a great example. Mass market brands will either have no or very low concentrations of synthetic peptides, compared with professional lines that devote a greater amount of the formulation to these target-driven ingredients.
The Dermalogica Way
Products that make a visible and tangible difference on the skin are in demand. Mass market brands tend to be more ‘beauty-oriented’ and rely heavily on marketing. Dermalogica has the unquestionable benefit of being primarily an education company, with a devoted research and development team that examines the scientific data closely to provide safe, efficacious products that garner real results. We don’t use cheap fillers, comedogenic ingredients commonly found in the drugstore aisles like mineral oil and lanolin, or artificial fragrances and colors. The light scent in Dermalogica products come from essential oils, which come with their own set of beneficial effects as well. Complex formulations using stabilized vitamins, silicones, peptides and anti-oxidants are often difficult to work with and can take years to develop fully into a stable and working formula. This kind of process is not cost effective, and is thus not part of the typical mass market product development. Today’s consumers are savvy and results-oriented, increasingly aware of the active ingredients poised at treating various skin conditions. Not willing to be duped by marketing hype, they are willing to spend extra on products which deliver results for specific skin concerns. At Dermalogica, our education via the professional skin therapist allows us to go more in-depth with ingredients than a mass market brand. We pride ourselves behind the multi-functional ingredients found in our products prescribed for specific skin concerns.