It's time we ditched scrutinising our clients skincare. Many have, and you should too.

Fear mongering in my opinion is an easy way to gain control in the consult room. But does it gain trust?

In an age where misinformation is everywhere, it can be tempting to stay with the sales techniques that are tried and true to you. I'll quote myself here "toxic chemist brands" sound familiar? But as a professional aiming to gain trust, we need to approach with a point of difference from the noise of social media.

The Facts on Formulation

As a formulator, I gained a respect for the products I used to scrutinise. Not for their efficacy but for the fact that they have a specific gap to fill in the market place. A lot of chemist brands are, by design, cheap and lack actives because they're supposed to be that way.

What about upmarket retail brands?

I hear you there, spending a small fortune and not seeing a result is disappointing for everyone involved. I believe the issue here again not to be in the efficacy of the products themselves but the fact they're used out of context. From a formulation perspective, larger brands, in my opinion have to consider their brands are designed to be used with little guidance by professionals. Compared to the many brands I have used as a therapist, the active selection and ranges are less complex to leave little margin for error.

Keep it classy

If you've been presented with some ingredient labels to decode or a range to scrutinise. Pause. Take a minute to gather the information and guide the client forward, not make them feel shitty about their choices. It's not your expertise to be able to understand a formulation from an INCI label. But it is your job to identify it's not working and recommend appropriately.

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You don't have to know it all, you just have to know who to ask.

-The Clinics Formulator