. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beauty - Skin Care
care arena we regularly mix products across ranges and brands to create a bespoke regime for clients, particularly corrective products. Hopefully the days of rigid ‘cleanse, tone and moisturise’ routines are coming to an end and modern innovative formulations are allowing more flexibility.”
She does add however: “There are of course rules to avoid pitfalls, and there are cases when products from the same brand are better, but we also need to remain responsive to the needs of the client.”
However, skin care experts believe that brands create their products to work together in synergy in order to offer optimum results. Why change something that works so well and is designed to go together?
“Cherry-picking (selecting a variety of products from different brands into your regimen) is a risky strategy for most skins,” says Candice Gardner, Education Training Manager at the International Dermal Institute.
Faye Layton-McCann of the International Institute for Anti-Ageing (iiaa) comments: “Products that are developed within skin care brands are designed to complement each other and in so doing give optimal results when treating skin conditions. ‘Mixing it up’ can therefore hinder the outcome for the client if done incorrectly.”
Ingredient clash
It seems there’s mixed feelings towards mixing and matching, but as with everything, there are pros and cons.
“The main reason for prescribing across brands is to improve results for the client. Sometimes one brand cannot achieve everything a client requires and carefully selecting products together gives greater or quicker results,” says Sharon.
One of the main concerns with creating a unique regime using products from two or three different ranges is the clash of ingredients and how they will work together once mixed.
“The main cause for concern when using products from a variety of brands, especially from ranges which use synthetic chemicals is the mix of potential chemicals from one product
to the other has not been tested for human safety,” says Abigail.
“When just two ingredients are mixed together, they have the potential to create a carcinogenic effect to humans, or a chemical reaction which may cause skin sensitivity. There is no way of testing this cross brand chemical mix in the lab as well as such a vast array of products.”
Crossing over with different ingredients can also hinder the skin rather than help if you don’t really know what each of the products will achieve once used together. “Most product lines will have a complementary balance of ingredients, and it is less likely that the customer can over-do certain ingredients when combining cleansers, toners, moisturisers, treatment serums and exfoliants from the same range,” comments Candice.
“An ingredient like salicylic acid, for example, is popular with many brands for treating various skin conditions, but different brands will have varying opinions on concentrations, formulations and degree of layering appropriate. A customer may well be inadvertently using too much salicylic acid if they are combining, for argument’s sake, cleanser, toner, exfoliant and moisturiser from two or three different brands, resulting in over exfoliation. This in turn results in more dehydration and increased sensitivity.”
Sharon adds: “I usually recommend that you start with the corrective product that is best suited for your client’s key problem. From there you can build the correct cleanser, moisturiser and SPF protector to complement these benefits. Sometimes it may just be a booster product such as a mask or scrub from one range to boost products from another.”
Client loyalty
With all this talk of ingredients, ‘mixing and matching’ can sound like a scary prospect. However, it’s also worth remembering, how do you think some of a brand’s most loyal customers became that way?
Most of the time, your average client will begin using a high-street brand and as you recommend products to them from your range, they will gradually add to their bathroom
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cabinet until they have completely replaced their regime with your recommended products. “Sometimes a flexible approach like this allows the client to buy one key product to start working towards further products at a later date; if they feel pressurised to take a whole range they may leave with nothing which is counter- productive to both therapist and client alike,” comments Sharon.
She continues: “I think that we have to be realistic as an industry and work with the client to allow themto try products individually as retailers are streets ahead on this. I often like to pick a key hero product such as a corrector to literally drop a bomb into their current regime; once they see professional level results they are often back formore products fromthe range.”
All in one
With so many different skin care brands offering a whole host of products for every skin concern, it does beg the question whether mixing and matching across brands is really necessary when you should have everything you need under one range, working synergistically together.
“Effective brands should offer a good selection of products to ensure customer personal preferences can be met alongside specific skin care needs,” says Candice. “If a brand is limiting for a skin therapist, then perhaps you need to reassess what you are offering your customers.”
With opinions being a mixed bag on this, I think it’s only right to conclude in saying make sure that you are offering your clients a wide range of products, either under one large brand covering all skin concerns, or across a few. However if you do wish to mix and match, make sure that you know what you are doing! The last thing you want is to cause more damage to your clients’ skin than good.
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