Caught my client sneaking drugstore serum into my treatment room

Had a regular come in last Tuesday with her own bottle of some $8 retinol serum from Walmart. She tried to hide it but I spotted her pulling it out of her purse when I stepped away for a second. When I asked about it she said she 'just wanted to see if it was as good as mine.' I told her straight up that the pH balance and formulation are totally different from professional grade products. She got a little defensive but I showed her the ingredient list differences side by side. Now I keep a laminated sheet in the room with common drugstore vs pro ingredients so I can explain it without sounding mean. Anyone else dealt with clients sneaking outside products into sessions?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith68416d ago

Laminated sheet is smart, I keep a quick printed list of common active ingredient percentages to show the difference without getting into a whole lecture. Your mileage may vary but that usually calms them down pretty fast.

hernandez.blake16d ago

@andrew_rodriguez you're braver than me. I'd be too scared to swap my stuff out because one wrong pH and someone's face turns into a tomato. Had a client last month who swore her $6 night cream was exactly the same as this $80 one I use. I told her to go ahead and keep using it, then her skin started peeling two days later. She came back asking for a free fix. People don't get that drugstore stuff has no real active ingredients, just fancy labels.

andrew_rodriguez16d ago

3 years ago I ran a small spa out of my house and honestly I didn't care what people brought in. My $28 hydrating serum was basically the same stuff they sell at Target for $12 just with fancier packaging and a higher price tag. I'd say maybe one client out of twenty even noticed a difference when I swapped my products with their drugstore stuff during a treatment.