I recently had a guest ask me about buying a professional product online. She said a friend had told her she could get a deal on it. She wasn’t buying it through Aveda, she was looking at buying it through a conglomerate online retailing website.
I gave her my answer, and she said she had no idea that it wasn’t a good thing to do. So that led me to write this article, in the hopes that I can educate more consumers to do the right thing and buy beauty products from the right place.
First, the product she wanted to buy is a ‘professional use only’ product. Which means that the manufacturer, Aveda Corporation, would only sell the product to an authorized Aveda salon, not to Xxxxxx.com, for use in a salon service. This scenario could also apply to any beauty product, even and especially the home care category like shampoos and conditioners. So if someone is selling it through a third party website, the product is either:
1. Diverted. This is another word for stolen. It could have been stolen from a salon shelf or off a delivery truck.
2. Counterfeit. This could mean that it’s a fake, from the bottle and printing to what’s inside. Most of us have seen a fake luxury brand handbag…this is the beauty industry version of it. So you have no idea where this was manufactured, what the sanitation was, or what’s in the bottle. It could be water with fragrance. There was a recent 20/20 program called How To Spot A Fake, and they found fake brand name cosmetics with 1,000 times more lead in the product than is safe. That’s not just illegal, that’s dangerous!
3. Expired. Beauty products have some kind of date that they shouldn’t be used past. For Aveda products, which don’t have chemical preservatives, once they are opened, they have a specific shelf life. You can find a little open jar icon on the bottle with a number, like 24M.
This means the product is good for 24 months once opened. Expired products should be thrown away, as the natural ingredients may not be effective years down the road. I once saw bottles of an old Aveda product at a flea market. The product had been discontinued for at least 10 years! How would the consumer know this?
The way you would know what you’re getting, and what’s in that bottle, is to buy it from an authorized Aveda lifestyle salon, like Atelier Salon and Atelier Studio. Our salons use Aveda exclusively, and we only buy Aveda from the Aveda Corporation headquarters, which is located in Blaine, Minnesota. It’s made in America.
When you buy Aveda from us, you can trust that what’s in the bottle is made under the most sanitary and regulated conditions, and that it’s all within its shelf life.
Here’s an added benefit: when you purchase Aveda at an authorized salon, you are supporting your community’s small business, and every employee working there. Atelier Salon employees receive benefits like 401k, Paid Sick Leave, State Disability and Workman’s Compensation, and co-ops for Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance. We share in their education investment, and in their Social Security. All of this, and more, are supported by your choice of shopping with us.
You can also purchase Aveda from aveda.com. If you use this link: http://www.aveda.com/ShopAveda.tmpl?SalonID=380, and mention that Atelier is your Aveda salon of choice at checkout, Atelier will receive credit that we can use towards our employee education and development. You’ll even get free shipping and free samples. And you’ll know it’s all real Aveda.
Everyone loves a bargain, just not at the expense of our health and safety. I hope this was eye opening and helpful.
Be Inspired,
Karie Bennett
Founder, Atelier Salon and Atelier Studio
karie@ateliersalon.com
www.ateliersalon.com
