It’s a well known fact that celebrity endorsements sell products. Brands have been using the celebrity to help sell their products for decades. Think high end handbags, watches, perfume (the list of celebrities is too long to mention), cars (Jude Law for Lexus) even coffee (George Clooney for Nespresso), food (Katie Perry for Menulog) or Pringles (can you believe – Brad Pitt).
When people buy these products they are heavily influenced by the idea that just by having that product, they could be like the celebrity who is endorsing it. Buy this perfume and you could smell like Scarlett Johanson or buy this Gucci handbag and be as attractive as Harry Styles or maybe even attract Harry Styles. It’s not always that obvious but the influence of celebrity endorsements on what we buy and what is popular is undeniable. Brands spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to photograph celebrities with their products and then market them to you.
And now we are seeing something different emerging. Celebrities have taken back the power by creating brands they can endorse for their own gain. And for some reason, skincare seems to be the biggest trend for celebrity products in 2022..
We’ve compiled a quick list of celebrities that have created their own skincare brands recently: –
Brad Pitt
Jared Leto
Kim Kardashian
Hayley Bieber
Pharell Williams
Rihanna
Jessica Alba
Selina Gomez
Travis Barker
So why are these celebrities who are famous for acting, modelling, singing or just because – suddenly touting themselves as skincare gurus?
I have a few theories and – spoiler alert! – none of my theories point to them being experts in skin.
Here we go…
They are vain as f&%k…
Theory number one is that they are just super vain and love seeing pictures of themselves. What better way to zoom in on their perfect airbrushed skin than to have a campaign about skincare featuring their own face?
People love talking about themselves and celebrities even more so. Imagine the gamut of press opportunities where they get to talk about how clever they are with their new skincare and then how great their own skin looks because of their skincare. Look at me, look at my skin, aren’t I amazing?
Their current skincare does not match their bathroom renovation
Oh no – they’ve just spent hundreds of thousands on their new bathroom and realised the skincare products they have don’t match their bathrooms. I know, let’s take control and make our own line of skincare with packaging that will perfectly offset my new bathroom aesthetic. Then when we advertise it, we can use my new bathroom as a backdrop too!
They are just plain greedy or is it their agent?
Celebrities have been selling their faces and bodies to other brands for years. They aren’t stupid. They see how much money these brands make off their blessed genetics and fame. Why not jump on the bandwagon and cut out the middleman?
It’s either their or their agents’ idea to make a lot of money by preying on people’s desire to be more like their favourite celebrities. You have to admit it is pretty genius!
They aren’t stupid but they think we are
Celebrity skincare isn’t about your skin. They are selling a lifestyle not skincare.
If these celebrities really created skincare themselves, having done research into what the market was lacking and developing products that are revolutionary I would expect their marketing to be filled with regular people using their products, some before and after shots of how it can improve their skin and more information about the ingredients.
Want to be as cool, beautiful and confident as me – use my skincare and you might be!
Think about a Rolex. It’s a watch. It tells the time just like any other watch. So why would someone buy a Rolex instead of say a Casio?
It’s more about what wearing that watch says about the person. It’s about showing status and wealth in the flick of a wrist.
The same could be said about celebrity skincare. It is a mark of status (albeit naively) and a talking point.
What are the dangers of using celebrity skincare?
‘High end’ skincare is expensive because of the marketing they employ. When we say ‘High end’ we are talking about brands that have been around for decades. Usually the ones you see in big department stores. Using celebrities to endorse their products comes at a huge cost as well as full page magazine advertisements and TV campaigns. That cost has to be recouped somewhere and that is why a ‘high end’ moisturiser costs what it costs. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it is because of the ingredients or the research. The same can be said for celebrity skincare. So I guess the biggest risk is that you will be spending a lot of money on a product for the marketing. You could spend the same amount or less on a product that values the quality and potency of the ingredients, is more effective and more suited to your skin.
You could be missing out on using a product that has really potent and effective ingredients for your particular skin concerns.
Why it’s important to buy skincare from experts
Skincare experts won’t recommend a skincare product without doing an analysis of your skin to make sure the product they are recommending will be suitable for your skin and your skin concern. Whether this analysis is done during a facial or a consultation, the skincare expert will have a greater understanding of your skin than Brad Pitt.
Your skin is your largest organ and has an important job to do. Trust the experts and leave the acting and modelling to the celebrity.
Become a Clean Beauty Expert with Australia’s first online Natural Beauty Training course. Our courses are the perfect introduction to natural and organic beauty. Designed to help you become an expert in organic and natural products and treatments in the beauty industry. Join us on the cleaner side of beauty and enrol today.
Yes working with natural, organic, toxin free skincare is the best! There are so many reasons why I love it and I’ve created a team who love them too. Here are my top 9 reasons to choose to work with natural.
Did you know that the average woman is exposed to over 168 chemicals in their regular skincare routine every day? The numbers are staggering just for one person but imagine how many potentially harmful chemicals you are being exposed to every day as a therapist. The risk of toxic load is increased when you add all the other treatments you perform daily that the average consumer only exposes themselves to once a month or less.
Once you know how harmful many ingredients in skincare are, it is impossible to un-know. What an unimaginable situation to be stuck in, using these toxic products on your clients skin while knowing that you are exposing them to chemicals that could really make them sick. Not to mention knowing that you are being exposed as well.
On the flip side, working with natural products that don’t contain any of these nasty ingredients and knowing that you are truly nourishing your clients skin is the best feeling. As a beauty therapist, you invested your time and money to study the skin because you love it and you have a passion for helping your clients achieve their best skin. Working with natural products means you can do just that without the guilt.
We all hope to leave a better planet to future generations and another way we can contribute is by making smart choices with our skincare and cosmetics. From choosing eco-friendly packaging to reducing waste to saving the animals; natural and organic products are doing their bit towards creating a safer, cleaner environment. More and more brands are choosing better ways to package their products with some opting for refillable solutions, products made from recycled materials or eco-friendly options like bars instead of tubes (shampoo and conditioner are the first that come to mind).
I love the idea that information spreads amongst your circle. Women talk. We talk often and openly with our girlfriends and love sharing great experiences whether it’s a book we’ve just read, an awesome new restaurant we went to or a new moisturiser that we know we just can’t live without; women sharing information is built into our DNA. When you educate your clients about their skin and then their skincare, you can be sure they will tell their friends about it. Especially if it’s been an amazing experience or you’ve shared a valuable new insight with them. So make it memorable and help spread the word!
By choosing cruelty free products and products that are free from animal ingredients you are helping to save the lives of innocent animals that are exposed to these cruel and outdated practices. It is estimated that over 500,000 animals are subjected to animal testing and die each year because of it. The companies that refuse to use these practices deserve to be supported and the more we support them, the lesser the need for animal testing. Modern testing actually outperforms animal testing in labs now so this outdated practice needs to be stopped. By refusing to spend money on brands who still test on animals, you can help stop this outdated practice.
When I opened my organic day spa, Earth and Skin, I knew what I wanted from the brands I was looking to stock but I didn’t realise that would come with a surprising and rewarding consequence. By choosing to work with local, small batch brands, I didn’t realise that it would lead me to a place where I was working with businesses that were all started, created and run by women. What an absolute joy it was when I realised that every brand I stocked on my shelf was the result of a woman starting a small business at home.
Most organic or natural skincare brands have been created by women who saw a need and created the product to fill that need for themselves. I should have known really, because that is exactly what drove me to start my day spa too.
And don’t be fooled, these businesses that once started out as small home based businesses are now a force to be reckoned with. Most are now enjoying a large market share Australia wide and some internationally.
When finding products to stock, research their story because I can guarantee there is a story there. Clients love hearing about how these products started and people are more likely to buy when they understand the why so make sure you share these stories with your clients. Shout out to female owned and operated businesses!
It’s still early days on the cleaner side of beauty so there is a huge opportunity to stand out from the hundreds of other salons and spas that have been doing the same thing for decades. By creating a niche in the market, you can stand out and be creative with your marketing.
Yes I’m calling it. The clean beauty movement is the single biggest swing of the pendulum when it comes to cosmetics and skincare that we have seen since synthetic ingredients were invented. Forecasters have predicted the global growth in sales of natural and organic beauty and personal care to increase from roughly US$30 billion in 2021 to over $50 billion in 2027. Just 6 short years to almost double! If you aren’t joining the movement you will very quickly be left behind!
While you could say it is still early days, the clean beauty movement is not going anywhere. It is growing stronger every day and consumers are demanding more from their beauty providers. With global markets seeing such huge growth in the area of natural and organic cosmetics and skincare, it is only a matter of time before beauty therapists and beauty salons will have to swing to the clean side in order to stay relevant. Anyone in the industry who isn’t across all there is to know about clean beauty will be left behind as consumer demand increases. Becoming a clean beauty expert will ensure you are ahead of the game and locking in your career.
‘Green Beauty’, ‘Clean beauty’, ‘Toxin-Free’ or ‘Organic beauty’ – whatever you want to call it, the beauty industry is changing! It has never been more exciting to be in this fast-paced ever-changing industry!
The damaging effects of chemicals in skincare is no longer a secret. Toxic ingredients used in cosmetics can have adverse effects on the skin or overall health and let’s not forget the damage to the planet or the outdated and devastating practice of animal testing.
Green is definitely the new black. Let’s look at why…
Because we want to be better humans
Consumers are far more educated than ever before and are very aware of their health and the health of the planet. They are seeking cleaner, greener products that fit their lifestyle and their desire to leave the planet a better place than what we inherited.
It is far easier now than ever before to research products with a quick Google search. We are also exposed to marketing everywhere on social media by following our favourite celebrities who spruke their favourite (or highest paying) products and by target marketing algorithms that learn our preferences and expose us to ads that feed our needs and wants.
It’s no wonder that major cosmetic brands are jumping on the natural and organic trend as we see new lines being released that promise they are cleaner than ever before. While this looks like a great trend on the surface, the danger of being greenwashed is greater and it is important for consumers to be careful and aware of false marketing claims if they are looking for truly clean products. We go into greater detail about greenwashing and pinkwashing in Module 3 of Natural Beauty Training for Therapists.
The Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market was valued at a staggering USD 29.92 billion in the year 2021. Market research shows that Millennials are leading this trend toward healthy and clean products, driven both by the number of consumers in this age group and their buying behaviour.
Because Global Demand is growing and is forecasted to continue
The demand for natural and organic skincare and cosmetics is seen by trend forecasters as a global change that started before the pandemic but has snowballed ever since.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a massive impact on the health and beauty industry which saw a shift in consumer preferences, with more people looking for clean and functional skincare products. Research shows this is projected to fuel the market’s growth well into the next decade.
The growing concern about healthy skin is evident when looking at the share or segments in the Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market. Skincare holds a major share of the market with consumers spending the most on these products compared to other products such as makeup, haircare or body care products.
How exciting is that? Not only are we due to see increased growth in natural and organic cosmetics but skincare takes the largest slice of the pie.
As we mentioned before, the Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market is currently worth USD 29.92 billion with skincare taking the lion’s share of 6.4 billion. Forecasters have estimated the skincare segment to grow to USD 12.27 billion by 2030.
The change towards products that nourish our skin as well as being highly effective and beautiful to use without containing ingredients that are harmful to our health or the health of our planet is all due to the demands and increased awareness of our clients.
If beauty therapists and their salons or spas are not jumping onboard, they will very soon be left behind!
So, as salon owners, how can we make sure we aren’t missing out on this segment of the market?
Educate yourself
Here are my favourites to get you started: –
Clean Skin in a Dirty World – Louisa Hollenberg
Truth in Beauty – Mukti
The Skin Nerd – Jennifer Rock
Ask your clients
A natural curiosity with your clients will show you what they really want within your business. Send out a survey to find out what they know about natural beauty. I’d recommend doing our course before you do this so you know what questions to ask. Do a small poll inside your spa or salon with easy questions and an easy way to answer.
It could be as simple as a question like ‘Would you prefer if we used products that were better for your health and the environment but still worked to help with your skin concerns?’ You could then give your clients a way of voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to get your answers like giving them a small pebble to put in either the ‘yes’ jar or the ‘no’ jar.
Tell your clients
Be a leader in the industry and make the change for your clients. Consumers love to know they are making a difference without the effort of research or spending more money.
Imagine if you could offer your clients products that not only solve their skin problems but also help in stopping animal testing, reduce waste or protect their long term health. There are plenty or products out there that do all that and more.
Look at your practices in salon and find ways to make them more sustainable. Can you use reusables instead of disposables? Can you adopt QR codes to reduce your printing costs and waste? Can you change to natural cleaning products?
Once you’ve made these changes, shout it from the rooftops. Make sure you let your clients know the value of your natural products and sustainable practices via social media and in store. Train your staff on how important it is so they share that with the clients also.
You might find you attract new clients that are looking for salons or spas that have these sustainable practices.
Don’t get left behind! Green Beauty is the new black and it is here to stay.
Become a Clean Beauty Expert with Australia’s first online Natural Beauty Training course. Our courses are the perfect introduction to natural and organic beauty. Designed to help you become an expert in organic and natural products and treatments in the beauty industry. Join us on the cleaner side of beauty and enrol today.