Is It OK to Purchase Professional Products Online?

I’ve received some comments asking me about online purchases of professional products. With the exception of www.kerastase-usa.com, all other websites are not authorized to sell professional products and we cannot guarantee the quality or legitimacy of professional products purchased from them.
In the instance of www.Kerastase-usa.com, Kerastase has developed a partnership site that allows consumers to buy online while supporting their salon. This provides a quality service for consumers who may travel a lot or who may want to purchase between visits. This practice is completely normal for luxury brands who have limited distribution.

Other than www.kerastase-usa.com, no other websites are authorized to sell professional products. There are sites that mask themselves as salon websites, have fake anti-diversion statements or claim they obtained products from a manufacturer. Please beware of these websites. Clients might be tempted to risk the purchase from eBay.com, for example, because they believe that they are getting a better price. In instances like this , it is especially important to remember the 4 Cs (cost, counterfeit, contaminated & crime) which are the dangers of buying diverted products both online and offline.

I urge you to visit a salon near you, or www.kerastase-usa.com to purchase your professional products.

Victoria Beckham's New Short Haircut

I was very excited to see Victoria Beckham’s new short hair style. In my professional role, I love when a style icon like Victoria chooses a short cropped hairstyle. First of all, I think it looks stunning but I also think this look really celebrates the expertise of a gifted stylist (in this case, NYC celebrity stylist Garren.) Like the style icons before her Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow and Linda Evangelista, this short cropped hairdo will inspire a lot of women to go pixie short, which is great for the hairdressing business. In order to maintain this look, you will need to go to see your stylist about every month.

The Today Show Talks About Professional Theives

Today Show Talks About Professional Thieves

The Today Show aired a segment last week entitled “Hunting Down Professional Thieves.” It investigated how criminal organizations hire professional thieves to steal products from major retailers and resell them online or to major distributors.

The Today Show guests provided the following example:

A consumer searching for an online deal on baby formula on a website like eBay could potentially “find baby formula that was in someone’s truck for a couple of days in 90 to 100 degree weather.”

In other words, an unsuspecting consumer can endanger their baby’s health with a compromised product sold illegally. In this blog I’m always reinforcing the 3 C’s—contamination, counterfeiting and cost, but I never mention the potential “fourth C” which is crime. Consumers purchasing suspect products online solely looking for a deal may also be supporting organized crime. This is story we hear a lot about regarding the counterfeit handbags being sold on city streets.

The conclusion of this piece was very interesting and relevant to our salon business. When you purchase personal products, you should not soley base your purchase on the price and be sure that the manufacturer authorizes the sale in that location. When you purchase salon products from authorized retailers, you know they are guaranteed and that in most cases, you are actually saving at least 10% on your purchase.
Support our hardworking hairdressers while protecting yourselves and your families.

Reflections of NYC Fashion Week

Last week, designers in New York City showcased their Spring 2009 collections. I was surprised to learn that aside from traditional journalists covering the shows, bloggers were everywhere covering the fashion, beauty and hair trends. Redken sent a contest winner backstage to cover the events and you can read her blog at www.redken.com/fashioninsider. If you want to achieve the great looks you see on the runways, be sure to visit your stylist to get the tools and expertise you need for your own runway look.

Your Questions Answered

Dear Esteemed Readers,

Thank you for your comments and your questions. Here are the answers to some of the questions I have received lately:

1. Why doesn’t L'Oréal buy out its products from the Diverters?
If L’Oreal were to purchase all of the diverted products from unauthorized retailers, we would actually be fuelling the demand for products in that location, funding more demand and more purchases, and consequently, drive further diversion.

2. What happens when I report a Diverter?
When you report a diverter through an email to nodivert@aol.com or by calling the Diversion Hotline (1-800 503.3997), our strategy is to log the location and send an investigator to purchase samples and then use our coding technology to track the product. We can then determine if the product is counterfeit, and if not, who was responsible for diverting it to that location. Through our national buy-back program we have been able to cut down over $30 million dollars in product sales by cutting off diverters.

3. Why doesn’t L'Oréal take legal action?
We have. Please read my Quality King Story post from August 19th. We have filed and appeal and will keep you posted on our status.


Have more questions? Please submit them as comments and I will do my best to address them.

Thanks!
David

Good News!

I received an email this week from one of our valued customers, who was very surprised to discover that a major US mass retailer has taken it upon themselves to label professional products by saying that "this product is intended for sale" by them and if found at other outlets they should call an advice line. They are printing this copy on a supposed security label.

I think this is a good indication that we are starting to win the battle, because when a major retailer finds it necessary to legitimize the sale of a brand is us a sure sign that our campaign to keep professional products in the hands of stylists is starting to work.

Hopefully we will have more good news soon.

Updates to our Anti-Diversion Hotline

Recently, I was disappointed to learn that our anti-diversion hotline was not as responsive as it could have been. We had too many people involved in the process and I wanted to confirm with you that we have now harmonized the functions.

Chris Lyden has taken over the role of leading our anti-diversion team as Sr. Director of Brand Equity Protection. Chris joined the professional beauty industry 17 years ago as a Distributor Sales Consultant and has worked closely with salons over the years. Throughout his career, he has visited nearly 8,000 salons so he understands what stylists care about most, and fighting diversion is at the top of their list.

If you spot diversion occurring in your area please report it.

You can call 1-800-503-3997 or email nodivert@aol.com and be assured that your concerns will be responded to and addressed.

A New Season

The end of August typically is the slowest news period. I know many of my colleagues have kids going back to school or are enjoying the last few weeks with their family. I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with my sons and their friends. One of my son’s friends told a story over dinner how when she was in college she decided she wanted to come back her sophomore year a platinum blonde so she went to her local drugstore and purchased some bleach, a developer and some gloves without any instruction or training. I think she said she was majoring in Literature. She had previously dyed her hair to a dark auburn using a mass product. As you can imagine, her hair turned out a wonderful shade of light pink and she painfully burnt her scalp. She returned the drugstore and the man behind the counter who also sold cigarettes sold her a “toner” which turned her hair to a dull shade of beige. She told me she was lucky that her next door neighbor was a colorist at a tony NYC salon who saw the damage and immediately took her to his salon to do some serious color correction. She claimed he “saved” her life and that she continues to only see a salon professional to tend to her hair. I love hearing stories about real people having relationships with their stylists because I see how the expertise of a professional stylists and colorists can evoke confidence in myself, my colleagues and my family. All of our brands have salon finders where you can find a professional in your area to achieve the look you want for the fall so that you can enter the new season with style, confidence and a healthy scalp.