To All Skincare Brands,

We, the Licensed Aestheticians, pen this open letter to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the treatment we have received from certain skincare brands as wholesale partners. We have dedicated our careers and lives to the science and art of skincare, striving to enhance the lives of our clients through knowledge, expertise, and genuine care by investing diligently into and seeking out continued education and advanced training.

However, our efforts are undervalued and undermined when brands - some of whom we have partnered our reputations, businesses, and livelihoods to - betray our trust, undermine our integrity, and compromise the well-being of the very clients we serve. This has come to light especially in the recent events of the past few weeks, and we can no longer remain silent and complicit.

We are cognizant and can appreciate the challenges and intricacies of the skincare industry: many of us are business owners ourselves and some have even created our own skincare products and brands. We deeply understand the pull for brands to remain competitive in an ever evolving and complex market.

Nonetheless, it is disheartening to witness a systemic pattern of broken promises, direct-to-consumer selling, and the offering of discounts by certain brands, devaluing our profession and diluting the skincare market. These practices also tarnish the reputation of genuine skincare brands while eroding the trust that our clients place in us as Licensed Aestheticians. This trust and the relationships we foster with our clientele is the cornerstone of our businesses.

Most concerning is the recently added requirement by some brands mandating Aestheticians have medical oversight in the form of a Medical Director, to carry their products; the irony of this being that those very products are being offered direct-to-consumer on third party resellers.

It has been established (through rigorous, documented testing and science) that there is no medical liability attached to the products being sold. This confusing and inequitable practice undermines our expertise as Licensed Aestheticians and poses potential harm
to our clients, which we as providers now have no control over. We are being made to feel powerless against certain sales and marketing tactics AND over the potential harm being done to the clients who we dedicate our time to serving and treating.

Consistent with established national health and safety guidelines and recommendations, we firmly believe that only prescription-strength products should require such oversight, as they have a direct impact on medical conditions and treatments. For non-prescription skincare products, it is essential to empower us, the Licensed Aestheticians, as the rightful authorities in recommending and dispensing these products.

For many years this was the model, and it allowed brands and Licensed Aestheticians to create a powerful and symbiotic relationship that resulted in impactful client results and strong bonds between providers and brands. We have maintained an unwavering loyalty to our brand partners by educating in the field, driving sales, and creating awareness. However it now feels like our loyalty and devotion is one-sided, undervalued, and not appreciated.

Moving forward, we demand and require transparency and ethical practices from all skincare brands with whom we engage as wholesale partners. We envision a future where partnerships between Licensed Aestheticians and brands are built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared mission to elevate our practices and enhance the well-being of our clients.

To achieve this, we propose the following tangible ways to move forward in our collaboration:

●  Transparent Communication: Brands will communicate openly and honestly with Licensed Aestheticians, sharing their marketing strategies and business plans. This will foster a culture of trust and enable us to align our efforts effectively.
●  Exclusive Wholesale Partnerships: Brands will refrain from and reverse from selling directly to consumers or offering discounts that undermine our professional pricing structure. Instead, they will focus on building exclusive wholesale partnerships to support our business growth.
●  Empowering Education: Brands will invest in comprehensive and ongoing education for Licensed Aestheticians, empowering us with the latest scientific knowledge and product information to better serve our clients.
●  Inclusivity: Brands will prioritize inclusivity of LGBT+, BIPOC and persons with disabilities in their product offerings, education, marketing materials, and overall approach, ensuring that all Licensed Aestheticians feel represented and valued.
●  Ethical and Fair Access: All cosmetic grade products will be accessible by all Licensed Aestheticians. Only prescription-strength products or treatments will require Licensed Aestheticians to use and sell with Medical Director oversight.
●  Joint Marketing Initiatives: Brands should collaborate with Licensed Aestheticians on marketing campaigns that highlight the value of our professional expertise.

We, the Licensed Aestheticians, stand united against these unethical practices that are systematically devaluing our professions and the industry as a whole. If our concerns are not genuinely and timely addressed, we are prepared to take action:
●  We will withdraw our financial support of the brand by discontinuing it in our own business. This includes the backbar as utilized in our services and retail.
●  We will encourage our clients to use other comparable and more ethical skincare products, whose missions and values align with our own.
●  We will continue to use our voices to demand ethical and equitable partnerships and to stand-up against those whose broken promises cause business interruption.
●  We will collaborate as a community to create and heavily promote (both collectively and individually) free resources that will take initiatives to fight back from brands that fail to respect our profession and our clients.

It is time to recognize the indispensable and irrefutable role we play in the skincare industry, and honor our commitment to the well-being of our clients.

Together, let us forge a new path of integrity and mutual respect.

Sincerely,
Licensed Aestheticians and Advocates for Ethical Business Practices