OTC or PRO?
I hear it from my clients all the time; “What's the difference between my $12 moisturizer and the Professional $50 moisturizer?” Is there really even a difference? The answer is yes.
There are two grades of skincare products. Over the counter (OTC) and clinical/professional. The latter is made with the intention of being recommended and used under professional supervision. OTC products require self-diagnosing, and for you to guess which product will be best for you based on the product’s packaging and marketing lingo.
Pro products are chosen by a clinician who has analyzed and worked with your skin. Your actual skin and desired results inform their decisions about the products they guide you to use. Professional beauty products are also able to be formulated with higher levels of certain and active ingredients than retail products are.
Pros of OTC Skincare Products
Usually cheaper
Easily accessible (Drug stores, supermarkets, chain stores)
Readily available due to mass manufacturing
Cons
Cheap and unstable ingredients
Preservatives to endure storage in back stock and shelf life
Mass manufactured
Inexpensive ingredients to keep price point low
Low quality efficacy and results
Guessing game and confusion on what to buy due to the 100s of products on shelves. This ends up actually costing you more money in the long run.
Pros of Professional Skincare Products
Higher quality ingredients
Products are made in small batches
Licensed beauty pro is there to guide you based on the current reality of your skin
Better efficacy with higher-level active ingredients for better results
Better quality product over all with results-oriented action
Cons
Cost can sometimes be higher than retail products*
Not as easily accessible
*It's important to understand that although some OTC product lines available at high end stores like Nordstrom come with sales counter support and a huge price tag, they are not professional grade products. The well-meaning staff are also not estheticians. They are sales people and they have been trained how to sell the line that they make commissions on. Also, high-end retail lines spend millions on national and international media advertising, celebrity endorsement, billboards and magazine ads. Those huge costs mean that the companies must make short cuts on high quality ingredients.