Product Diversion: Who can you trust?

With the Holiday season in full swing, there is one thing that is on everyone’s mind; DEALS!  It’s in every window, every tweet, and every annoying advertising email you thought you declined.  ‘Half off’ here and ‘buy one, get one’ there, it’s hard not to be sucked into the “I can get this for less” mayhem. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love deals! I love to save a penny, or a hundred, where I can. If you are anything like me, your love for the people in your life has somehow turned the holidays into a giant money pit, with the looming New Year begging us to stop from the bottom. So I understand the desire to browse the deals, search those third-party websites for the best possible price that may help your pit get a little less deep. Unfortunately, that’s where the trouble starts.

Not many people think about where their product is coming from when hitting the ‘add to cart’ button. I mean, it all comes from the giant warehouse that is the internet, right? Unfortunately, no. Many websites and individuals make a career out of buying top brand products at wholesale cost, then turning around and diluting them to double their stock to then sell for less than your trusted retailer. As nice as it is to see that low number next to your beloved product, we must weigh the risk with the low price. Diluted product may not harm you, though it certainly could, but it will also do nothing for you. If your product is watered down, it will lose some or most of its intended effect or at the least, cause you to use twice as much product so that low price isn’t quite so low anymore.

There are also people out there who make a hobby out of selling expired products. You may think it’s not a big deal to use expired skin cream, but here’s something to think about. All products use ingredients. Sure, some of them are a form of preservative, but many, if not all of those ingredients have a shelf life. As any expiration date shows, after that day, the ingredients can’t be expected to perform as intended. Therefore, the product is no longer going to do what it is intended to do. So people are buying product that they really shouldn’t even start to use. Along with that, most of it is being sold illegally. That’s why you may notice on popular websites that the seller may be there one day and gone the next. It’s important when buying product to look for something letting you know that they are an authorized retailer. Usually the company that manufactures the product will have a list of authorized retailers.

Here at IMC, we are authorized, and proud to sell Pevonia Skincare. It has been brought to our attention in the past that our clients were able to find the product they loved for way less on another site. After talking to representatives and doing our own research, we have concluded that their product wasn’t the real deal. Some of them were, and in those cases, they were just other Pevonia partners. In that case, we are happy to match that discount!  We want our clients happy, and we stand behind the results of these products!

So this holiday season, keep in mind what you see is not always what you get! Check twice to make sure the products you are buying are in fact the products you want. Remember IMC is here for your Pevonia needs, and happy to help you find what works best for your skin AND your wallet.

Chelsea Whalen, Licensed Esthetician

Chelsea’s own struggle with acne ignited her curiosity to pursue her passion for skin care.