How Do I Choose the Right Beauty and Wellness Products? Insights From a Sales Expert

When I’m looking for a new beauty or wellness product, it’s because I’m trying to engage in some self-care. I don’t just want to look better – I want to find products that will make me healthier and make me feel better. Whether you buy your products from a boutique or from the drugstore around the corner, you’re seeking some way to elevate your experience.

But companies don’t see us walking the aisles or asking questions on internet forums (okay, maybe they do see that). Big companies and small brands alike see dollar signs. And it’s up to us to see through all of the packaging, marketing, and influencing. We brought sales expert Donald Kelly on the show to walk us through the basics of how the latest marketing trends try to pull us in, and we discovered a few hacks to help you see through the “salesiness” so you can choose products that will actually work..

Sales, Marketing, and the Beauty/Health Industries

First, we asked Donald to help us understand the terms “sales” and “marketing.” Marketing is the process of helping consumers discover a product. And not all marketing is created equal. As our guest Donald Kelly shared with us, some marketing can be helpful. It involves educating consumers and helping them find the products that are right for them. On the other hand, some marketing can be attention-grabbing without substance. Sales is the next stage in the process where you speak to someone and they help close the deal. In the world of beauty and wellness, think of the person who works in Sephora who helps you decide between a few different products you’ve had your eye on. Marketing is what makes you consider buying those products, and a seller helps you make a final decision.

So why do those words have such a bad connotation? It all sounds great, right? Marketing educated you, and a seller helps you decide. What could go wrong?

Things go sideways when the product (or seller) fails to establish trust with the consumer. There’s a reason products market themselves as “clean” or “healthy” – they want to get you to trust them. And don’t get me wrong, many products advertised this way practice what they preach, but many don’t (if you want to hear more about this, stay tuned, we’ll go deeper into these issues in future episodes of the podcast). But this is one of the first things about sales and marketing Donald helped us understand – we need to trust whoever we’re buying from.

Strategies for Small Businesses in Beauty and Wellness

Influencer marketing has a hold on these industries right now. Brands try to build trust by working through small-scale internet hobbyists who have supportive communities. And if that’s the way you prefer to get your information, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Whether they are sponsored or are simply paid commission when people buy from them, some influencers will promote any product that will pay them (and in this economy, it’s understandable). Social media will be a critical form of advertisement for the foreseeable future, so developing literacy is a must.

I think that’s why we see more demands for transparency than ever across the health and beauty industries. Buyers are getting savvy to marketing tricks (you included if you found this article), and they’re not as easily swayed by a clipped-together before-and-after. We all want to see real products used in real time, and brands that aren’t willing to show their products with full transparency will suffer in the upcoming years.

Should You Trust Claims About Beauty Products?

Your average beauty product has no motivation to lie when they make reasonable claims about their products. If they say the product is “moisturizing,” it probably is, or else that wouldn’t be very good for business. But you should be wary when it comes to the bold claims you sometimes see on Instagram ads or as you’re scrolling TikTok.

Most of us see big claims and look for reviews immediately to evaluate their authenticity. But in the day and age of paid-for reviews (that’s right - I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but some businesses pay for phony reviews), you can never be too careful. If you find yourself in a situation where you want to impulse-buy a foundation that claims to work on every skin tone, our guest, Donald Kelly, suggests taking a beat before making that final purchase.

Why? Because some trends are just that – trends. They won’t stand the test of time, and they’re not here to stay. Spending some time figuring out how long a product has been around and whether it has a good track record can save you the heartbreak of getting your hopes up, only to be disappointed (and let’s be real, it’ll save you money, too).

Making Informed Decisions about Beauty, Health, and Wellness Products

Here are Donald’s tips for buying health and beauty products that are more than just their marketing:

1. You don’t need to be the early adopter. If you don’t have an endless beauty budget but are interested in a trending product, wait a few months before purchasing it. If the product has become irrelevant over that short time, it’s probably because everyone who bought it has buyer’s remorse.

 

2. Don’t fall for phony reviews. Whether they come from an influencer who seems to say every sponsor is their favorite product or they’re just a serious of anonymous 5-stars on an Amazon page, you’re much better off talking to friends and family members about whether they’ve tried products themselves, or reaching out to online forums.

 

3. It doesn’t hurt to ask for a sample. If you saw a product being used by an influencer that seems promising, it never hurts to reach out and see if they’re given extra sample products to give away to potential customers. You can also reach out to companies directly and see if they have money-back guarantees or return policies.

Being a Better Consumer

Donald Kelly’s insights helped shed some light on what businesses these days are doing to sell you their products, but also the ways you can see through it. For more from Donald Kelly, listen to Episode 002 of the Nourify & Beautify podcast or check out his podcast, The Sales Evangelist. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the health and beauty industries, which is why we started our podcast, Nourify & Beautify. Every week, we bring you the information you need to help you make the right decisions for yourself.