So, I've been wanting to write a post on this topic for some time now. Maybe you could class it as a bit of a rant perhaps? I don't know, either way I feel as a facialist I need to say something about it.
I meet a lot of clients and I also do a lot of consultations with people about skincare. I love to interrogate everybody about what skincare products they use, if they take any supplements and if they use any fancy/tech like brushes to cleanse with. I get so many clients mentioning the latest 'it' product. I might even get asked about a new skincare range or products that they've heard lots of bloggers post about. Now this is fine and I love clients asking me questions, but what I do worry about is these so called 'it' products. Do you know what I mean? It's those products that everybody is raving about. When I say everybody, I mean every blogger and their friends! Again, this is perfectly fine if they have found a product that they genuinely love, but what concerns me is if they don't love it, but say they do.
With so many sponsored posts and 'collaborations' (which are pretty much the same thing!) how do I know if a blogger is raving about a product because it's good or if they have been paid to say so? I have clients talking to me about products which are all over social media (dear God! remember those black face masks that made me create this?) and I do wonder how genuine some of the bloggers are. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE beauty bloggers (well most of them) and have a slight obsession with some fashion and lifestyle bloggers - I will be the first to admit that! However, I worry that some of these so called 'great' products just come from a big brand paying dollar bills to bloggers from all over the world to promote their product. It's almost common sense if you think about it really. Why are all these people talking about this product at the same time? Well they've all been sent it of course! Like I said, this is fine if the product is good, but what if it is just another 'black face mask' sent from hell to destroy our skin?? So, this is what I suggest (from my point of view of course!)...
1 - Try and be conscious if loads of bloggers are promoting the same product at the same time. There's a good chance they have all been sent one in the post and will all be commenting about it (anybody remember the wave of electric cleansing brush posts and videos that came out? "It breaks me out but that's just my skin detoxing". No it's not!! It's breaking you out because the dirty brush head is breaking you out!
2 - Look out for hashtags or little notes under videos and images that say #ad, #sponsored or #collaboration. That way you know they have been paid to talk about the product.
3 - Finally, use your common sense. I know this can sound obvious, but we can trust some of these bloggers so much that we always believe what they say is genuine all the time. If a product sounds like it is a bit harsh on the skin then it probably is. Try not to fall hook, line and sinker for all that lovely branding, perfectly positioned in a flat lay. Have a good read of the ingredients and educate yourself on what is good and what isn't. That way, you can be more aware about when you're being sold to and when somebody is being genuine!
I hope you understand what I'm talking about, there's a bit of a grey area these days when it comes to advertising, so we need to be shopping more consciously!
Thanks so much for reading,
Big love,