The Direct-to-consumer Conversation is Bigger Than Skinbetter
Over the last few weeks, there have been a flurry of social media posts about Skinbetter Science’s expansion into the direct-to-consumer (DTC) market. TikTok videos, Instagram posts, industry forums, and practitioner groups have been flooded with comments and reactions.
Some practitioners feel like this shift to DTC is a betrayal.
For others, it felt like old news.
Regardless of where you land, the Skinbetter pivot to DTC should raise eyebrows for any esthetician, med spa, injector or aesthetic practice selling skin care products.
For years, practitioners have assumed that products sold through professional channels offered a layer of exclusivity (because of ingredients and medical knowledge required to recommend protocols) and that protected both patient outcomes and practice revenues.
The Skinbetter debate is now forcing practitioners to reconsider that assumption and really evaluate their own business decisions as well as the true “medical-grade” standards of products they are recommending.
Let’s face it, if a patient can visit a manufacturer’s website, browse products, receive recommendations, complete a transaction, and have a provider assigned during check-out, is there really anything “medical” happening here? And wouldn’t it make sense that the regulatory bodies wouldn’t allow true medical-grade products to be sold this way?
And that’s where the conversation starts to get uncomfortable. Because maybe the Skinbetter debate is exposing a bigger question in the aesthetics industry when it comes to skin care, and that is “When practitioners tell patients a product is ‘medical-grade,’ what exactly are they referring to?
Is it stronger or more ingredients? Clinical studies? The need for medical oversight? Limited distribution? Or, simply a product that has traditionally been sold through professional channels?
Perhaps the answer is that “medical-grade” has become two different conversations. One conversation focuses on formulation quality, clinical evidence, and patient outcomes. The other focuses on distribution, access, and practitioner involvement. We are keenly aware that those two things are no longer necessarily the same.
Meanwhile, the reality is that many practices have built a portion of their business around the assumption that certain “medical-grade” products would remain provider-led. Patients came to them for recommendations. They came to them for access and they came to them because the practitioner was part of the purchasing process.
Today, consumers are more educated than ever. They research products online, follow influencers, watch TikTok reviews, and compare ingredients. Even more, they expect convenience. Manufacturers recognize this and want to capitalize upon it.
Does that make the manufacturers evil? No, it makes them businesses.
So, as the big players in business change, so must the small players.
That’s why this moment should serve as a wake-up call for every aesthetic practice owner.
Don’t just evaluate a product, evaluate the company behind it. Make sure to read the distribution agreements, understand the distribution model, and pay attention to acquisitions and ownership changes.
Keep an eye on any ingredient reformulations and regulatory developments.
Be the practitioner willing to ask hard questions about what happens if the manufacturer decides to own more of the customer relationship tomorrow than they do today.
And, most importantly, ask yourself whether you’re building a business around a product or around your expertise.
Products can always be purchased somewhere else, but patients who trust your knowledge, your protocols, your treatment recommendations, and your clinical judgment will continue looking to you for guidance regardless of where they buy their next bottle of skincare.
At MedPurchasing.com, we’ve always believed practitioners should be extremely selective about the products and brands they bring into their practices. Clinical efficacy and patient outcomes should be paramount to the practice, but so should long-term business alignment. We’re fanatical about partnering with brands that understand and respect the role practitioners play in the patient journey, while encouraging providers to continuously evaluate the companies behind the products they recommend.
The biggest lesson from the Skinbetter conversation isn’t whether one brand changed its approach. It’s that every practitioner should take a hard look at the products they recommend and ask whether they’re truly building a business around patient outcomes and expertise, or around product access and distribution models they don’t control.
Because if a patient can buy the product without you, then the product was never really the value, you were. Your knowledge and treatment planning as well as your ability to match the right product to the right patient at the right time. And those are things a manufacturer’s website can never replace.
MedPurchasing is a leading online retailer for medical-grade aesthetic products and innovative supplies that drive regenerative medicine and exceptional client results. With over 25 years of deep industry relationships with leading manufacturers and experts, MedPurchasing specializes in curated consumables and tools for today’s advanced aesthetic protocols, including exosomes, microneedling/microchanneling solutions, dermaplaning essentials, chemical peels, dermal fillers, microcannulas, growth factor serums, post-care balms, and topical innovations from trusted brands like Skingenuity, MRVL, and OxySerums.
MedPurchasing’s mission is to help med spas and aesthetic practices stock smarter – one click at a time! It delivers affordable, clinical-grade supplies that support cutting-edge treatments: cellular regeneration, collagen stimulation, faster healing, and superior skin rejuvenation – without compromising quality. Shop seamlessly at www.medpurchasing.com: browse the growing selection, add to cart instantly, and enjoy fast delivery—no sales reps, no hassle. MedPurchasing handles sourcing so you can focus on transforming clients.
