The lovely Sarah from StyleIt joined me for a nice lunch and some shopping today. We stopped by Duane Reade for some essentials and while cruising in the hair care aisle, we noticed a HUGE display of high-end, salon hair care products, including Matrix and Redken.
So, what's the big deal, right? It's pretty common to see salon haircare in drugstores. Well, you might be surprised to know that drugstores and other mass retailers are NOT authorized distributors for salon brands like Kerastase, L'Oreal Professional, Bumble & Bumble or Aveda. In fact, what you're seeing on store shelves is actually "Diverted" product, not authorized by the distributor. Do yourself a favor in 2009 and purchase your hair essentials from the proper channels as:
- Diverted product is almost always more expensive - surprising, but true! You'll pay, on average, 10% more!
- Diverted product could be old or outdated (in fact, we spotted several discontinued products on the shelves of DR today)
- Diverted product could even be contaminated or watered down - so you're paying a premium for a product that isn't worth it.
David Cragg, the president of L'Oreal Professional Products (which include Redken, Matrix, Kerastase, Shu Uemura Art of Hair, Pureology and several other brands, though NOT Aveda or B&B, mentioned above), is featured in an anti-diversion video, which you can check out here.
Don't forget to buy products through authorized outlets - for a salon locator, visit each brand's website. If you're a Kerastase addict (as I am), you can even buy directly through their site - www.kerastase.com.
