FROM COMMUNITY TO COMPETITION: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AESTHETICS?

Has the aesthetics industry lost the supportive spirit that once defined it? When consultant Vanessa Bird spoke out on social media after a ceremony that felt unusually tense and competitive, she didn’t expect the flood of messages agreeing with her. In this candid reflection, Bird explores why the industry’s once-collaborative culture feels like it’s changing, and how practitioners, brands and leaders can work together to restore it

When you ask colleagues what they love about aesthetics, you’ll get a mix of answers. Medical practitioners will talk about providing safe, effective treatments that change lives. Company representatives will enthuse about selling something that delivers results. Business consultants and service providers will speak about the satisfaction they gain from seeing their clients succeed. But one thing everyone tends to agree on is that the industry feels collaborative, supportive and genuinely connected. It feels like ‘family’. That is, until now. Now, things feel ‘different’. There appears to be more focus on competition, individual gain and one-upmanship, and the positive, contagious energy we all felt that made our industry so special, is beginning to fade. But why?

That’s when I found myself posting about it on Instagram. Was it just me who felt this way? Or was anyone else detecting a change in our once supportive, all-embracing industry? The comments came thick and fast...

“I think we woke up in a different, more brutal, unfriendly world.”

“It does feel like the industry has shifted, and it’s not quite the environment it once was.”

“Good on you for voicing what’s being whispered behind the scenes.”

It wasn’t just me. The same shift was being recognised by others. The question then became, what’s driving it and can it be reset? I looked closely at the feedback I’d gathered, identifying the key drivers behind the shift, and considered what can be done to address it…

BRAND COMPETITION

“Companies are very good at pitching themselves against other companies, and this sometimes leads to clinicians feeling like they have to pitch against their peers.”

“Education has become brand owned rather than practitioner led.”

“Salespeople are intentionally causing issues between medical practitioners and clinics to play them off against one another to boost sales.”

Competition plays an important role. It drives progress, raises standards and pushes the industry to evolve. New technologies, improved protocols and better outcomes should be recognised as part of that progress. Yet now it feels more self-serving than before.

Suppliers are under increasing pressure. The cost of doing business has risen, driven by supply chain challenges and government-imposed costs. At the same time, many practitioners are delaying investment decisions due to economic uncertainty and the rising cost of borrowing.

Sales targets remain high, leaving sales teams under pressure to hit targets in a more challenging market. With fewer deals on the table, competition between brands can take on a sharper edge. Where conversations were once led by highlighting the strengths of a product or technology, many now lead by undermining a competitor. This is what people are noticing.

But it’s important to keep perspective. These behaviours have always existed and remain in the minority. Perhaps they seem more noticeable because the market is now more competitive. Many salespeople do nurture accounts, build relationships and contribute positively to the industry. Likewise, I see many brands investing in education, helping their customers grow. Remember, the partnerships you choose shape your experience in the industry, and this remains within your control. Align yourself with the right brands and the right people and competition becomes less divisive.

KOL COMPETITION.

“We are sick to death of being presented with apparent ‘leaders’, ‘founders’, ‘influencers’ who, as it turns out, have very little integrity, or in some cases, skillset.”

“Certain practitioners are elevated as ‘faces’ of brands. That builds status tiers, whether intentional or not”.

“There is such a hunger from the minority to be a KOL; many are inexperienced medical professionals. Events are consumed by the minority looking for pole positions.”

Brands use KOLs to provide education and training, and they know that practitioners are hungry for this opportunity. When KOLs are selected on credibility and skillset, we all benefit. Yet KOL roles are sometimes used to sweeten deals, rather than selected on merit. The term ‘global leader’ is self-proclaimed by many, yet deserved by very few. One commentator warned:

“If companies don’t start replacing speakers with high follower Instagram accounts to someone with significant medical and scientific credentials, there will be no significant learning or debate for experienced clinicians anymore.”

Messages sent directly to my inbox highlighted a growing divide between ‘the old guard’ and up-and-coming practitioners keen to make their mark on the industry. Some younger practitioners, seeing the same faces on stage, feel frustrated, saying they are overlooked in favour of established names. Whereas the old guard say they earned their place, dedicating decades to furthering their education and practicing aesthetics. Could it be that the old guard make it look too easy? That the up-and-coming practitioners, who have not seen the years of hard work behind that success, expect to achieve the same within two to three years? It’s worth consideration in a world where overnight success appears to be the norm.

Perhaps the solution lies in a more formal style of mentorship.

Ambitious practitioners could work alongside established KOLs and experts, who could guide and advise, helping newer practitioners develop their voice. When we work collaboratively, we eliminate hostility and strengthen our industry.

SCARCITY MINDSET

“People always think ‘what’s in it for me’ and are money driven, instead of what’s in it for us together as a partnership.”

“I feel a sense of arrogance and competitiveness…people are beginning to lose their values whilst they are fighting to reach the ‘top”.

“… a move away from the collaboration and integrity we once valued, towards something that can feel more self-serving at times”.

Due to rapid market growth, more clinics mean more competition. With patients visiting less frequently, spending less, and economic uncertainty growing, a scarcity mindset can begin to take hold. Business support services and brands face similar pressures, often chasing the same opportunities in an effort to remain competitive. This creates division and a sense of isolation. One commentator succinctly summed this up by saying:

“We used to be an industry of helping each other out. When did we stop helping each other?”

We need to embrace partnerships and collaborations if we are to succeed as an industry. If we take time to identify what makes us unique, we begin to recognise there is space for everyone and an abundance of opportunities. Scarcity mindset starts to lose its hold when we focus on what’s possible, and not on what’s limiting us.

IN SUMMARY

Are we as an industry simply paying the price of rapid growth and geopolitical change, maturing from a friendly, family-style energy to something more corporate? Should we confine that collaborative way of working to the history books? Having analysed the reasons behind this change, I believe we can influence what happens next. At a conference in Monaco, I experienced first-hand a positive energy that was both tangible and infectious. People were sharing ideas, learning from each other, and making new friendships. Up-and-coming practitioners and the old guard were connecting and inspiring one another.

This is a moment of change in the ongoing growth of our industry. Together, we can rise to the challenge.

If you would like to read the comments on Instagram that prompted this discussion, scan this QR code to see the post and follow me @theaestheticconsultant to join the conversation.

VANESSA BIRD

Vanessa Bird, The Aesthetic Consultant, is a globally recognised business consultant with over 17 years of industry experience. She works with clinic owners, aesthetic practitioners, and international brands to strengthen practice performance, commercial confidence, and long-term sustainability