"I don't know what it does. We just got it."
A year ago, I was at my distributor and saw something new on the shelf. I asked the person at the counter what it did. They told me, "I don't know what it does, we just got it."
I didn't blame them. New products come out almost every week. The details are scattered across brand websites, rep trainings, launch emails and Instagram, and no one can keep up with all of it. But when a client in your chair asks about a product, you're still the one who's expected to know.
The shelf got crowded
Many products we used to find only in salons are now sold on Amazon, Ulta, Sephora and Target. Their prices change all the time. Your client can look up a product on their phone before you finish their blowout. But none of those sites can show them how it works on their own hair. That part is yours.
Independents feel it most
When you go out on your own in a suite or a booth, you do it all. You pick the brands, pay for the inventory and act as your own education team. A lot of us learned as we went.
What I believe
I think the chair is the best place in beauty to sell a product. You can use it on someone's hair and show them the result before they leave. Stylists already know how to do that.
Cortessa fills in the product details and prices, so you don't have to guess.
Who's behind Cortessa
I've been licensed since 2008, and I grew up around salons. My mother and my aunts are stylists. I saw how much their clients trusted them.
After years behind the chair, I earned my BBA and moved into marketing at a Fortune 200 company. Then I went into tech and earned my MBA. Cortessa brings those two parts of my life together.
What we promise
- Verified. Recommendations come only from product facts we can back up.
- Free for stylists. No credit card, no catch.
- Private. Your clients' information stays yours.