Starting your own aesthetics business is an exciting and rewarding journey. You have the skills, the passion, and the vision to help clients feel their best. However, it can also be overwhelming. Between setting up your clinic, marketing your services, and managing bookings, one of the biggest hurdles is figuring out your initial stock. Choosing your first set of aesthetic supplies for a start-up is a critical step that sets the tone for your entire business.
Making the right choices from day one ensures you can provide safe, effective treatments and build a reputation for quality. Making the wrong ones can be costly and stressful. As a new business owner, you need more than just a supplier; you need a partner who understands the challenges you face. This guide will show you the common pitfalls to avoid and how IGO Aesthetics can support you as the ideal beautician supplier for beginners, from your very first order to your first happy client.
Common Mistakes When Choosing Your First Supplies
Excitement can sometimes lead to hasty decisions when stocking your first treatment room. Here are five common mistakes new beauticians make and how to avoid them.
1. Overbuying and Stocking Too Much Variety
It’s tempting to want to offer every treatment under the sun from day one. However, buying a huge range of different fillers or specialised products can tie up your cash in stock that sits on the shelf. Start with a curated selection of versatile, popular products and expand as your client base grows and requests new treatments.
2. Chasing the Lowest Price
Your budget is tight, so searching for the cheapest deals seems smart. But in aesthetics, an unusually low price is a major red flag. It often points to counterfeit, expired, or improperly stored products that are dangerous for your clients and could invalidate your insurance. Prioritise safety and quality over a small saving.
3. Mixing Professional and Consumer Products
You may see "derma pens" or "hyaluron pens" for sale on consumer websites at a fraction of the cost of professional devices. These are not the same. Using non-professional grade products is unsafe, gives poor results, and exposes you to legal risks. Always buy from a supplier who deals exclusively in professional, clinic-grade supplies.
4. Forgetting the "Boring" Essentials
It's easy to focus on exciting products like [Link: Dermal Fillers] and [Link: Skin Boosters], but your clinic cannot function without the basics. Forgetting to order enough gloves, antiseptic wipes, gauze, or a proper sharps bin can bring your entire operation to a halt. These items are just as important as your injectables.
5. Not Having a System for Batch Tracking
From your very first client, you must keep a record of the exact product batch number used for every treatment. This is a requirement for insurance and safety. Some new practitioners forget to set up a simple system for this from the start, leading to a frantic scramble to fix records later.
How IGO Aesthetics Supports Your New Business
We remember what it was like to start out. That’s why we’ve built our services to be the perfect beautician supplier for beginners. We are more than just a shop; we are a partner dedicated to your growth.
- Curated Starter Kits: To take the guesswork out of your first order, we offer [Link: Starter Kits]. These bundles contain the core products you need to get going, including versatile injectables, essential [Link: PPE], and all the necessary [Link: Disposables].
- Low Minimum Orders: We understand that cash flow is king when you're a start-up. Our low minimum order quantities mean you can buy what you need, when you need it, without having to tie up large amounts of money in stock.
- Flexible Wholesale Options: As your business grows, your ordering needs will change. Our [Link: Wholesale] programme is flexible, allowing you to move to bulk purchasing when it makes sense for you, unlocking better pricing and simplifying your stock management.
- Educational Support: The aesthetics industry is always evolving. We are committed to supporting practitioner growth by connecting our clients with leading, independent training providers to help you upskill and stay on top of the latest techniques and safety protocols.
Budgeting for Your First Clinic Stock: A Smart Approach
A smart budget focuses on essentials first, allowing you to expand as you generate revenue. Here’s a simple strategy for your first order.
- Prioritise the Essentials: Start with the products needed for your core, most popular treatments. Don't buy stock for a niche treatment you might only perform once every few months.
- Start with Par Levels: For each item, decide on a "par level"—the minimum amount you need on hand. For a start-up, this can be small. For example, enough gloves for your first 20 clients. Reorder when you get close to this level.
- Practice FEFO from Day One: Organise your small stock so you use the products with the soonest First Expiry date First, Out. This simple habit prevents waste.
- Phase Your Buying: You don't need to buy everything at once. Place an initial order with your core essentials. After your first few clients, you can use that income to place a second, supplementary order.
Basic First Order Checklist (Example Quantities)
- Injectables: 2-3 boxes of a versatile dermal filler (e.g., for lips/nasolabial folds), 1-2 boxes of a popular skin booster.
- Needles & Cannulas: 1 box of assorted needles, 1 box of a common cannula size (e.g., 25G).
- Prep & Numbing: 1 large tub of topical numbing cream, 1 box of antiseptic wipes.
- PPE: 1-2 boxes of medical-grade gloves (in your size), 1 box of aprons.
- Disposables: 1 box of sterile syringes, 1 pack of gauze swabs, 1 certified sharps bin.
- Aftercare: 5-10 units of a recommended post-treatment recovery balm to retail to clients.
Launch your aesthetic business with confidence — IGO is here from your first order to your first client.