Derm and esthetician seeding is the practice of placing products with dermatologists, licensed estheticians, and skin-care professionals to earn expert validation — the "recommended by professionals" credibility that shapes purchase decisions in skincare. Unlike broad creator gifting, seeding to credentialed experts targets authority: a dermatologist's endorsement carries clinical weight, feeds "dermatologist-recommended" claims, and increasingly becomes the kind of expert, verifiable source (see E-E-A-T) that AI engines trust when answering skincare questions. In a category crowded with influencer noise, professional seeding is how a brand earns the authority tier of the conversation.