Personalisation has been a hot topic in the beauty industry for some time. But products that completely fulfill the brief have been thin on the ground.
SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E, a personalised clinical-grade serum, was named on Time magazine’s annual Best Inventions list for 2019, alongside high-tech entrants such as the Light Phone II and Apple’s AirPods Pro.
The L’Oréal-owned prestige brand’s ground-breaking innovation is now available in Australia at select SkinCeuticals clinics (skinceuticals.com.au), starting from $295.
The “recipe” of combining high potency ingredients with cutting-edge science to achieve a personalised solution for every skin type is achieved in three easy steps.
In-clinic consultants ask customers to fill out a questionnaire about their skin type and current issues using the SkinCeuticals diagnostic tool. Based on the responses, the consultant will select the ingredients that will work best chosen from such categories as exfoliating, brightening and enhancing. Leading actives used include retinol, niacinamide, azelaic acid and alpha-hydroxy acids.
Once the appropriate ingredients have been chosen, the next step involves selecting a base formula. The oil-free hydroalcoholic base is more suitable for oilier skin types and the emulsion with a milky texture is best for drier skin types.
More than 250 combinations of skin types are considered when selecting key ingredients and the unique-to-your-skin serum is dispatched through a machine that vibrates at 1200 rotations per minute to yield clinical-grade formulations.
Skin isn’t static and an individual’s needs can change according to the season or stress levels, so in the short term the new Custom D.O.S.E offering can be tweaked as often as necessary. Over the longer term, consumers can access personalised skincare products unique to them. People do not age at the same rate and Custom D.O.S.E offers individual options rather than a one-size-fits-all anti-aging product that may or may not be suitable.
Custom D.O.S.E was developed by L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator, which was also responsible for La Roche-Posay’s MySkin UV Tracker, the Makeup Genius app from L’Oréal Paris and the YSL Rouge Sur Mesure personalised lip colour device which premiered earlier this year at the 2021 CES Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show.
Technology is elevating every aspect of the beauty market today, and the introduction of SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E benefits both skin specialists and consumers alike, says Guive Balooch, Global Vice-President and Head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator.
“Custom D.O.S.E allows skin specialists to gain additional knowledge about skin concerns that can be integrated into a tailor-made product, and evolve accordingly throughout the client’s skincare journey. We knew skin specialists wanted to deliver more personalised services rooted in science and superior formulas, and Custom D.O.S.E does just that. Previously, customers would have to use multiple off-the-shelf brands and/or separate formulas to address their skin concerns. Now, they have a bespoke, high potency, one-serum solution.”