Skin science specialists at Skin Trust Club, powered by Labskin, announces the results of the world’s first genome sequence skin test study. The findings indicate that nearly 2 in every 3 women do not know their correct skin type, implying that many women buy unsuitable skincare products and may be inadvertently damaging their skin.
The scientists at Skin Trust Club analysed a dataset of 1,446 women living in the UK aged between 27 and 47 who used its consumer skin health tracking service between January and March this year.
When using the Skin Trust at home test kit the women filled in a questionnaire on the Skin Trust Club app before swabbing their skin for genome sequence testing. The Skin Trust Club app then asked the women to describe their health, indicate age, list medications and generally, outline lifestyle. They were also asked to describe their skin type.
Almost two thirds of women incorrectly identified their skin type on the Skin Trust Club app before the genome sequence test factually and scientifically proved to them what their skin type actually was. Skin that was perceived to be oily was the most commonly misidentified with 19% thinking it was balanced and 18% thinking it was dry, until they received their results in the app.
The implications according to Dr David Caballero-Lima, chief scientist at Skin Trust Club: “The majority are buying - much of it very expensive - skincare products that are not suitable for their skin type. Those with dry skin who believe they have oily skin buy products that make the skin more oily creating an environment that promotes acne. If a person believes they have dry skin when it is actually oily they create skincare routines with products that make their skin drier promoting skin conditions such as dermatitis.”
“Many consumers, especially women, use products that are unsuitable for their skin type for years and decades because they don't know their correct skin type. Apart from a waste of money, they are creating and exacerbating skin health problems”, said Tracey Ryan, a senior formulator at Skin Trust Club.
“It's one of the reasons we designed a mass market home based skin microbiome test:, “Skin types change with age, seasons, medications, menstruation. The Skin Trust Club home microbiome testing platform allows consumers to easily, scientifically and factually know and track their specific skin type. Now women can make informed choices about the products they use in their skincare routines, so that they can select products that are actually beneficial for their skin”.
