Skin diagnosis is an important tool for helping consumers understand their skin in order to make better informed purchases, says Katerina Steventon
Research into moisturising technologies has shown that some skin care products do and others do not provide a clinical benefit for the skin. Until a decade or so ago, meaningful techniques of instrumental analysis were confined to the scientific community. Non-invasive testing of skin parameters (eg hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and wrinkle depth) was carried out routinely to support the claims made in advertising.
Since then skin diagnosis has been introduced to the retail floor, with Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Non-contact ‘Chromophore Mapping’ SIAscopy and L’Oréal’s SkinChip hydration and topography maps leading the field. However, after the initial excitement skin diagnosis retreated back to beauty salons, medi-spas and dermatologist practices.
Skin diagnosis is nothing new. Beauty therapists have always performed a brief and subjective evaluation, combining a questionnaire and an expert eye to understand consumers’ skin types and main concerns. Dermalogica has taken the concept further by promoting Face Mapping chart analysis where 14 areas are scrutinised for signs of ageing and imperfections.
Medi-spas have been equipped with skin diagnostic devices for some time now: for example the Beau Visage scanning system and VISIA, identical to the P&G Beauty Imaging System used at the SK-II beauty counters. P&G has licensed the technology to Canfield Clinical Systems who markets VISIA to the healthcare sector. Premium skin care brands also offer skin diagnosis at their beauty counters: for example Clinique Computer, a manual device/questionnaire for assessment of skin type. Other brands assess skin with hand-held probes or scan faces in imaging booths. These include the L’Oréal brands Lancôme, Biotherm and Vichy; P&G brands SK-II and Olay; Shiseido; and Estée Lauder.
Skin diagnosis has an important educational value to the consumer. It increases the understanding of individual skin biology and provides comparative peer group data. This is meaningful information that if interpreted correctly enables the consumer to make informed choices related to their skin needs. The benefit to skin care manufacturers is that skin diagnosis followed by a product recommendation helps to boost sales: consumers are more prone to believe in a product following an objective instrumental analysis. For example the P&G Beauty Imaging System, available for both SK-II and Olay, was reported to boost sales by over 30% and double repurchase rates in Europe and Asia.1
The concept of objective skin monitoring is sound and ‘brings the science to the consumer’. Yet it is the interpretation that counts. To start with, instrumental methods and devices differ among skin care brands and results cannot be easily compared. Measurement is carried out under unregulated conditions (temperature, humidity) by a salesperson who will often only have limited knowledge of the skin beyond the assessment method.
Skin diagnosis helps to encourage compliance with skin care routines and raise consumer understanding of the benefits the products really deliver. However some consumers may find skin images, as well as the calculation of 'skin age' to give a quantifiable indication of the ageing process, intimidating. Consumers assess their skin visually or by touch and changes detected during the diagnosis may not always be visible. Meaningful changes are those they can recognise. They expect to be shown how a product works, not just be told that it does. Therefore, when interpreting data it is important to correlate the visible and tactile information with the instrumental result.
Although consumers appreciate product efficacy, skin care is often an emotional choice. Product claims continue to show percentage improvements but skin care marketing is turning towards a more holistic approach assessing the impact skin care has on our well-being and self-esteem. The success of skin diagnosis in stores depends on advisors’ expertise and ability to communicate scientific information to the consumer in a personable way. They also have a role in guiding consumers towards achievable goals and expectations.
The new trend in skin diagnosis brings in the personalised step while cutting out the local advisor. The Professional Pro-X Skin Analyzer launched by Olay in the US is an online alternative providing direct access to scientific analysis. It uses a standardised headband, the consumer’s own digital camera and the Olay website, for a personalised skin evaluation in the privacy of the consumer’s home.2
In the UK, celebrity dermatologist brand Murad has been introducing YouthCam skin analysis in selected department stores. The equipment is designed to replicate a face-to-face consultation. Dr Murad, whose brand will be available in Marks & Spencer stores across the UK in 2013, says: “It’s almost like coming to see me.” The diagnosis also takes into account the consumer’s view. “The focus is on the person and their problem, indicating that it is important to us.”3
Regardless of the approach, skin diagnosis will always be important. If consumers diagnose their skin needs early, they stand a better chance of controlling them.4 This will lead to improved satisfaction and better informed purchases, making clinically beneficial skin care products commercially successful.
References
1 P&G ad: Procter & Gamble Changes the complexion of skin care, Future Image (2002), www.kodak.com/eknec/documents/6f/0900688a8011e46f/FI_ads_3e_ProctorGamble.pdf
2 olay.myskinanalysis.com
3 www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Murad_introduces_YouthCam_to_UK_counters/81262
4 Wiggins J, Why little and large teamed up on skincare, Financial Times (8 November 2006)