The future of skincare is smarter and more sustainable than I could have ever imagined

On a dreary day in November, I drove from Boston to a large corporate development project in Beverly, Massachusetts. I walked down a long, narrow corridor and entered a medium-sized, white, medical-themed room filled with robot booths. I was there to visit SmartSKN Laboratoriesand these robots were going to create for me a highly personalized skincare line created entirely by artificial intelligence called K-AI.

I am always looking for the best and most effective products. I want strong ingredients and efficient delivery systems. I want science, and so does everyone else, according to the excessive amount of innovation-based skin care in Global market: $182 billion. Demand is off the charts. Not surprisingly, this is where AI enters the chat.

The role of artificial intelligence in personal beauty is not new. Skincare brands like Proven and haircare brands like Prose are already using AI algorithms to help consumers improve their routines. SmartSKN is doing something I haven’t seen yet – leveraging AI in the production itself, on demand – and if it gains traction, it could revolutionize the beauty industry, while also improving the health of our skin and reducing carbon emissions.

At the lab in Beverly, Val Nico, co-founder of SmartSKN Labs, shared big dreams for the future of robotics. First, I wanted to see what they could do.

How it works

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It all starts with Dermascope Muilli AI. This smart device examines the skin at a microscopic level using 60X magnification and captures high-resolution images of its surface for later analysis using artificial intelligence. Honestly, no one should suffer the ego death of seeing their flaws magnified to this extent, but unfortunately, beauty is pain. With dermoscopic imaging comes so-called bioimpedance measurement, which measures moisture and oil levels in the skin and plays a crucial role in the overall analysis.

Next, in the SmartSKN app, I completed a short questionnaire about my skin type, concerns and lifestyle. This helped Smart SKN AI understand my habits better so it could effectively create my personalized skincare line. It’s also broad in scope; This system has been trained on more than 150,000 diverse skin profiles around the world – all skin types, colors and genders – and is growing every day.

Finally, thanks to the trifecta of dermatoscopy, bioimpedance measurement, and skin health questionnaire, I had my skin analysis results. Sensitivity, pigmentation, wrinkles, redness, pore size, oil levels, and dryness were measured.

The line consists of an essence/serum, ampoule and lotion. When finalizing each product in the robot kiosk, I had the option of adding additional ingredients that might increase benefits such as skin brightening or tightening. Then the robot, which looks like an electronic arm, got to work.

She selected the bottle, mixed it, poured my unique formula into the bottle and screwed it onto the top. All this takes about five minutes. The robot then dropped my unique product into a bowl for me to pick up, as if I had just won a game of a claw machine. The robot also printed my labels, which contained a QR code with my unique profile, as well as instructions for getting inside the package.

Where do robots come from and where will they go?

The AI ​​robots, to which SmartSKN has exclusive rights, are Korean-made and use powerful ingredients common in Korean skincare brands for each customized formulation. For those who don’t know, it was the Korean beauty industry Worth 91.9 billion in 2022With an expected compound annual growth rate of 9.3% between 2023 and 2030. Korean skincare’s reputation for using effective, high-quality ingredients is legendary. You can explore the components of SmartSKN’s Rolodex here.

The SmartSKN team takes great care in their formulas, and Neicu is clear about where they stand in the industry. “We’re not a skin care company, we’re a technology company,” she said. Robots can make other products as well. Although they haven’t dipped their toe into hair care yet, it’s not out of the question. SmartSKN’s current offering is “to show people what we can do,” Neicu explained to me. In the next phase, they want to license the technology so that companies can use Muilli’s analysis feature and AI component for their own components.

“Just as we developed a catalog of 150 ingredients that are in this machine to create skincare lines, (other brands) can use their own ingredients,” she said. “They can take their products to the next level if they have their own adaptive bases, and they will be able to formulate them based on specific skin types.”

Neicu believes skincare brands would have less churn and improved loyalty if they could better customize each formula. “A product may be great, but it’s not great for me. The actives may be effective, but the base may be too oily or too drying. The base is 90% of the product experience.” She spoke with passion, and as I listened, I couldn’t help but see the potential for not only smarter skin care, but also solutions for a more sustainable future.

“We don’t need more products. We need better products.”

Don’t get me wrong: I am love Buy skin care. I collect serums like kids collect Funko Pop toys. But I also realize that collecting excess products — product junkie culture, so to speak — isn’t good for our skin or the planet.

Think about the last time you walked into a beauty retail store, and you were surrounded by walls and walls of products. What happens to a product that is not purchased? Next, think about what the brand needs to do to keep up with the market: manufacture more products, not necessarily because there is a gap in the market, but in order to survive. Modernity is a drug hell.

Neicu sees a more sustainable future. “Imagine you walk into (a cosmetics retailer) and there are no more shelves. Every company has a robot. There is no waste, they are streamlining their inventory, there is better management of the manufacturing process and they will be able to serve people better.”

This also made me think about my time and money. With every new product, I have a wait and see period. Will this work for me? Sometimes I explode, sometimes I don’t. If it doesn’t work, have I wasted my money (again)? What do I do if I can’t return it? When I say the quiet part out loud, it seems so ridiculous to me that in 2024, it’s just us Assuming The product may be incredibly suitable for our unique skin type. We can customize our coffee and our cars, but when it comes to the health of our skin, we’re going to keep guessing.

“We spend money on a product, why do the bottles look nice?” Nico said. “Because an influencer asked me to buy it? Because this company dropped a new product? It has to be better.”

She also points out the potential for a sensitive skin epidemic. “Obviously we know there are a lot more products on the market than there were 20 years ago. And what’s directly proportional to the rise in products is the health of people’s skin. Seventy percent of Americans report having skin allergies.” Neicu believes she gave herself acne and sensitive issues by using many different products over the years.

“People are chasing products, especially with the craze of social media influencers. There is a huge lack of education, especially for the younger generation. Plus, it seems like every celebrity has a skincare line. We don’t need more products. We need more products.” better.”

SmartSKN wants to simplify skin care for everyone. Personally, I want a routine that takes at least 5-10 minutes to complete. (This is “me time,” okay?) Smart SKN simplifies the skincare experience for those who don’t want a 6-12 step nightly routine. Neicu said their consumer runs the gamut, but highlighted that men, in particular, are attracted to both the innovation and simplicity of the AI-produced system.

Visit the lab or try it at home

SmartSKN is brand new, which means they’re still figuring out how to put their technology in front of people. Currently, the only way to experience the robots in person is to drive to Beverly. The company is working on setting up pop-ups in major cities. “People need to see how it’s done,” Nico said.

Your other option is to purchase a Muilli AI dermascope and download the SmartSKN app. It’s not cheap, but one of the advantages of owning a Muilli device is that it tracks changes in your skin over time, accommodating things like seasonal shifts and lifestyle changes. With each scan, your personalized skincare line adapts to your current skin condition.

Robots know best

Since I’ve been using Personal Skincare, what I’ve noticed most is that my skin feels completely balanced, whereas before it looked a little oily on some days and dry on others. It is worth noting that I use gentle and moisturizing cleansers; Exfoliate regularly using chemical and physical exfoliants; I use Vitamin C daily and often finish my nighttime routine with a lightweight oil to lock in moisture. I was doing all of this before my trip to SmartSKN Labs.

Today, my skin looks healthy, clear, and hydrated, and I think I have some robots to thank for that.

Opinions expressed by CNET Voices contributors are their own.