Custom-blend Beauty
Beauty trends come and go, but this one is well-poised to set new standards.
The latest trend that's here to stay
T he marketing departments of major skincare and cosmetic brands began telling people what ‘you need’ decades ago. Whereas today, thanks to increased education and awareness, we appreciate that individual skin needs are as unique as our DNA, and can change regularly depending on the environment, our emotions, nutrition, hormones and much more.
As a curious generation we like to seek out what works best for us (just as we do with personal style, cuisine and career choices), and on top of these personal preferences, today we demand and respect, more than ever before, product transparency.
Tech talk
Consumer demand is moving from a ‘suitable for me’ towards a ‘made for me’ level of customisation, product developer Stacey Fraser said in her recent presentation at the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists Conference.
Fraser, a New Zealand-based natural skincare expert who is the brains behind the formulation and development of the likes of Trilogy and Essence of Humanity, says the shift is achieved through individual product formulations, customer interaction, digital consultations and e-skin gadgets.
“Panasonic unveiled a prototype for a ‘smart mirror’,” she says, “which diagnoses skin concerns and prints out 3D slivers of colour-matched make-up to mask imperfections. And there are products that change colour on application after adjusting to your skin’s pH level.”
Smart phone applications – some created by corporate beauty giants – have provided a way to ‘catch your skin tone’ should you wish to colour match online or send away your result for a personalised formulation, should you not be able to have a face-to-face consult.
Power to you
Canada’s Bite Beauty Lab was reportedly first aboard the custom cosmetics train, introducing real-time experiences where customers consult with a product developer and any cosmetic they choose can be created, with dual input, in front of their eyes.
Closer to home, Elizabeth Arden opened a boutique in Queen Street, Auckland last year, and their in-store custom foundation creation process has been well received. Kiehl’s’ customer-personalised Apothecary Preparations is available in department store Smith & Coughey’s, offering issue-driven ingredients that are added to a base skin strengthening concentrate. Brand spokespeople promise the customer “a deeper understanding of their skin concerns and needs”.
Clinique’s BIY (Blend It Yourself) foundation pigment has just dropped – a concept which lets you turn everyday
moisturiser into a light BB cream or a full coverage foundation, depending on your wants and needs in that moment of make-up application.
New booster serums by Clarins – in detox, energy and repair – are a nourishing shot that can be added into a moisturiser, serum or mask to give your skin’s deep layers additional nutrition and protection.
Lower Hutt beauty company Dollface’s spinoff brand, Blend Cosmetics (blendbeauty. co.nz), is seeing success with their broad range of bespoke cosmetics. “As well as our pre-made products, we can pretty much personalise anything,” says founder Debbie Parlakchief, who reveals that lipsticks are the most popular products to customise. This service is popular for all women, from a group wanting a fun day out, a hen’s party activity, to women in their 50s seeking to replicate their now-discontinued favourite lip colour.
Tailor-made
Wellington-based Sara Quilter founded Tailor Skincare (tailorskin.co) in 2011, and last month launched the Your Blend skin system, which has always been part of her business plan. “My intention was always to provide tailored customer service, but this product means we’re now living up to our name.”
A natural base moisturiser is provided by Tailor, but it’s up to the consumer to choose the extracts perfect for them – one for skin type and one for skin concern (see image, right). Customers can take a quick, fun survey on the Tailor website, which will end in an explanation about which two extracts their skin would most benefit from. The moisturiser and two extracts are shipped to the customer to be ‘activated’ by them prior to use.
This user-created way of business also provides invaluable insights for product developers. “During this process I’ve learned that there’s quite a few people with dry skin who suffer from breakouts,” explains Quilter. “The most common combination is oily skin and breakouts, but there’s clearly also the dry/acne group. By customising products, we can acknowledge every skin concern.
It’s a beautiful thing when customers can call the shots and have a hand in developing their own skincare and cosmetics. It’s a winning formula that, unlike a rogue pimple treated well, we certainly won’t be seeing the end of anytime soon.