A BEAUTY REVOLUTION
With his focus on research and development, Foreo founder Filip Sedic is pushing the boundaries of skincare
Not many new beauty products have made an impact quite like Foreo’s. In fact, not many new products in any category have made a splash in the way the Swedish manufacturer of highly innovative, beautifully designed beauty devices has. Foreo is best known for its game-changing Luna facial cleansing device, which instantly became a household name available in 10,000 stores across 77 countries, and which has taken China in particular by storm. The company sold a product every three seconds during 2017, and has won more than 100 awards, realising its long-term vision of making high-end skincare available to everyone.
Foreo was founded by Bosnian-born Swedish entrepreneur Filip Sedic with a simple mission—in his words, “To create a device that not only suits the young, but could benefit the middle-aged and the more mature.”
For too long, professional skincare treatments were only available for those with the time and resources for luxury spa packages and high-end skincare devices. Sedic decided to do something about that situation, launching Foreo to create pioneering and accessible skincare treatments for all—hence the brand’s name, which is an abbreviation of “for everyone.”
The launch of Foreo was preceded by a 10-year period of research and development, drawing on the talents of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including dermatologists, cellular biologists, dieticians and aestheticians. That level of investment in research and development has yielded innovative results. The company might be closely associated in the public mind with its flagship Luna product, but it also has several other paradigm-shifting products under its belt. The Issa oral care device, for example, is the first big breakthrough in toothbrush design for decades, featuring a sonic, silicone brush that combines comprehensive cleaning with a gentle, nonabrasive touch. The smart masking device UFO, meanwhile, challenges the canard that it requires a 20-minute investment of time to get the benefits of a face mask. Offering a facial spa treatment in just 90 seconds, the puck-shaped device couples Foreo’s signature T-sonic pulsations with a smart app, allowing users to optimise their treatments.
“These aren’t independent products but a brand new platform,” says Sedic. “It’s my
aspiration to connect the ideal lifestyle in the future through innovative, forward-thinking technologies.”
Sedic has quite a CV. Early in his career he headed up one of Sweden’s first digital marketing agencies, and was then responsible for developing early versions of mobile 3G networks for Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. He’s also a relentlessly energetic innovator and inventor, responsible for filing more than 200 international patents across a range of categories. As you’d expect, he takes an active role in numerous different aspects of Foreo, with a particular focus on his personal speciality of research and development, heading up an R&D team known as the Foreo Institute.
“People in the beauty skincare sector have been trying to adapt to trends but haven’t really worked on how to lead the trend with new products,” he says. “That’s why I came up with groundbreaking skincare devices. I particularly admire the great inventor Nikola Tesla, Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak and French explorer Jacques Cousteau. They have changed this world but haven’t taken credit for it. They’re grounded, diligent and practical. My passion also lies in science and exploration.
“It is a huge task, trying to change the norm of skincare routines, but luckily people are still curious about good products, especially Chinese customers, who are very willing to try out new things.”
Foreo products have certainly been a phenomenal hit in the Mainland Chinese market. Their remarkable rise to the top in China was cemented recently when Foreo was ranked the number one beauty device in China, with more than 100 million yuan in sales during online retail giant Tmall’s massive 24-hour Singles’ Day promotion. And the company continues to pick up an endless string of awards for its products, including two recently bestowed by China’s two biggest online retail platforms; it was named the Trendy Brand of 2018 by Tmall, and the Fastest Growing Brand by Jd.com.
For the future, says Sedic, the sky’s the limit, with more exciting innovations to come. “Our new smart facial-cleansing device could be a whole new beginning. The device is capable of self-learning, and is differentiated from other personal care products by its ability to advance day after day. Our future products could detect the air quality and the user’s skin condition at the time. Based on all the data, the device could come up with a mode of treatment that is best suited for the time. Or, if we take a step further, the device could analyse the statistics of your previous treatments and monitor your skin conditions to determine what kind of treatment, products and tools are best needed for the days or weeks ahead. That would be totally personalised and tailored to the user’s particular needs. Through ongoing monitoring, analysis and prediction, the device could become your own smart skincare helper.”
For Filip Sedic, it seems, revolutionising the way the world cleanses its face is just the beginning.