With the appetite for beauty supplements not yet having taken off in a big way in western markets, is this the innovation that could see consumers embracing the segment once and for all?
The app is being launched by Spanish biotech company Monteloeder, and its initial focus is encouraging consumers to use its sun care supplement, NutroxSun.
We caught up with one of its founders, Fernando Cartagena, who explained that he believes apps are the essential ingredient beauty supplements have been missing.
How does it work?
The app works by managing the user’s exposure to the sun, and customising the steps the user needs to take to limit themselves to the appropriate amount of UV light, based on personal metrics such as skin type, as well as environmental factors, including location, time of day and altitude.
It also informs a user who takes the NutroxSun supplement how much longer they will be able to stay in the sun as a result of the protection afforded by the supplement. Cartagena explains that the appeal of this is how visible it makes the impact of the supplement.
Making it visible
“Very often people believe these supplements are having an effect on the health, they believe the data from the clinical trials - but they can’t necessarily see the effect on their health, certainly not immediately,” explains the marketing head.
“So we wanted to launch a way for people to see for themselves the impact the supplements are having on them. In this case, on the health of their skin. This is based on the demand we see from consumers to manage their health for themselves.”
Personalised support
Personalisation, according to Cartagena, is key to the power of the app’s offering, which responds to a consumer demand to know the effect the supplement is specifically having on them, even when it’s invisible.
“Personalisation is the trend driving the demand for this kind of app,” he confirms, also noting that helping consumers build regular habits is key to the supplement segment.
“A very important factor when developing application or supplement is to help people build habits. It would be much easier if you had a coach helping you every day to eat healthily and build your habit to have a healthier life. We think this application could have the same the role, not only helping in changing a habit but in maintaining that habit over time.”
Scope to branch out
Cartagena asserts that although the app’s initial focus is sun care, the basic premise of helping users build habits and providing a way of showing results that would otherwise be invisible, as well as personalising its content to each user, can easily be rolled out across other skin care segments.
“We also plan to protect against pollution,” he explains. “This is for the specific sector of sun protection, but we believe there is a bigger trend for managing skin care for every type of personalisation.”
The app is due to launch at the end of this month, initially on the Apple Store and then across all app platforms. Although likely to be biggest in Asia where the supplements market is currently strongest, the company hopes the app will have global reach.