Joining the ranks of brands like Dove and Kiehl’s in speaking out against 12 year olds using anti-ageing skin care ingredients, the cult skin care brand Byoma has decided to take a stand against the concerning trend by launching a month-long campaign: MiSKINformed" #skinbarrierawarenessmonth.
The brand said it hoped to highlight the “issue of misinformation plaguing the category.”
"This month, we're making a category-defying pledge with Skin Barrier Awareness Month, geared towards democratising the skincare industry by empowering consumers of all ages with skin barrier health education," said Marc Elrick, the founder of the Glasgow-based brand.
Skin barrier care: a buzzword
Byoma also highlighted that many consumers don't understand many of the scientific and technical terms used to market skin care products, and that there was a need for more education in this sphere.
The brand drew attention to a recent consumer study conducted by the Vitabiotics Perfectil beauty supplement, which showed that 72% of 2,000 people surveyed said they need clarification on scientific skincare terms and technological developments in the beauty industry. A huge 69% also said they had bought a beauty product without understanding the label.
Elrick said he feared that barrier care has “become a buzzword”, rather than evolving the skin care category and sparking a revolution as the brand had originally hoped.
To raise awareness, the viral brand said it is now launching several initiatives to kickstart Skin Barrier Awareness Month, starting by opening a clinical testing lab at its Glasgow HQ.
“Clinical testing is an integral part of the R&D process, ensuring the products perform with the highest efficacy,” it shared, and added that its products undergo rigorous third-party clinical testing to assess effectiveness. This also included HRIPT (Human Repeat Insult Patch Test) testing to verify safety for sensitive skin.
To take the clinical testing a step further, Byoma plans to implement a new complexion analysis machine with multi-spectral imaging, which reveals damage and signs of skin ageing (i.e. erythema, melanin, sebum, skin elasticity, radiance, etc.) that are not visible to the human eye.
“This allows us to develop more advanced formulas that take skin barrier function to the next level," explained Elrick.
“Gone are the days of complicated skin care routines”
Elrick also said that Byoma's top priority is to ensure platforms remain a resource for impactful learning, so skin care consumers can be empowered with knowledge to make the best choices for their unique skin type.
The brand noted it had a responsibility to educate younger skincare users to stop overtreating, over exfoliating, and overbuying skincare, and it now plans to boost educational content across social platforms, partnering with dermatologists, cosmetic chemists, and skincare enthusiasts to “break down misconceptions in an effort to build and boost skin barriers.”
"Gone are the days of complicated skincare. We're boosting barriers for better skin with simplified routines, decoded incis, and transparency consumers can trust. Our goal is to scan one million faces as we continue to champion skin barrier health," said Elrick
More personalised skin care analysis
On this note, Byoma is also launching a new Smart Skin Scan AI Tool. It partnered with leading AI/AR company Revieve to create the technology, which will give its customers more personalised skin analysis and provide tailored skin analysis based on age, location, skin type, tone, and texture, all from a simple selfie image.
The brand said the tool will be accessible across its website, social channels, in stores, and on pack.
"Our strategy is to leverage this tool to better understand the needs of our community – informing future product development with science-based consumer insights, allowing for strategic decisions on what's to come next in our revolutionary product pipeline," shared Elrick.
