Up to date: 24.10.23

Within the huge world of skincare, we now have turn out to be accustomed to picking merchandise primarily based on our “pores and skin kind”. Whenever you method a cosmetics’ counter, you scan rows of merchandise to single out those who you consider match your pores and skin kind. From oily and dry to mixture and delicate, and from teenage to menopausal pores and skin, each doable pores and skin kind is catered for.

The idea of pores and skin varieties has lengthy dictated our selections relating to cosmetics for our face. However, have you ever ever puzzled why we categorise merchandise on this manner? Is it primarily based on strong scientific proof, or is it merely a advertising and marketing technique tailor-made to shopper expectations and to promote extra product? If the latter is the case, then in today of needing to do proper by the planet, and cut back our consumption for sustainability’s sake, can the wonder trade justify formulating for therefore many alternative pores and skin varieties?

On this weblog submit, we delve into the origins of pores and skin varieties, inspecting their historic roots and the components that formed their growth within the magnificence trade. We query the validity of this classification system, difficult the notion that pores and skin varieties are an absolute reality. By doing so, we intention to open up a dialogue on whether or not pores and skin varieties are a delusion and an outdated concept, notably within the realm of pure beauty formulation. Learn on to make your thoughts up and be a part of the talk. If pores and skin varieties in beauty formulation is outdated, what lies past them to information us as formulators, and as clients?

Understanding the origins of pores and skin varieties

All through the historical past of the fashionable cosmetics trade, the categorisation of merchandise into pores and skin varieties has performed a big function within the growth and advertising and marketing of skincare formulations.

Within the early days of the wonder trade, skincare merchandise have been comparatively easy and had a one-size-fits-all method. Though, even within the late 1900s, we discover examples of magnificence pioneers tailoring cosmetics to particular teams of shoppers. The indomitable Madam C. J. Walker is one instance. She formulated her personal line of cosmetics and haircare aimed toward African-American girls and have become the primary girls of color to turn out to be a multimillionaire within the States.

Because the cosmetics trade grew, and the idea of branding took form, entrepreneurs recognised the necessity to handle the various vary of pores and skin issues and preferences amongst customers. One other magnificence pioneer, Helena Rubinstein, is alleged to have “invented” the idea of pores and skin varieties initially of 1900 (i). If that’s the case, this correlates with the idea of pores and skin varieties as a advertising and marketing software.

However, which got here first: our wants or these of entrepreneurs?

Initially, the categorisation of pores and skin varieties was comparatively broad, typically involving phrases like “oily,” “dry,” and “regular”, that are nonetheless widespread at the moment. Over time, the idea turned extra nuanced, with the addition of subcategories akin to “mixture” and “delicate.”

Now, we arrive at the potential for oily and delicate pores and skin, or dry and delicate pores and skin. Whereas these refinements permit manufacturers to additional customise their product choices and goal particular pores and skin issues, additionally they confuse customers who’re confronted with better complexity as they assess their very own kind of pores and skin earlier than shopping for a product. As we’ll see later, we normally get this flawed.

The Position of Advertising and Client Expectations

Entrepreneurs recognise the facility of personalisation and customisation in interesting to customers in creating a way of individualised care. We’ve articles on this weblog about simply that:

Discovering the perfect area of interest on your indie magnificence model
10 concepts to encourage your magnificence model.

We give attention to niches you may make uniquely yours as formulators. Nevertheless, mainstream cosmetics’ manufacturers have lengthy held onto the notion of pores and skin varieties because the overriding system to classify us as magnificence customers.

Via intelligent promoting and promotional campaigns, the language of pores and skin varieties has turn out to be deeply ingrained in beauty advertising and marketing, reinforcing the idea that utilizing merchandise particularly formulated for one’s pores and skin kind is important for attaining optimum outcomes.

Client expectations additionally play a big function in driving the demand for pores and skin type-based cosmetics. Many people have been conditioned to establish ourselves with a specific pores and skin kind, believing it determines essentially the most appropriate merchandise for our distinctive wants. This expectation reinforces the concept completely different pores and skin varieties require particular formulations, resulting in a market the place manufacturers attempt to satisfy these perceived wants.

The Scientific Foundation of Pores and skin Varieties: Truth or Fiction?

Pores and skin is a fancy organ influenced by numerous components, together with genetics, environmental situations, way of life selections, age, weight loss plan, and skincare habits. Simply this record alone signifies that our “pores and skin kind” at the moment is prone to change even inside just a few months as components affecting it are consistently fluctuating. So, categorising people into inflexible pores and skin varieties oversimplifies the complexity of how our pores and skin features and the variety of doable pores and skin situations.

Approaches to classifying pores and skin varieties
A basic take a look at to find out our pores and skin kind is to measure the sebum output on numerous areas of our facial pores and skin utilizing a sebumeter. Nevertheless, even when this reveals levels of dryness or oiliness in our pores and skin, it’s a snapshot view at one cut-off date. The primary difficulty although is that as magnificence product customers our personal evaluation of our pores and skin may be very subjective and in some research it has been proven that self evaluation is at variance with the precise quantity of sebum secreted (ii).

There have been strategies and approaches developed to supply a extra complete understanding of pores and skin traits to ensure that skincare to be extra carefully tailor-made to particular person wants. One well-known method is the Baumann Pores and skin Typing System which was developed in 2004 by College of Miami dermatology professor Leslie Baumann. This technique goals to classify people into particular pores and skin varieties primarily based on 4 impartial spectrums: dry to oily; delicate to resistant; pigmented to non-pigmented; and wrinkled to tight. This spectrum is then divided into a number of subtypes, permitting for a extra nuanced classification.

It takes into consideration numerous components that contribute to a person’s pores and skin traits, together with the quantity of sebum produced, pores and skin barrier operate, propensity for pores and skin reactions, presence of pigmentation, and pores and skin elasticity.

Nevertheless, regardless of the scientific rigour with which the Baumann Pores and skin Typing System was developed, it has not been broadly accepted nor adopted as an ordinary classification system inside the dermatological, scientific group or by the cosmetics trade. As with every scientific speculation, it had its critics. For the mainstream cosmetics trade, it will in any case show too complicated to speak to magnificence product customers.

Any try at pores and skin kind classification is prone to be flawed on account of its lack of ability to recognise that every particular person’s pores and skin is exclusive and might exhibit traits from a number of spectrums concurrently. As soon as once more, regional, seasonal, climatic, genetic, and the raft of different components we talked about above, together with our ethnicity (iii), come into play in defining our pores and skin kind. In actual fact, classes akin to teenage or menopausal we talked about firstly are extra helpful in guiding beauty formulation than the basic skin-type nomenclatures.

The place does this depart us with pores and skin varieties?

This lack of consensus raises questions concerning the scientific foundation of pores and skin varieties and whether or not they actually present significant steering for skincare selections. Even when we purchase into the idea of the basic classes, we’re nonetheless offered with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ idea that ignores our particular person wants. Does everybody within the dry pores and skin class have the identical pores and skin points? We doubt it.

By shifting away from inflexible pores and skin kind classifications, we open up a world of prospects for tailor-made skincare routines and formulations that cater to particular person wants. Personalised skincare, the rise of AI in cosmetics, developments selling energetic substances and the necessity to nurture and preserve the pores and skin barrier and microbiome all provide flexibility and customisation primarily based extra on particular person wants.

Maybe we now have lastly arrived at a degree within the historical past of cosmetics the place we debunk pores and skin varieties? And indie magnificence manufacturers, who are sometimes these closest to their clients, are properly positioned to understand the alternatives on this submit skin-types’ period.

Alternatives for indie magnificence manufacturers

As an indie model, you’ve gotten extra flexibility and are prone to be agile sufficient to cater to the person wants and preferences of your clients. The direct interplay between you as an indie model and your clients additionally fosters a deeper sense of belief and connection, permitting for personalised suggestions and a extra intimate buyer expertise. We all know that is true as a lot of our graduate model founders have instructed us this. See these case research for proof of this in motion:

Podcast episode 128: From indie magnificence concept to promoting 500 eye lotions – an interview with founder Naz Bashir of Solo Pores and skin London on how she grew her group of shoppers who are actually a sounding board for her product growth.

Episode 157: From bootstrapping to award-winning magnificence model – interview with founder Roshanne Dorsett of The Glowcery who talks concerning the energy of her group and the worth of participating with them on her Youtube channel.

This personalised method aligns with the values of indie manufacturers, emphasising the craftsmanship, experience, and a spotlight to element that units them aside from mass-produced options. Because the demand for customised skincare continues to develop, indie manufacturers have the chance to carve out a distinct segment and construct loyal buyer bases by offering modern and personalised options that bigger manufacturers could wrestle to duplicate.

Empowering Shoppers: customisation as a pattern

The rise of customisation in skincare is pushed by a need to empower customers and provide them better management over their magnificence routines. By involving clients within the strategy of formulating or customising their skincare, they turn out to be energetic contributors reasonably than passive recipients of mass-produced merchandise. This pattern aligns with the rising shopper demand for transparency, authenticity, and individuality.

This variation in how we method shopping for skincare is in no small half right down to nearly twenty years of social media which has positioned us extra in management as creators of, not simply recipients of data. Huge manufacturers and entrepreneurs no lengthy form the narrative alone. In fact, misinformation is on the rise too, and concrete myths and misconceptions about each side of magnificence abound on-line.

Nevertheless, this presents indie manufacturers with an opportunity to current themselves and their skincare options in a extra private manner. Our college students and graduates at Formulation Botanica use the experience and expertise they achieve on our programs to nice impact, opening up channels in an sincere, open, clear manner with their clients to current sound info about natural skincare.

Be modern and break away from the basic pores and skin varieties in cosmetics and discover how you can meet your individual clients’ wants in new, thrilling methods. For instance, some manufacturers provide DIY skincare kits that permit clients to combine and create their very own merchandise at dwelling primarily based on their particular wants. These kits usually present a number of energetic substances, important oils, or base formulation that may be mixed based on the person’s preferences and pores and skin issues.

Discover these Formulation Botanica graduate manufacturers who’re placing energy again into the arms of their clients providing workshops, kits and beauty substances for patrons to personalise at dwelling.

Siriously Natural, based in Berlin, Germany, by Sarah Siri Blejc, which presents kits for dwelling use.
Naturkosmetik München (Pure Cosmetics Munich), based by Mareike Peters, Germany, which presents ready-made skincare and uncooked substances in addition to DIY kits to formulate the skincare merchandise your self.
EcoSpa, based in Poland by Artur Chaber, which supplies pure, pure beauty substances for ‘Do-It-Your self’ cosmetics.

This hands-on method not solely presents a way of personalisation, but additionally promotes a deeper understanding and reference to one’s skincare selections. You’ll need to suppose via how you can ship customisation affordably, and naturally safely. You would wish, for instance, to make sure any personalised kits have been security examined and relevant to dwelling use. Nevertheless, suppose laterally, converse to your potential or precise clients and you can find thrilling niches to develop.

Conclusion: the top of pores and skin varieties in cosmetics?

In conclusion, the shift in the direction of customisation and personalisation in skincare represents an thrilling route for the trade. Transferring away from the normal reliance on pores and skin varieties opens up new avenues for tailor-made skincare routines and formulations that really handle particular person wants.

Whether or not via AI-powered evaluation, customized formulations, or dwelling skincare kits, the emphasis on customisation empowers customers to take cost of their skincare journey, leading to a extra personalised and satisfying expertise.

Whereas customisation will depend on us assessing our personal skincare wants (a lot as we at the moment assess our pores and skin kind), there’s each purpose to consider that AI will help with that, and play an enormous function in shaping the way forward for customisation within the cosmetics trade. It could be the tipping level lastly laying pores and skin varieties to relaxation.

References and additional studying

(i) Okay. Steventon, et al; Client Perspective—Pores and skin Varieties and Sensory Expertise, (2013), Cosmetics & Toiletries.
(ii) SW Youn, et al; (2002) Analysis of facial pores and skin kind by sebum secretion: discrepancies between subjective description and sebum secretion.
(iii) Pappas A, et al; (2013): Age and ethnic variations in sebaceous lipids.
Beauty pores and skin varieties: delusion or chaos? Worldwide Affiliation for Utilized Corneotherapy (2013).

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Liz is Formulation Botanica’s Content material Coordinator and joined our staff in August 2020. Liz labored as knowledgeable blogger, journalist and website developer for a few years and was additionally a part of the Formulation Botanica scholar group. Learn extra concerning the Formulation Botanica Workforce.