Jane Wurwand On The Power Of Human Touch In Skincare And The Future Of Beauty

Forbes Lifestyle ForbesLife Jane Wurwand On The Power Of Human Touch In Skincare And The Future Of Beauty Noma Nazish Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover all things food, culture and wellness. Following Jul 30, 2023, 09:28pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Dermalogica co-founder Jane Wurwand Image courtesy of the brand In an industry historically saturated with products that promise to fix your “imperfections” to make you fit archaic Occidental beauty standards, Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand bucked the trend by creating a skincare line that sees skincare as an extension of healthcare.

“Because the skin is a living organ of the body, skincare should be considered part of daily health care—as important and standard as brushing your teeth,” says Wurwand. Wurwand’s innovative approach to skincare propelled Dermalogica from a bootstrapped small business to a legacy skincare brand that’s currently retailed in 100 countries. “The products are designed to be a bridge between a pharmaceutical and a cosmetic, to bring human skin to its optimum level of health,” she says.

Today, the LA-based skincare brand is a key player in the global dermo-cosmetics market , which is valued at an estimated $61 billion and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7. 1% from 2019 to 2030. Dermalogica was acquired by FMCG giant Unilever in 2015.

Reflecting on the brand’s 36-year journey, Wurwand emphasizes that timing plays a key role in defining the long-term success of a brand. “Timing is everything,” says the beauty founder. “While it’s great to be on the cutting edge of a trend, if you are too far ahead, it’s like trying to surf in calm water—there is no lift to take advantage of,” she notes.

MORE FOR YOU The Best Diffusers For Curly Hair To Define Texture Without The Frizz The Best Foundations For Dry Skin According To Makeup Pros “For example, in the late 1990s, we launched a line of ingestible herbal and flower elixirs. Our timing was premature. The market wasn’t ready for that approach of ingestible skincare and we didn’t have the global footprint to educate the market,” Wurwand shares.

“Had we launched a decade later, we’d likely have had more success,” she points out. “People are tired of gimmicks and celebrity beauty brands” As a seasoned entrepreneur and skincare pioneer, Wurwand has her finger on the pulse of the fast-paced beauty business. Talking about the future of skincare, the veteran skin therapist says, “people are tired of gimmicks and celebrity beauty brands and are seeking personalized expertise from actual skin experts, like dermatologists, skin therapists and cosmetic chemists.

” “They are also realizing that skincare and self-care are rooted in human touch and connection that is bigger than anything you can put in a bottle,” she adds. Reflecting on the rise of AI- and AR-driven beauty innovations, she says,”we are already seeing an equal and opposite reaction to the explosion of technology. ” On one hand, the integration of AI and AR is making beauty experiences more personalized, immersive and accessible with “high impact results,” she says.

However, as our daily exposure to screens and digital technology increases, the demand for professional skin treatments and opportunities to experience deep human connection is also growing, says Dermalogica co-founder. Dermalogica products are designed to bridge the gap between a pharmaceutical and a cosmetic. .

. . [+] Image courtesy of the brand The Balancing Act With the rapidly expanding machine learning landscape and evolving consumer preferences, AI- and AR-powered tools are expected to become even more prevalent in the beauty industry.

Brands now face the challenge of balancing AI’s efficiency and the importance of human connection. To that end, Wurwand suggests utilizing AI as a complementary tool that augments human expertise rather than replacing it. Recent research indicates that dermatologists, when working with AI-based analysis tools, can potentially improve the accuracy of diagnoses, particularly for skin conditions like melanoma.

By automating repetitive tasks and microanalysis, skincare experts can improve diagnoses, free up their time and expand their capacity, says Wurwand. Dermalogica uses AI-generated models to study how different skin types and tones age over time and offer personalized products and service recommendations. The brand also uses metaverse technology to simulate changing skin conditions, to better understand how the skin responds to natural and environmental triggers, shares Wurwand.

“It has changed the depth of education and training that we can offer,” says the skincare entrepreneur. “We now can quickly translate educational content to any language, with high-quality translations,” she adds. It’s helping speed up the education and training process of non-English speaking skincare professionals from around the world, she explains.

Nevertheless, incorporating AI technology doesn’t come without limitations. One of its major drawbacks is the potential for data bias. This can happen because of inaccurate data sets, insufficient training, overrepresentation of data sets, cognitive biases of the creators, etc.

If left unchecked, this algorithm bias can impact the accuracy and quality of the outcomes. Not to mention, limit accessibility and perpetuate systemic prejudice. AI models must be trained on diverse data sets, says Wurwand.

In 2017, during the development of their Face Mapping AI technology, Dermalogica found that certain AI models didn’t perform well for users with skin tones higher on the Fitzpatrick scale, Wurwand recalls. The skincare company reportedly retrained its AI models using more diverse data sets to resolve the issue. It’s also important to continually monitor and validate the outcomes of these AI tools, ensuring that all consumers have equal access to personalized skincare solutions, Wurwand recommends.

“AI will never replace the power of intentional human touch” Though AI will continue to transform the beauty industry and all others, performing tasks that we cannot do with the same speed and accuracy, it will never replace human touch, Wurwand says. “It’s not really ‘intelligence. ‘ It’s more accurately an Advanced Computational Capability—not to be confused with anything human or even sentient,” says Wurwand.

“AI will never replace the intimacy of the human dynamic and the power of intentional human touch,” she adds. Wurwand also stresses the need to preserve the element of human touch in the beauty space, now more than ever. “We have experienced increased isolation since COVID-19,” says Wurwand.

U. S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has declared loneliness and isolation a new public health epidemic.

“The professional skin care industry is built on human connection like no other. Our hands literally cradle the face and increase an exchange of oxytocin, which is the hormone associated with connection and bonding,” she explains. “My career was changed at 19-years-old by one of my first clients when I was an apprentice,” Wurwand reminisces.

“Mrs. Herd, in her 80s, told me the reason she came to me so often was that it was the only place that anyone touched her. I didn’t have the sophistication then to understand exactly what she meant.

But I do now and it has shaped my whole life and the way I approach our work,” she shares. “We are the rare industry that can literally change someone’s experience with their bare hands,” says the skin therapist. “We must capitalize on our unique ability to connect with other human beings,” she stresses.

If we are only connected through technology, it’s a lonely and empty experience. But if we integrate technology with human touch and emotion, we will not only build consumer relationships but also nurture caring communities, notes Wurwand. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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