When it comes to the internet, the power of numbers becomes overwhelmingly evident, as the success of everything from shopping sites to social networking to blogs depends upon it. But what if the power of numbers could be applied to skin care? Enter mySkin.com.
Established by two Harvard Business School graduates, a plastic surgeon, and a biophysicist, the theory of mySkin.com is simple: Start with a panel of experts; add information different skin types and concerns and over 135,000 products; design an algorithm to consider environmental factors, genetics, ingredients, and additional consumer reviews of products; invite members, and watch the site grow – and the algorithm continuously improve. Just as the viral power of Web 2.0 sites like Facebook continuously make your world smaller as they grow, providing you with more custom recommendations as more information is available, that’s the way mySkin.com works. Best of all, mySkin.com remains completely unbiased to a fault, even refusing to accept ads from the industry. (And no, for the record, this is not a pay-per-post or an ad; I am genuinely excited about this site and their concept!) For more specifics, I turn to CEO and co-founder Rahul Mehendale.
FutureDerm: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us! So please tell us more about mySkin.com.
CEO Rahul Mehendale: My business partner and I started mySkin.com a few years ago. The concept is to start with a large database of products and a team of experts to assign the products into different recommendation groups based on a large number of factors including skin type and skin concern, such as wrinkles, acne or rosacea. Then, as members join the site, their reviews are incorporated into the database as well, so people with similar skin types and ailments can get even more customized recommendations.
FutureDerm: That is truly brilliant! In your algorithm, what gets greater preference: the experts’ opinions of a product, or the users’ reviews?
Rahul Mendendale: Our algorithm is designed to emphasize consumer opinions of products, because they are the ones with the actual experience of the products and are most unbiased. The opinions strengthen by the number of user reviews, so the algorithm actually improves as the site grows, as the site can then provide more specific, and hence optimal, recommendations for the user.
FutureDerm: What have user experiences with the site thus far been like?
Rahul Mehendale: The experiences have been very positive. A recent market trial with over 2000 users resulted in very positive remarks. Not only does the site enable users to get customized skin care product recommendations from a panel of established experts based on their skin type or ailment or a number of other factors, but it also gives users the ability to connect with other users with the same skin type or ailment. What has worked for them? What hasn’t worked for them? Through this experience, there have been users who have gotten ideas to use – or not to use – products that mainstream knowledge would have advised against.
FutureDerm: Thank you very much for your time!
How Do I Sign Up?
Although mySkin.com is not available to the public, if you would like to register and use mySkin.com to see what products would work for you, we have been able to get inside access and a special code to register. Go to www.myskin.com and enter “FutureDerm” in the invite code box. Enter products (treatments, moisturizers, sunscreens, bath, toners, cleansers, etc.) that you use or used. The more products you enter and the more you rate, the more specific the recommendations. In addition, you can try out the concern search bar on top: the search results helps find products for both your skin type and chosen skin concern(s).
Let me know what you think in “Comments”! And thank you again to mySkin.com and CEO Rahul Mehendale for this interview and the exclusive chance to register for the site!