WHO: Japanese personal care company Shiseido is preparing to launch its new personalized skincare system which uses the Internet of Things (IoT).

WHAT: The new skincare system, named Optune, pairs digital technology with Shiseido’s cutting-edge skin science and beauty research. Leveraging the IoT, Optune utilizes a special machine supported by unique algorithms to meet consumers’ individual skincare needs in real time.

The dedicated app measures skin and analyzes details such as weather, mood, environment, and condition, along with skincare pattern data. This intelligence is then sent to a special machine which identifies and provides a serum or moisturizer combination tailored to the user’s skin type. Additionally, the app keeps a record of the consumer’s skin health to be reviewed anytime, anywhere.

HOW IT WORKS: Shiseido’s Optune is comprised of the Optune Zero IoT machine and the dedicated Optune app for users’ smartphones. Both interact via the cloud and together they identify skin conditions such as pores, texture, and moisture levels when a user snaps a photo of their skin. “The system collects and analyzes various data, including skin data measured by the App, environmental data such as temperature and humidity, and data relating to menstrual cycle, mood, and condition, in order to learn about our individual consumers, and determine patterns of necessary skincare in real time using algorithms unique to Optune,” divulged Shiseido.

The product is filled in a cartridge set in the special machine. TimeTune—the name of the system—provides a two-step skincare regimen that is selected from over 1,000 patterns of serum and moisturizer combinations.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “We focused on the possibility of delivering the optimum beauty solution to each and every consumer by coupling new digital technology with Shiseido’s research findings, which have long been accumulated through observations of a vast array of skin conditions,” Shiseido announced in their December press release.

“We developed a new IoT-based skincare system, with the desire to not only support individual skin types but also confront all changes in the environment that surrounds our consumers’ skin, including changes in their skin, body, and mind at different times, as a beauty professional.”

DETAILS:

The test sale of the β version of Optune will begin in spring of 2018 in Japan.

Post test sale Shiseido will aim for a full-scale introduction.

Read the full press release here.