Cutitronics Innovation: the future of beauty tech is omnichannel

Cutitronics has been working to develop hand-held, data-driven, consumer-friendly, clinically relevant skin care tech since 2014. And even now, despite the limitations that stay-at-home precautions have put on in-person collaboration and focus-group testing, the team at Cutitronics is poised to launch a white-label device that will change how consumers understand skin care routines and benefits, how product is selected in the home, how aestheticians engage with clients between visits, and so much more.

At the 2019 edition of in-cosmetics global in Paris, Cosmetics Design Editor Deanna Utroske sat down with Wilma McDaniel, the company’s Commercial Director, to learn about the hardware, the software, and the big picture of all things Cutitronics.​

And she recently caught up with McDaniel again to find out what’s new and how the Cutitronics business is fairing during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Clinical skin care results at home

Ingredient makers like Croda (a Cutitronics partner) invest significant amounts of money on clinical testing to understand and verify the benefits of their innovations. But even when choosing the best of beauty product formulas, because of irregular application habits or inconsistent product dosing, consumers don’t always experience those benefits at home.

And this is just one of the challenges that Cutitronics white label beauty tech addresses. With the Cutitronics device, “brands can build a consistent consumer experience and be a part of her lifetime journey,” ​explains McDaniel.

“Omnichannel consistency” ​she says, helps brand limit consumer confusion. The Cutitronics device and software is intentionally generic and can be branded and customized to fit the needs of luxury skin care and spa brands.

The devise itself assess skin condition, namely hydration. The app guides consumers to choose the right product based on that information as well as location, weather, and other data. And the company’s modular dispenser/product design let the consumer customize their routine accordingly.

It’s technology, notes McDaniel, that “doesn’t displace people.”​ Cutitronics tech “empowers people.”​

Connecting beauty consumers, brands, and spa pros

The devise / app / product system is an opportunity for brands and consumers, and for spas, aestheticians, and clients, to stay connected.

It gives consumers access to expert skin care guidance via the app, helps her comply to a recommended regimen, and helps answer ‘How do I maintain these results at home?’​

Through the app (which also functions as a skin diary), a brand or spa can do “real story telling and provide consumer education” ​in a very custom way with the right use of digital assets, says McDaniel.

New demand for skin care device technology to follow COVID-19

And the Cutitronic devise can be used to “limit the number of points of contact required for a spa visit,” ​points our McDaniel. It can be used for the first assessment and consultations as spas and clinicians modify their business to reopen safely while COVID-19 remains a real threat.  

As a result of the crisis, “I believe were going to see an acceleration of technology like never before,”​ says McDaniel; “particularly [within] the boomer generation.”​ They have very much “embraced tech”​ and are ready for “virtual consultations.”​

The current market for next-gen beauty tech

McDaniel tells Cosmetics Design that the company is seeing the greatest interest for its technology from brands in the UK; Paris, France; and the US.

And she says, that the beauty tech company is in close collaboration with early brand partners and expects to have devices on the market and in the hands of beauty consumers this year or next.

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Beauty tech—for ecommerce, skin analysis, virtual try-ons, product customization, etc.—is increasingly more sophisticated and a frequent topic of Deanna Utroske’s coverage of cosmetics and personal care industry news.​ As Editor of CosmeticsDesign.com, she writes daily news about the business of beauty in the Americas region and regularly produces video interviews with cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and packaging experts as well as with indie brand founders. Hers is a leading voice in the cosmetics and personal care industry as well as in the indie beauty movement.