Profile: How Skin + Me made expert-led skincare accessible for all
Skin + Me was launched in 2018 by entrepreneurs James Mishreki and Philip Wilkinson. The duo were later joined by co-founders Horatio Cary, Mike Passey and Rachel Jones. From the moment it launched, the brand was on a mission to build an accessible way for people to tackle their skincare goals once and for all. Their dermatology service was launched in 2020.
Skin + Me was born out of a desire to simplify skincare for consumers. After carrying out a significant amount of research over several years, the team discovered that people didn’t understand how to care for their skin and that customer confidence levels were at an all-time low. They also found that people were cynical about whether they’d be able to find a product that would truly make a noticeable difference to their skin. They knew that there had to be a better way to give everyone’s skin what it really needed, so they teamed up with a small team of dermatologists, pharmacists, direct-to-consumer experts and other innovative minds to launch the brand.
Skin + Me prides itself on helping thousands of loyal customers every day with products that are efficacious, expert-led, personalised, convenient and sustainable. To help customers build the right skincare routine, the brand has a simple 5-step process in place which involves telling them about your skincare goals in a five minute consultation form and uploading photos to the consultation to help a dermatologist prescribe the most effective plan. Once a plan has been prescribed, the products are delivered and according to the brand, visible results can be seen from eight weeks.
Dr Malvina Cunningham
Dr Malvina Cunningham is Skin + Me’s Consultant Dermatologist. She has over a decade of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. She has received over 10 national and international awards throughout her career and is a member of the British Association of Dermatologists and the Royal Society of Medicine.
When Skin + Me launched, people weren’t sure how to deal with their skin and there weren’t a lot of over-the-counter options that were suitable for their skin’s needs. The brand set out to offer customers prescriptions that were full of highly effective active ingredients and guaranteed to produce results. Through their online consultation service, customers are able to access personalised treatment plans that have been designed by dermatologists. Not only is the brand taking the guesswork out of ingredient combinations, it is also providing expert support, care, progress and check ups when customers need them most.
To ensure it was ready for launch, the team at Skin+Me had to perfec the sign up consultation as the goal was to replicate the in-clinic experience. “When people visit the website, they are asked to take a 5-minute consultation where we capture medical history, lifestyle habits, skin concerns and goals as well as three photos of their face so our team of experts can prescribe the most effective plan,” Cunningham says. To perfect their consultation offering, recruiting and training their team of prescribers was key as they were the ones providing day-to-day patient care. “Our treatments aren’t based on an algorithm - real healthcare professionals review all consultations and prescribe appropriate treatments at custom formulations and strengths,” Cunningham says.
To identify a gap in the market, the Skin + Me team spent years talking directly to patients in order to understand their frustrations. They also used qualitative and quantitative research to help them perfect all areas of the customer experience. When the brand first launched, it was on a mission to make effective skincare accessible for everyone treating common skincare concerns including acne, pigmentation and skin ageing. It has also launched additional treatments for rosacea and melasma and formulate concentrations of Tretinoin that no other UK pharmacy provides.
The brand has been well received by customers. “We’ve been overwhelmed with the positive responses. We always receive emails and DMs with patients sharing their positive personal progress reviews and pictures,” Cunningham says. The hero product is the Daily Doser, which contains a personalised solution designed for customers to treat their skin concerns. The formulations and strengths evolve each month with skin, so as it develops tolerance, customers will continue to see results until they’re ready for maintenance.
Skin + Me’s latest launch is its first sunscreen, Daily Defence Oil-free SPF 50 Sunscreen. “It’s our first sunscreen product which took over a year to develop. It’s high protection, broad-spectrum which protects against UVA and UVB (the main cause of premature skin ageing and skin cancers),” Cunningham says. Not only is the formulation oil-free, it’s also hydrating and leaves no white cast. Formulated with barrier-boosting ingredients such as niacinamide and vitamin E, the sunscreen has been designed to protect and prime the skin in one-step and is suitable to use alongside powerful active ingredients for all skin types.
To add value to customer’s experiences, Skin + Me is committed to educating consumers throughout their skincare journey. It is able to check in with their prescribers for free at any time and it also has a dermatology support team who offer personalised advice. Additionally, its emails and social media content are full of educational material. Keeping up with what’s happening in the industry is also important to the brand, so it remains up to date on the newest research and treatment guidelines, which is reflected in the ingredients it chooses. “Consumers are far more knowledgeable than they were a few years ago - they know their ingredients, concentrations and what will work for their skin. They’re also looking for multifunctional products that are evidence backed and well-formulated. So what’s next for Skin + Me? The brand has just entered the sunscreen space with its latest launch and Cunningham has confirmed that it is working on its next new product, so watch this space.
For more information about Skin + Me, visit its website.
