In an exclusive conversation with Sandhya Chipalkatti, Editor StyleSpeak, Dermalogica’s Vice President and Global Education Head elaborates on current skincare trends and more.
On her first visit to India, Heather Hickman, Vice President, Global Education for the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica, graced the Dermalogica ProSkin Masters 2024 and unveiled two new products, namely Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Retinol Serum and Dermalogica Porescreen SPF 40.
Speaking with Sandhya Chipalkatti, Editor StyleSpeak, Hickman delved into how the pandemic had impacted a change in skincare norms and how this influenced a change in products and services.
Sandhya Chipalkatti: What are the factors influencing the change in skin treatments?
Heather Hickman: One of the changes I see is that many clients are moving towards medical interventions like laser treatments, strong chemical peels, radiofrequency, micro needling etc. These are aggressive treatments that can disrupt the barrier and sensitize the skin. We have been concentrating on treatments and procedures that can be done post medical intervention like the recently launched PRORestore post care service which can be done after lasers. This way we can then partner with the medical practitioners to be able to do those treatments.
Are consumer preferences changing with the changes witnessed in skin treatments from salon to clinics?
I think consumer preferences have changed very much post pandemic. They want immediate results. That’s the reason behind the rise in medical services. Here, it becomes important to upskill the professional skin therapists. Skin treatments should be about relaxing, pampering, luxury, but it should be part of a service but not the focus. The focus of the service should be solving a skin problem and they need to elevate their skills in order to help them do that
Which consumer according to you, will opt for a Dermalogica product and which one a Dermalogica treatment?
A Dermalogica consumer is broad reaching from early 20s to 70- 80s because we have different ranges that are designed to meet the needs at different points. The younger generation are showing interest in services that are going towards medical interventions. So we are working towards giving clients ways to maintain their skin barrier and maintain their skin health.
Given our legacy as a professional skin care brand, earlier, customers would start with services and be recommended products at the salon. Now, we are also gaining new consumers via products on ecommerce platforms – and then showcasing our service range to them. Younger customers are typically recruited through products and then they move to services.
How are you listening to feedback from clients and therapists?
We globally listen and do periodical global survey to get inputs from consumers. We train a hundred thousand therapists every year globally so we are definitely are listening to our therapists and formulated some exciting services and treatments and products based on their needs. They will be heading towards India very soon.
How does a brand like yours break the clutter considering that the youth, GenZ follow tiktok trends?
All over the world, we are working with the right set of influencers who can bring the information about Dermalogica products to consumers, in an authentic way. We want to keep up with the trend and have fun, but we want to do it in a way that is true to our brand. One of our key initiatives is Give-a-Treatment – Get -a-Treatment which we showcased today. We invite influencers to receive – and give- a skin treatment, to understand the products better and experience the expertise behind the process. It is a unique experience that only Dermalogica can provide. We are scaling this up across markets.
What are your thoughts on the aestheticians in India?
The aestheticians at Dermalogica PROSKIN Masters were extremely professional. They had to compete with almost 2500 aestheticians to enter the finals. Witnessing the correct utility of the product and execution of the treatment and results come to life was really amazing. They did a fantastic job. The therapists were aware of the client’s skin concerns like pigmentation and sensitivity, and they customized the treatment to address those client concerns.
Tell us about your latest products for melanin rich skin and why not all products are suitable for skin on this part of the globe?
I agree that not all exfoliating products suit the skin on this part of the globe. Because when you use peels that have a low pH they can cause an inflammatory response and the inflammation can lead to Pigmentation especially if you have more melanin in the skin. So there are a lot of peels that you are not able to do on the skin which is on the Fitzpatrick scale of 4 – 6 and you can make pigmentation worse because of a potential inflammation. We are looking at training the professional skin therapists.
We have a free online course on treating melanin rich skin in 20 languages, open to anyone who has the license. But we also started developing products that have a specific gradient in it. Omega 3 with pro-resolution technology is present in our PowerBright Dark Spot Peel which helps to quickly resolve the inflammatory response and enables us to use a higher percentage of exfoliants and peels on melanin-rich skin without the fear of causing any adverse effects.
Is your education country specific?
Not really. We do generalized education, but the Heads of Education in each country like Hina Khan, Head of Education, Dermalogica India customizes it for the Indian market as she is the expert in this market. My team provides the information and protocols from around the world which is then disseminated globally. Being the expert in the market base, Hina has the ability to personalize it to suit the market. We have a Head of Education in every country who will do things slightly differently to suit a particular country.
Your thoughts on skin therapists losing business to dermatologists.
This is evident all over the world. It is important to upskill the skin therapists. I would like to call it ‘gateway services. These are not your regular skin treatments but they are not a medical treatment either, but a gateway in between. So, we would like to elevate their expertise with techniques and services that have customers coming back to them
