Launched at the end of 2019, SKINLY from Beiersdorf is one of the largest skin care studies in the world. A unique feature of this study is that consumers are actively involved in the research thanks to a special IoT measurement device and a complementary smartphone app.

“With this study, we are continuously expanding knowledge about the skin and creating data validity for scientific evaluation.” – Sven Clemann, Head of the SKINLY study 

The SKINLY measuring device has a moisture sensor and a special camera with three different light sources to measure individual skin characteristics on the cheek, eye wrinkle, forehead and forearm. The device monitors for example skin age, wrinkle depth, skin tone, and impurities. The results are then analysed and recorded in the associated app, which also displays the participant’s individual skin report after the measurements have been taken. 

Consumers taking part in the study can also use the app to record data on topics such as sleep, nutrition, product usage or the menstrual cycle for example.

The high-quality data available thanks to this AI tool allows Beiersdorf’s R&D team (or scientists) to not only better understand influences on the skin, but to develop and recommend products personalized and tailored to consumers’ needs.

More than 20,000 consumers aged between 18 and 80+ have already taken part in the study since launch. So far, about 10 million skin measurements have been taken worldwide, which has generated over 910 million data points and 120 million high-quality skin images from over 50 countries.

“The ecosystem we are building in this study is continuously learning with each measurement. The more data we have, the better we can understand the external influences on the skin. Only with truly valid data can we ensure maximum informative value and draw meaningful conclusions for our research and development work.” – Sören Jaspers, Head of Digital Pioneering at Beiersdorf Research & Development 

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