Small and saturated
The market conditions in Singapore that greeted Sabrina Tan’s 2007 launch were hardly rosy. Highly competitive, full of brands and products for every kind of skin and skin issue and—above all—small, local consumers were famously fickle, not brand loyal, and constantly stressed by the paradox of choice.
In an arena where even the most established global players have a hard time hanging onto their share—what more for a new local brand, even one built on the utterly convincing power of “bespoke fuss-free skincare for everyone”?
To succeed, it was important for Skin Inc to rise above the clutter and stand apart in an ultra-competitive atmosphere. To dive in, it would have to get out: to scale, go overseas—internationalise.
Standardising customisation
To stand out in a global marketplace, Skin Inc needed to distinguish itself, create assets and the means to scale with speed: it needed a solid system for internationalisation.
We worked closely with the Skin Inc team to embolden its customised skincare proposition, a collaboration that led to some of the concepts now synonymous with the brand: Skin Supplement Bar, a counter system for on-the-spot customisation; My Skin Identity, proprietary self-diagnostic technology; and My Daily Dose or MDD, a potent serum custom-blended for all skin goals.
Our team then built an internationalisation system and packaged it for Skin Inc to use reaching out to potential partners in multiple markets across Asia, Europe, and the US. We identified intellectual assets and created manuals for operation and a business opportunity package that included pre-determined ROI, commercial terms, and pricing systems.
We encouraged Skin Inc to globalise through multiple channels and markets to achieve greater economies of scale: franchising, distribution, retail, and e-commerce all working together to make the framework for internationalisation more robust. True to the brand personality, we kept communications trendy yet clear and simple, a system that worked even in translation across multiple contexts.
A skincare phenomenon is born
With its clear and easy system of branding and operations for bespoke products, growth has been nothing short of phenomenal. Today, Skin Inc delivers its promise of customised skincare in over 78 cities around the world. Skin Supplement Bars are hot destinations at Sephora and Nordstrom and, in addition to more than 100 Beauty Awards under its belt, Skin Inc retail products continue to rank consistently on leading skincare review sites. With concept stores and more than 200 retail distribution points across Asia, Europe, and the United States, demand for the brand remains strong in-store or online and, to date, shows no sign of slowing.
